Representatives of bpTT and the Laing Group visited the Mayaro-based Servol Junior Life Centre to deliver musical and sporting equipment and formalise their relationship with the educational institution. The visit was held on April 11.
A release on Tuesday said that through this partnership, bpTT and Laing were able to provide the Mayaro Servol centre with three new air-conditioning units, sporting equipment and uniforms, board games, learning tools and musical instruments including steelpans and drums.
Representatives of both companies visited the school to deliver items as well as to formally meet the executive team of Servol and interact with the trainees.
Leading the bpTT-team, and explaining the initiative was Ryan Chaitram, manager, communications and external affairs who said, “We have a long-standing relationship with Servol and in fact, they were once based at the bpTT Mayaro Resource Centre.
"When they reached out to us, we saw it as an ideal opportunity to partner with our service provider, Laing Group, and maximise the impact of this initiative. The team at Laing quickly got on board and this visit represents the formal aspect of this partnership for progress."
He continued, “The enthusiasm and gratitude of the trainees made a huge impact on us and validated the efforts to deliver and even surpass the requests of Servol. These young people showed us that they are eager and energised to use these tools to learn and grow.
"This partnership is helping young people to unlock their full potential, and we look forward to collaborating with other companies to deepen the impact of meaningful corporate social responsibility investments like this,” Chaitram added.
The Servol trainees were especially excited by the new steelpans and drums that were provided and wasted no time in demonstrating their talents to their visitors.
According to 15-year-old trainee Kadon Octave, “I love football, cricket and music, so I’m really excited about everything they gave to us. I play pan with the Panhandle Steel Orchestra, which bpTT has assisted, so I’m not surprised by this gesture.
"These companies even made our classrooms more comfortable with a/c units, so that we can focus on learning and achieving success. There are a lot of young people across the country that need this kind of help, so more companies need to follow their example.”
In existence for almost six decades, Servol has impacted critical areas of society through early childhood care and education (ECCE) centres, junior life programmes, adolescent development programmes, skills training and schools for children with special needs, and a parent outreach programme.
Servol has been so successful that their model has been adopted across the Caribbean and in countries as far afield as Australia, Kenya and Israel.
Expressing gratitude on behalf of Servol was its executive director Allison Haynes who said, “We often partner with corporations to make a positive impact on the most vulnerable persons in society. This initiative is especially meani
