Carriacou: Ministries partner to help enhance parenting skills

Hillsborough, Carriacou: Twenty-one (21) adults in Carriacou are now equipped with the necessary knowledge to ensure they become better parents.

They were participants in a two-week workshop hosted by the Parenting Division within the Ministry of Social Development, which partnered with the Division of Social Development within the Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs and Local Government.

Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs and Local Government, Javan Williams, who represented his Ministry at a graduation ceremony for the participants, noted that for parenting skills to be applied meaningfully, parents must understand how to prioritize.

PS Williams added that it is important for parents to demonstrate and give physical and spiritual support to their children. Parenting, he said, is not about competing with others but providing what is best within the reach of each parent.

Parenting Facilitator, Colette Jeffrey-Charles, said parenting should be everybody’s business. For her part, Parenting Coordinator Kerisha Cyrus said the real impact of the workshop started with the parents and asked them to share the information and make a difference within their homes and communities.

The graduation ceremony, held at the Hillsborough Government School, was also attended by Inspector Roy Nelson, who is the only male-certified parenting facilitator in the State.

He specifically congratulated the two (2) fathers who attended the workshop and called on dads to play a more active role in their children’s lives. Males should not be raised differently than females, Inspector Nelson said.

Workshop participants, in their testimonials, were high in praise for the information received, saying it would make them better parents.

They called for another workshop of a similar nature.