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Cayman Islands: PIN closing ceremony

Everyone is invited to the Closing Ceremony for students of the PIN (Positive Intervention Now) Programme on Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.

What is Positive
Intervention Now?

Positive Intervention Now (PIN) is an afterschool intervention programme which caters to adolescents in the George Town area.

PIN aims to provide comprehensive, high-quality afterschool activities that provide
opportunities for afterschool students to feel safe, improve academic performance, improve social, emotional, and physical well-being while
establishing healthy behaviors, improve school and community connectedness, reduce the potential for risk-taking behaviors, so that
students have greater opportunities for success in developing the attitudes, skills, knowledge and abilities to live healthy lives, and
become productive adults.

Through PIN, students receive attention, instruction, guidance and positive reinforcement to help them gain the skills, knowledge and motivation they need to fulfill their potential.

The programme runs three afternoons per week (Tuesday to Thursday) at St. George’s Anglican Church Hall. During the sessions, volunteers from Corporate Cayman, church members and from within our community work with the students in areas ranging from academics, to the arts, to etiquette and character/spiritual development.

What are PIN’s Objectives?

We want to ensure that each child receives maximum instruction and guidance in a nurturing, creative environment and that we assist their parents/guardians in providing the necessary parental support.

The specific objectives are:

Academic Support and Achievement:
Students participating in academic support and enrichment activities will show increased success in academic achievement as demonstrated by improved homework completion rates and increased engagement in learning.

Social Skills and Youth Development:
Students participating in social skills and youth development activities will show improved social and emotional well-being as demonstrated by improved healthy behaviours, improved school and community connectedness and reduced participation in delinquent activities.

Physical, Health and Recreational:
Students participating in physical, health and recreational activities will show improved nutrition, health practices, physical development, leadership and team building skills and self-confidence as demonstrated by increased physical activity, enhanced nutrition and wellness and positive youth-adult relationships.

Family and Community Involvement:
Developing effective collaborative partnerships among family, school and community. This will result in increased parental involvement, more effective use of resources and improved coordination of existing programmes and services.

Which children are in the programme?

The PIN programme currently caters to 15 Year 6 students from the George Town Primary School (within whose catchment area St. George’s Church is located). These students are identified by the school principal and counselor as children who could benefit from such intervention. The students’ parents/guardians are then invited to allow their children to join the programme. Parents also commit to participating in parenting sessions aimed at further enhancing parental skills and support.

Why this target group?

We strongly believe we must try to make a positive impact on children BEFORE they reach the high school level.

Year 6 students are in that challenging and life-changing transition from childhood to the teen years; soon they will leave the familiar cocoon of primary school.

Year 6 is the last opportunity to reach these youngsters before they have to face the added pressures of high school.

Given limited resources, we felt that Year 6 was the best focus for the programme.

Who makes PIN work?

The Education and Youth Committee of St. George’s Anglican Church developed PIN with input and assistance from volunteers from the church and community.

A Coordinator carries out the programme’s day-to-day management.

A Board of Directors, comprising volunteers from the church and community, oversees the programme. The board is responsible for ensuring accountability for funding and the proper functioning of the programme’s various components.

Volunteers from inside and outside the church (including persons with specialised skills in the various programme areas) deliver the programme content.

Equipment, material, supplies and food are provided through the generosity of organisations, businesses and individuals. Donations have come in both cash and kind.

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