The UWI First Year Experience (FYE), for many, is about receiving. The university provides free T- Shirts, weekly snacks, off-campus excursions, and advice to the participants. For one particular FYE group on Taylor Hall, however, the programme is also about giving.

The 15 students in the “High Sage” FYE group, and their facilitator Rayon Kelly, adopted the Kitson Town All-Age School as their outreach project for the academic year, and sought to raise funds for the school’s beautification. Their hard work culminated on Monday in sync with the school’s Labour Day activities.

The group selected the Kitson Town All-Age School as their project, after being prompted to visit by the group leader, Candiece Knight, who is a past student of the humble institution, and also a current member of teenAGE Observer. Although the other group members were not fans of the long journey from Mona to rural St Catherine, they could not deny the school’s need for assistance.

The students raised funds for the project through tag drives and pastry sales on their hall of residence. In the end, the students were able to give gallons of paint, paint brushes, rollers, garbage bags, and other materials to the school, right in time for Labour Day.

With the academic year at the university already over, many of the group members had to leave the campus earlier this month, but those that were able to make the trip to Kitson Town offered their services willingly, as representatives from the group collaborated with the emerging Kitson Town All –Age Past Student Association to achieve a full workday.

The principal of the school, Nerica Powell-Hay, welcomed the group with open arms on their first visit, and was on hand to supervise all the activities on Monday. She thanked the group for selecting the institution for their Labour Day project saying, “Your efforts have helped to improve our school environment. We are encouraged that together we can help to build a better community.”

Group member Terence Moodie, who is also Taylor Hall’s incoming External Affairs Chairperson remarked that “It is very humbling to be able to do something positive for others and to know that it will be appreciated. I feel as if we have sparked the flame of pride for the school in the hearts of the community members and students alike, and we hope it will continue even after we have gone. There is still a lot of work to be done.”