Sixty Students Reflect On “Capacity For Agency”
Sixty middle school students gathered at the Earl Cameron Theatre at City Hall at on March 2 to reflect on “the capacity for agency.”
A spokesperson said, “Sixty middle school students gathered at the Earl Cameron Theatre at City Hall at 1.30pm on Thursday, March 2. The date marked the anniversary of a spontaneous action by a 15-year-old student Claudette Colvin of Montgomery, Alabama, who on March 2, 1955 refused to abide by the segregation laws of that city while riding a bus, resulting in her arrest.
“Claudette’s protest came nine months before Rosa Parks’ similar action, sparking the iconic Montgomery Bus Boycott.
“The spontaneous protest action by this teenager offers an example of agency, the capacity to determine right from wrong and act accordingly. It is a characteristic that potentially develops in any and all human beings over a period of time.
“The gathering of students was an opportunity to engage in a facilitated process with each other to appreciate this capacity. Additionally, it allowed the youngsters to consider the implications of agency for their own development and its implications for our community by sharing personal stories.
“Glenn Fubler, who served as this initiative’s coordinator, welcomed the students by reminding each of them of their singular importance to our community and he went on to share Claudette Colvin’s story, pointing out local parallels.
“Minister of Education Diallo Rabain, in greeting the gathered students and teachers, pointed out that he was hearing Claudette’s story for the very first time, demonstrating that learning is lifelong. The Minister went on thank Nekesha Holdipp – Education Officer, Social Studies – for her role in leveraging this process for the development of the school curriculum.
“Subsequently, Aderonke Bademosi-Wilson, the lead on the mechanics of the process, outlined how students would be randomly sorted into three groups and moved to various locations within City Hall. All students had the opportunity to engage in the facilitation of experiential learning in the various locations. The goal was for students to appreciate agency from the personal perspective through to an understanding of why civic engagement is so important for our community and planet.
“The seven facilitators comprised an exemplary team. They included the well-known Martha Dismont, Aderonke Bademosi-Wilson [former senior civil servant], and Cummings Zuill [retired banker and philanthropic activist].
“The under-40 facilitators included Qian Dickinson – Digital coordinator at Clarien Bank; Staphen Dill – Digicel employee/Acting Assistant VP BIU/ sportsman; Aaron Crichlow – lawyer/co—founder of Bermuda is Love; and Dr Miguel Mejias – recently awarded PhD/ environmental activist.
“Glenn Fubler marvelled at the quality of engagement sparked by this team of facilitators. Noting that this opportunity of working with this group of volunteers offered a glimpse of how it must have been playing on a team including the likes of Pele.
“The common response from the facilitators themselves, the teachers, and others who were able to witness the facilitation first-hand, was that while the process began somewhat stiffly, it soon took off, gaining palpable momentum. They all agreed that the cohort of students included a number of evident lights who demonstrated a solid appreciation of the importance of attending to their own sense of agency.
“There was a consensus that the project had broken new ground from both an academic and wider community perspective and the team will carry out a comprehensive debriefing within the coming week. Nekesha Holdipp has been given the undertaking by the education commissioner to continue this process on an annual basis.
“This student gathering was only achieved through the wide collaboration of a variety of community partners. These included the Ministry of Education; the Corporation of Hamilton for access to the City Hall environs; the Bermuda National Gallery for chairs and tables; Chewstick Foundation and John Waddle for the sound system; professional photographer Sharon Bailie; and a number of volunteers. Special mention must be made of the Department of Transport, which is undertaking steps that will facilitate sustaining the central message of this initiative through the near future.
“The student gathering has offered yet another demonstration of the potential of our community working together across sectors of the island to leverage the potential of any and all of our young people to the benefit of Bermuda.”
