Scotiabank, Heroes Foundation celebrate South East Secondary students

TWENTY-FIVE student leaders of the South East Port of Spain Secondary School (Seposs) celebrated the successful completion of their second year in the Heroes Development Programme (HDP) with the Scotiabank Foundation and the Heroes Foundation (Heroes).

HDP is a three-year youth intervention designed by Heroes with support from Unicef to develop positive and purpose-driven young citizens. The curriculum emphasises psychosocial and 21st-century skills development, sustainability education, career guidance, and youth-led projects for positive behaviour change, a media release said.

Stephan Lalonde, director of HR at Scotiabank and director of the Scotiabank Foundation, was delighted by the progress displayed by participants and emphasised Scotiabank's unwavering commitment to community development, especially in nurturing the potential of the youth.

"At Scotiabank and the Scotiabank Foundation we believe in making a tangible difference in the communities we serve. Investing in the future prosperity of our great country is not just a responsibility but a privilege," he said. "Our focus on youth is paramount because we firmly believe that when our young people thrive, we all benefit and share a brighter future."

Over the past year, the students showed remarkable growth in self-awareness and emotional awareness while developing safe, strong, and healthy relationships. They were trained as climate champions to promote sustainable behaviours within their homes and the school, engaged in a hillside reforestation exercise, learnt how to prevent and respond to forest fires, and led several peace and unity activities within their school and with migrant youth across the country, the release said.

For Sashel, a form-three student, the sessions on career planning and workplace etiquette were particularly insightful.

“Creating my career plan has made it easier for me to choose the subjects I want to do for CXC,” she explained. “But my favourite lesson was on climate change and global warming, because now I know how I can do better for the environment and help fix the problems that we humans are creating.”

Lawrence Arjoon, CEO of the Heroes Foundation, emphasised HDP is designed for long-term impact and sustainable results by supporting and guiding young people through a critical development period.

“We’re grateful for Scotiabank’s commitment to long-term development and prevention-based solutions for the issues we are experiencing today,” he said. “Our HDP partnership at Seposs is strategically focused on ensuring that future generations make better decisions and positively contribute to Trinidad and Tobago. Together, we are enabling the values, skills, and behaviours we need for a safe and sustainable future.”

Winston Samuel, school principal, expressed deep gratitude to Heroes for its enduring 11-year partnership and thanked Scotiabank for ensuring the programme continues.

“Our school has always had a strong Heroes team, starting in 2012, when we won the award for the best team that year,” he said. “Since then, our students have been actively engaged in a variety of character-building activities, projects, workshops, and competitions organised by Heroes.

"These initiatives have played a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life at our school, raising awareness of pressing social and environmental issues, and fostering a culture of volunteerism.”