On 8th September 2026, the Club held its General Meeting at La Cabana in Simpsonbay! The Guest Speaker was Mr. Wycliffe Smith who spoke to us about Basic Education & Literacy!
President Grace gave announcements: International Literacy Day is today!
She also spoke about a project that we collaborated with The Rotary Club of St Martin Sunset & Rotary Club of St Martin Sunrise with the Book a Day initiative. President Grace thanked the mid isle members and spouses who volunteered to read to the students 👏🏼
The Baby Basket project with the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset was also completed. 25 baskets were given to the Louis Constant Fleming hospital & SMMC were given 25 baskets. Both hospitals showed sincere gratitude for the project. Kudos to Service Projects Chair Esme for suggesting for our Club to join this wonderful project! 🙌🏼
Service Projects Chair Esme spoke about the Reading Under a Tree Project. She also spoke about when she was a child growing up and in the Caribbean they used the outdoors a lot. She was an avid reader and to get away from chores she used to go under a tree and read books. She also believes that children today need to be removed from electronic devices and get them to read from the actual book. This builds curiosity and they can see and feel the Illustrations, get to know the author etc
In connection with World Polio Day, we will have our annual Ramesh Manek End Polio walkathon on October 24th.!
Membership Chair Esme introduced the Guest Speaker Wycliffe Smith, who spoke about Basic Education and Literacy
As an educator he witnessed how education has changed the direction on lives.
Basic education teaches us how to read the word and literacy helps us to read the world.
Basic education should give every person the essential tools to be able to function with dignity and to participate responsibly in society
Some of these tools include reading with
understanding and speaking effectively . Basic maths, understanding of finances, critical thinking and digital & media literacy
Basic education should prepare a child for life
School attendance is not the same as education
And being able to read words is not necessarily literacy
Thought provoking statement:
The true test of the education system is not how many enter school but how many leave school equipped for life
Rotary connects basic education and literacy with health & economic development and peace.
Take for example literacy and poverty
Poverty is not only lack of money but also lack of access to knowledge. A person with limited literacy may experience difficulty applying for a job or understanding a contract or managing a bank account etc
A good story asks a person to enter the world of another person. It shows kids others have fears, feelings etc
There is a danger with reading skills and comprehension and examinations so that kids associate reading with only school work.
It’s important to create the desire for children to read
Children should also encounter books that shows local experiences and not only those from far away .
He gave a challenge: literacy should not be the responsibility for schools alone. Children becomes readers when it’s valued by adults around them.
He commended the club for the reading initiatives in the community.
The presentation was very informative!
President Grace presented Guest Speaker Wycliffe Smith with a Certificate of Appreciation!
She also spoke about a project that we collaborated with The Rotary Club of St Martin Sunset & Rotary Club of St Martin Sunrise with the Book a Day initiative. President Grace thanked the mid isle members and spouses who volunteered to read to the students 👏🏼
The Baby Basket project with the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset was also completed. 25 baskets were given to the Louis Constant Fleming hospital & SMMC were given 25 baskets. Both hospitals showed sincere gratitude for the project. Kudos to Service Projects Chair Esme for suggesting for our Club to join this wonderful project! 🙌🏼
Service Projects Chair Esme spoke about the Reading Under a Tree Project. She also spoke about when she was a child growing up and in the Caribbean they used the outdoors a lot. She was an avid reader and to get away from chores she used to go under a tree and read books. She also believes that children today need to be removed from electronic devices and get them to read from the actual book. This builds curiosity and they can see and feel the Illustrations, get to know the author etc
In connection with World Polio Day, we will have our annual Ramesh Manek End Polio walkathon on October 24th.!
Membership Chair Esme introduced the Guest Speaker Wycliffe Smith, who spoke about Basic Education and Literacy
As an educator he witnessed how education has changed the direction on lives.
Basic education teaches us how to read the word and literacy helps us to read the world.
Basic education should give every person the essential tools to be able to function with dignity and to participate responsibly in society
Some of these tools include reading with
understanding and speaking effectively . Basic maths, understanding of finances, critical thinking and digital & media literacy
Basic education should prepare a child for life
School attendance is not the same as education
And being able to read words is not necessarily literacy
Thought provoking statement:
The true test of the education system is not how many enter school but how many leave school equipped for life
Rotary connects basic education and literacy with health & economic development and peace.
Take for example literacy and poverty
Poverty is not only lack of money but also lack of access to knowledge. A person with limited literacy may experience difficulty applying for a job or understanding a contract or managing a bank account etc
A good story asks a person to enter the world of another person. It shows kids others have fears, feelings etc
There is a danger with reading skills and comprehension and examinations so that kids associate reading with only school work.
It’s important to create the desire for children to read
Children should also encounter books that shows local experiences and not only those from far away .
He gave a challenge: literacy should not be the responsibility for schools alone. Children becomes readers when it’s valued by adults around them.
He commended the club for the reading initiatives in the community.
The presentation was very informative!
President Grace presented Guest Speaker Wycliffe Smith with a Certificate of Appreciation!
