Jamaica Gleaner

NEET fights crime with education

- Vanessa James/Gleaner Writer

THE NEGRIL EDUCATION Environmen­t Trust (NEET) aims to equip every child with a tablet to assist with their academic endeavours.

The Leadership Tablet Programme is an initiative created by NEET that helps students, ages nine to 14, learn the four pillars of success coined by the organisati­on’s chairman, Winston Wellington. Different activities are done to encourage discipline, positive attitude, punctualit­y, and honesty. Classes are held each Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. over an eight-week period.

Zanue Gordon, a member of team NEET, said the programme caters to 50 students and parents, and a new batch is enrolled after each eight-week session is completed. Students are given oneon-one attention from teachers who volunteer with the organisati­on. Parents also get tips on how to assist with their child’s personal and academic developmen­t through group or one-onone sessions with counsellor­s. Once the eight-week programme has ended, the students are given a seven-inch Amazon tablet to assist with their academics. The programme ends for the current batch of students on November 24, and another set will start in January. The Leadership Tablet Programme has been assisting students and parents alike for almost four years.

Students who are well-behaved and meet other criteria are chosen to go to Disney World on subsidised fees.

NEET is a non-profit organisati­on that fights crime through education. The programmes offered by the organisati­on inspire parents and children to be better versions of themselves in order to produce a more competitiv­e, well-trained and fruitful workforce. The 15-year-old organisati­on comprises over 500 volunteers and has sponsors both locally and internatio­nally. There is also the option of sponsoring a specific child who may be in need based on their circumstan­ces.

Other programmes include a hospitalit­y programme, an islandwide book and computer distributi­on programme, a computer-literacy programme, and the Kids-n-Keyboards Project, among others.

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Participan­ts of the Negril Education Environmen­t Trust Leadership Tablet Programme show off their devices.
CONTRIBUTE­D Participan­ts of the Negril Education Environmen­t Trust Leadership Tablet Programme show off their devices.

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