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Family Commission lobbying for more parental support for youths
“Some young people have a lot of issues that they want settled and they need support to do this.
Ms. Sandra Hooper, Family Commissioner Chairperson.
But sometimes their parents or the family is not there to give support.” This comment was recently made by Chairperson of the Family Commission, Ms. Sandra Hooper.
Hooper, who was appointed to the Commission last year, said that during her tenure deliberate moves are being made to ensure that the family is able to fulfil its supportive purpose. Moreover, the Commission, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Social Protection, has been embracing a mandate centered on helping the family to fulfil its purpose to support its members, particularly the young.
In order to accomplish this goal, Hooper said that the Commission has been reaching out mainly through the school system. “We have been going around having several workshops…During last term we decided that we were going to start with Georgetown,” related Hooper.
In targeting Georgetown, the Chairperson said that the Commission through its Commissioners was able to tackle a number of areas. This move has been well supported by the principals of the schools.
“We have been able to make arrangements to go in [to the schools] and talk to the parents during Parent Teacher Association meetings…We have been to Lodge Secondary, we have been to Enterprise Secondary, then East Ruimveldt Secondary, Tucville and North Georgetown Secondary schools too,” Hooper noted. A number of other schools have also since been targeted as well.
Workshops, according to Hooper, have also been held in Regions Two, Three and Five. There are plans to take it farther.
“What we have been talking about is parenting the child during their teenage years so that the child and the parent understand that there is a need for support…there is need for parents to have more discussions with their children,” said the Family Commission Chairperson. However, she noted that the work of the Commission is somewhat limited since the funding it benefits from is small.
But according to Hooper, “We will continue to do outreaches to achieve our goal.”
The Commission, which was re-launched in 2012 under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration, has had censorship high on its agenda. It was reported, then, that the Commission would seek to institute necessary and possible censorship actions to anything it believes can be injurious or harmful to family life.
It was therefore expected that the performance of the Commission would even then be backed by the age-old Cinematograph and Video Act of 1912, as well as a new piece of legislation which makes provision for censorship to be brought to any video production, printed material or any other item that can be considered harmful.
But according to Hooper, the Commission will be giving immense focus to how the family can help, not only with the development of their own children, but by extension the community.
The Commission’s focus in this regard, Hooper said, was fuelled by its recognition that children in the secondary schools were increasingly being found to be involved in pornographic situations.
“We knew we had to work with, not only the children, but the parents to see how we can help,” said Hooper.
Hooper said that she has had concerns even with parents granting their children the privilege to watch uncensored television, even cartoons some of which make violent situations acceptable. “Many times parents think it’s ok, that it gives children the impression if they have a problem with somebody they can knock them over and if they fall they get right up back and everything is ok…They don’t know that something is wrong with that unless they are taught otherwise,” Hooper said.
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