Belizean Diaspora Gives Back to the Community

This summer, at least sixty children are being provided with the resources and guidance to enhance their learning experience through the Rogers Stadium Physical Cultural Sporting Club. For three weeks students across Belize City participated in supplementary classes and extracurricular activities funded by community members in Belize and the diaspora. Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon stopped by the camp at Gwen Lizarraga High School to learn more about the initiative.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

For many Belizeans living abroad, the desire to assist their loved ones at home is shown one way or another. Whether sending a barrel of clothes or school supplies, or providing groceries for those fallen under hard times, there are many ways to give back to the communities that raised them. At the Rogers Stadium Physical Cultural Sporting Club, this is achieved by funding the annual educational summer camp hosted in Belize City. Mike Gentle, the education director  who has been teaching for almost thirty years, tells us why he makes the journey from New York every year to participate in the program.

 

Mike Gentle, Education director, R.S.P.C.S.C.

“I like to think of it as an enrichment program. I do STEM in the state, so I did a couple of classes in engineering, and have just a freethinking kind of thing, try to get these kids to generate their own thoughts and design; so that’s basically where we start with our engineering class.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And why do you think it’s important to travel to participate in activities like this?”

 

 

Mike Gentle

“It’s important because these kids need to learn how to think. The education system, for the most part, in Belize, and from my experience in the States, is geared to training students. They don’t teach students to think independently or be creative. So education in Belize, especially now that I’m here, is a training system. And we need to start training and start educating.”

 

 

 

The camp was launched in 2019 and provides supplementary classes for children who may not have the opportunity to participate otherwise. Throughout the three-week program, children learn a range of topics, including robotics and sports, and are visited by guest speakers from different walks of life. Children are taken on a field trip for an additional extracurricular experience at the end of the program.

 

 

 

 

 

Kawhi Enriquez, Student

“Well the camp program is very fun, and the teachers are very helpful, my teachers name miss Cadle, and she is very helpful to me.”

 

Britney Gordon

“What kind of subjects do you like to learn about?”

 

 

 

Kawhi Enriquez

“Math, is my favorite subject, language and expressive arts.”

 

Britney Gordon

“What do you like about expressive arts?”

 

 

 

Kawhi Enriquez

“That you can express your feelings and your thoughts, through drawing.”

 

Britney Gordon

“What do you want to be when you get older?”

 

 

Kawhi Enriquez

“I am still figuring that out, but I think I want to be a doctor.”

 

Rogers Stadium Physical Cultural Club is made up of Belizeans residing in Belize and the Diaspora and supports the advancement of youth in Belize. Sports Director, Harold Grant runs the camp each year so that children will be exposed to experiences beyond what is taught in a classroom and boost their self-esteem so that they can strive towards a brighter future.

 

 

Harold Grant, Sports director, R.S.P.C.S.C.

“And we need to give back to the kids. Our kids is not as educated as the kids in the states. So, we have to make sure that we give back to them and try to in, in some way, let them know that they are somebody to be loved by people love themselves so that they can learn and be educated like the rest of the people in the world. No, our kids here in Belize, they are behind, with education, far. So, mister Gentle, he comes in from the diaspora, and he will teach the kids, and to take them on computers or stuff like that, he will be teaching them. We’re teaching them algorithms. We’re teaching them robotics. Last year, one of the kids took them, put a robot together. You know, so, he have some very interesting things for the kids them to learn here and Belize that we don’t have here, in Belize. So, he’s the man that’s really pushing behind this, this education thing.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.