Motivational speaker challenges young inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 5:21 PM - St. George's, Grenada
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, 2010 - The Department of Youth in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Sports, in its effort to help young people who are incarcerated at Her Majesty’s Prison at Richmond Hill, through its Rehabilitation Programme, held a motivational session there on February 22nd 2010.
Grenadian-born motivational speaker, Neals Chitan who resides in Canada, was invited to speak to the young men during the Departments’ bi-weekly visit to the Richmond Hill correctional facilities.
Chitan, who is the C.E.O. of the Canadian-based organization, MOTIV-8 for Change, emphasized to the inmates the importance of reflection and self-motivation in order to experience positive change in their behaviour.
He compared their situation to that of a butterfly. He said, “All caterpillars go through a phase where they are under restraint - cocooning. During that period they have time for reflection, after which they turn into the most beautiful butterflies and they have the opportunity to fly to anywhere they wish.”
Also on hand at the session was Youth Rehabilitation Coordinator in the Ministry, Miss Earlyn Lalgee, who expressed thanks to Mr. Chitan for his motivational challenge to the young men.
Miss Lalgee said, “The youth at the Prison would have definitely benefited from the session. They were very attentive and responded wonderfully to his personality. From observing the expressions on some of the boys’ faces, I could tell that Mr. Chitan had them thinking about their current situation and where they can be in the future.”
The young men thanked Mr.Chitan. One of the inmates said, “He (Chitan) helped put things in perspective and helped us to think more deeply about our situation.”
The session ended with “high-fives” between the boys and Mr. Chitan, confirming their acceptance of his presentation.
Later on, Mr. Chitan facilitated a motivational session with members of staff of the Youth Department, which was held at the Agency for Rural Development’s conference room. He challenged them to grasp the importance of self-fulfillment on the job. He also encouraged them to “dedicate themselves to inspiring young people”.
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