I am Tyreek Welsh and I was a facilitator of the Caribbean School Of Data (CSOD) pilot group in Kingston, Jamaica that ended in February 2020. As a facilitator, I was responsible for assisting with both technical and administrative support and we had to familiarize ourselves with the learning objectives as well as the contents of the course. This was done in order to assist the students with any questions or clarify anything that they may not have understood. 

As a part of the process, we had to assist students by downloading the courses onto their tablets, as well as to sort out any technical issues they were having as it relates to accessing or completing the course. During the pilot programme, we met with the group every Saturday at 9am and followed up on their progress, and discussed the content of each module.

During the [period spent facilitating the group], I was  able to communicate and get to know some of the participants and I had the privilege of experiencing their eagerness, their concerns and their plans for the future. The ones who came every Saturday showed their enthusiasm by completing the different modules on time and asked questions within and outside the context of the course. 

Given the correct environment and a mentor, I can guarantee the growth of many of these participants. I remember speaking to a participant who wanted to pursue mechanical engineering. He asked how he would be able to merge both mechanical engineering and the digital world.  At the time, I gave the answer I could and I remember directing his question to Dr. McNaughton for further examination. Looking at this situation I realized that given a mentor to guide and to mold his development and decisions, he would be able to reach farther than what he believes he can achieve. Many youths are in a similar situation and given the right environment and a good mentor will become success stories.