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Ato
Boldon chats with students at Holy Faith Convent, Couva,
during the Guardian in Education motivational session on
Tuesday.
Photo:
Tony Howell
By
Leah Mathura-Dookhoo
Former Olympic track star Ato Boldon is calling on parents
to spend more time with their children.
He made the call on Tuesday when he spoke to hundreds of
students at Holy Faith Convent in Couva, during the Guardian
in Education’s Making a Difference schools tour.
The tour—which also involves artist and cyclist Michael
Phillips, Miss Universe 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam, Olympic
bronze medallist George Bovell III and West Indies batsman
Brian Lara—is endorsed by the Ministry of Education,
and is sponsored by the National Gas Co, RBTT, British Gas,
Guardian Holdings and Yara Trinidad.
It allows the celebrity participants to share their experiences
with students throughout the country and inspire them to
strive for success.
Boldon’s comment on Tuesday drew loud applause from
the audience. He said parents should manage their time so
they could better support their children.
“I
don’t think youths are supported enough. Parents are
just too busy and some are not focused on their children’s
career.”
He noted, however, that some who did, tried to direct their
children’s focus towards academics only, rather than
towards a non-traditional field.
Boldon also scolded teachers, parents and the society at
large for making young people go into depression because
of failure.
“People
fail time and time again—that’s how we learn,”
he said.
“That
is a big problem in Trinidad. When you fail here, people
make you feel as though it’s the end of the world.
“When
you fail, get yourself back up. Dust it off and try again.”
Boldon told the girls, who accommodated 30 students from
Couva Government Secondary, that when he decided to choose
a career in athletics, he was also greeted with negative
remarks from family and friends.
He said even with the constant murmurs at the peak of his
career, he tried to keep up academically.
“They
used to laugh at me. Now they want a loan,” the sociology
major said.
“When
they heard I was going into broadcasting, they said I couldn’t
do it. Now they want to know what time I’ll be on TV.
“They
said the same thing about flying. Now they want to know
where we’re heading to this weekend.”
Boldon also said if people were academically-inclined and
could not be thankful for it or use it to help others, they
were “nothing.”
He called on female students to respect themselves and try
hard to be the best leaders, mothers and wives they could.
“Don’t
let people put limitations on you. When you are a well-rounded
person, you rise up and move on. Make the best out of any
opportunity you get,” he said.
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