Tatiana Fahie, 11, knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up: a dancer, a singer, an entrepreneur and a lawyer.
The fair was designed to expose participants to various career options, said Jerrell George, the Rotaract Club’s vice-president.
The children, most of whom were members of one of the territory’s EarlyAct Clubs, sat in groups as they listened to presentations from firefighters, police officers, teachers and dancers.
“The important concept is to be able to count to eight,” Che Pemberton, who teaches at Adagio Dance School, told one group. “The second thing is shapes: You know if someone is doing the dance right if they are making the right shape.”
Police officer
Nearby, participants heard from Shanika Jennings, a civilian crime scene officer with the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
“What is a crime?” Ms. Jennings asked.
The she told the children about her profession, explaining details such as how evidence is collected from crime scenes.
“Most of them know their stuff,” Ms. Jennings said afterwards. “These kids are advanced. They should be working with me.”
Some of the children were fascinated with fingerprinting, and other expressed interest in knowing the procedure for charging criminals, the officer explained.
“They knew about autopsies even,” she said. “They are being influenced positively through these sessions. By interacting with us, they are seeing firsthand what goes on.”
Teachers
VI children could benefit from more such sessions, said Leana Simon, one of the teachers who attended the event.
“I think this event put on by the Rotaract Club was fitting and timely in a time when a lot of children don’t understand their purpose in the community,” said Ms. Simon, who teaches at Joyce Samuel Primary School.
The children at her session were very attentive, and many expressed an interest in her profession, Ms. Simon noted.
“I think they emulate their teachers,” she said. “A lot of the teachers are very good teachers who leave lasting impressions on the students, so they want to be like that person who made them feel good.”
Many children also want to be musicians, according to Ms. Simon.
“We encouraged them to keep at it, but also to have a backup plan,” she said. “Not many of us get to be professional musicians, so we encouraged them to have backup plans.”
Mr. George said the event was a success, and the Rotaract Club plans to organise similar events in the future.
“The turnout was good,” he said. “We want to make sure they have ideas of what they could be when they grow up.”
The above article was amended on Jan. 28 to correctly reflect the role of Jerrell George.
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