KINGSTON, Jamaica —
Four Tivoli Gardens High School students, who were seen on a viral video trying to de-escalate a fight between a teacher and a schoolboy, will be honored on Sunday.
The four grade 10 students — Daeshawn Tate, Shane McIntosh, Zachary Skeine and Akon Douglas — will be honoured at an event entitled An Evening of Lyme, Laughter and Top Class Theatre.
The event, staged by the BECCA Foundation & the Optimist Club of Trench Town, will see patrons being entertained and hosted by comedian Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis, before enjoying Basil Dawkins’ play, Hide Your Husband.
The organizers will be using the occasion to publicly honor the students. Each boy will receive:
A plaque from Optimist Club of Trench Town recognizing them as winners of our Inaugural Young Peacemaker Award
Meal Vouchers from Popeyes/Burger King/Little Caesars
Scholarships Bursary of $25k towards the next academic year
“After the video went viral, the members of the Optimist Club of TrenchTown decided that we wanted to highlight the positive aspect of the encounter that most people were missing, these boys were actively trying to mediate, de-escalate the tension and restore some semblance of order,” Blakka told OBSERVER ONLINE.
“The club has now created an initiative to publicly honor young people who take action geared towards creating peace and harmony. So, they will receive our inaugural Young Peacemaker Award. The awards are being sponsored by the BECCA Foundation, which is a charity I started with my brothers Aston and Neville in tribute to our Auntie Becca, who raised us while we lived in Trench Town.”
Blakka said the club was able to get support from Restaurant Associates Limited, who, through their Burger King Scholarship programme, have offered to add bursaries to the tune of $25k each.
“There will be music (steel pan with Aston Ellis — one-man-band) and comedy by me during the cocktail hour when we honor the four young men,” he revealed.
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