Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 29, 2023 (SKNIS): Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew encouraged the 17 recipients of the first-ever Boys of Excellence Awards, held on June 29, 2023, to continue to be role models that other boys in St. Kitts and Nevis can follow.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew made these remarks at the Awards Ceremony at Solid Waste Management Conference Room while congratulating the boys whose accomplishments he is very proud of.
“We are really appreciative of what you have done to deserve this award. We want you to be an example for all the other boys in St. Kitts and Nevis. We want your life to be such that it can really say to other boys – I can follow the straight and narrow road and have a well-lived life as well,” said Dr. Drew. “There is the misconception that being disciplined and doing what you have to is not as exciting as the other life. I will say to you that that is absolutely wrong.”
The honourable prime minister made a clarion call for fathers to be more involved in the lives of their sons so as to bridge the disconnect, adding that fathers play a critical role in shaping their sons’ idea of masculinity.
“The men have to step up; they have to be out with their boys mentoring them, guiding them. We have to ask them to step up and not accept any excuses anymore,” he said. “We have to protect, mold and be there for them and we have to give them the opportunities that they deserve. They are our boys and most of all we have to show them love.”
The 17 awardees were selected from each public primary school in St. Kitts. The Boys of Excellence Awards were presented to boys who have exhibited virtues in the areas of respect, self-control, compassion, empathy, discipline and kindness; who have demonstrated exemplary attitude and behavior in school and the community; and who have participated in extra-curricular activities whether in school or in the community.
