British High Commission, Judo Academy of Trinidad and Tobago launch youth programme

THE British High Commission and the Judo Academy of Trinidad and Tobago have launched the Judo and Oneness with Youth programme.

The launch was held at St Patricks’s Newtown Boys’ RC School in Newtown, Port of Spain on Wednesday.

British High Commissioner Harriet Cross, United Kingdom’s Minister of the Americas and the Caribbean David Rutley, president of the TT Olympic Committee Diane Henderson and Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe were among those who attended.

Rutley and Cross were good sports as they dressed like they have been competing in judo for decades. TT junior judo athletes Kai Sammy and Giovanni Lopez showed Cross and Rutley some moves in judo.

Rutley, speaking about the goals of the programme, said, “Young people are most impacted by growing violence in society. This project, funded by the United Kingdom, sets out to teach the principles of judo martial arts to help reduce violence in TT.”

The Judo Academy of TT will facilitate the programme over seven months. It will be rolled out in five schools across different areas in both Trinidad and Tobago.

Newtown Boys’ is one school where the programme will be available, a school that has a history in the sport as over 60 students practice regularly.

“The UK-funded project will make a difference in the lives of young people, helping put them on a positive path to achieve their goals,” Rutley said.

Cudjoe thanked everyone for lending support to a worthy cause.

“We as a Government are very focused on ramping up sport in schools at this time, so we appreciate the efforts of all stakeholders in bringing initiatives of this nature to our schools especially in East Port of Spain and environs and the other vulnerable communities.”

Cudjoe said it is still challenging to get some parents and teachers to understand the value of sport as academics is at times the only focus.

“I thank the British High Commission, I thank the Government of the UK, I thank the TT Judo Association, the members of the school (Newtown Boys’)…and everybody who came together to make this a tremendous success.”

With the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in TT one month away, Cudjoe wants to use those games to encourage more participation in sport.