Supporting Students of Our Fenceline Communities
Education is one of the critical pillars that contributes to the development of Trinidad and Tobago. CGCL’s commitment to education provides necessary interventions that propel the next generation of Trinidad and Tobago to a future that is grounded in knowledge and success.
For the students of our communities, we provide customised financial, emotional, and technological support at the tertiary and primary levels.
CGCL partnered with the community organization No Youth Left Behind (NYLB) for a Back-to-School Drive to assists in preparing its community’s children for their return to school. This initiative saw employees donating from school bags, paper, pens, and stationery supplies to books, clothing, and other much-needed items. Well done Team CGCL!
A total of 100 underprivileged children were able to get the supplies needed to make their back-to-school experience an exciting and memorable one.
Scholarship and Bursary Fund
At the tertiary level, a Scholarship and Bursary Fund has been established for those attending the St Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (The UWI). The five-year Fund programme, which continues until 2024, offers $2 million in bursaries and scholarships across The UWI’s eight faculties to new and continuing undergraduate students who reside in our fenceline communities.
Aaliyah Alexis’ Story
My life instantly changed when I received the call that I got a scholarship. It was a miracle and mere coincidence that the CGCL Scholarship was the same amount I applied for through the National Student Loan Programme.
The CGCL Scholarship helped to ease my financial difficulties during my course of study at the University of the West Indies, allowing me to focus on my grades and achieve my goal of graduating with First Class Honours in my Biomedical Technology degree.
The scholarship also helped me to assist my family during the Covid-19 Pandemic, a difficult time for all of us. Fast-forward three years later, I am a soon-to-be proud graduate of the University of the West Indies and I have acquired the skills which allowed me to successfully grow my online business. To conclude, I am happy, blessed, and forever thankful to be a proud recipient of the CGCL Scholarship and I thank God for allowing me to confidently achieve my goals.
SEA Stress Management Tour
At the primary level, our focus is on students preparing for the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) Examinations at the five fenceline primary schools – La Brea Roman Catholic, Brighton Anglican, Rousillac Hindu, Rousillac Presbyterian and Vance River Roman Catholic. At a formative juncture in the lives of these children, we resolve to provide the necessary support to ensure a stress-free preparation for this most pivotal examination. Our flagship CSR Programme, the SEA Stress Management Tour, has supported more than 600 Standard Five students, along with their teachers and parents. Among the team of the Stress Management Tour is a child psychologist who engenders and redirects positive energy.
SEA CEO Award
Finally, the SEA CEO Award is given to the top performer within CGCL’s communities. A trophy to acknowledge “excellence in education” and a scholarship comprising units from the Unit Trust Corporation for future education is presented to the outstanding student.
Online Learning Support Centres
The Covid-19 pandemic has also shown us that there is no single teaching method for success and confirmed the need for supplemental learning when the physical classroom is not available. Hence, we contributed to the Online Learning Student Support Centres at Vessigny Community Centre and the La Brea Nightingale Steel Orchestra Training Facility. Furnished with laptops, printers, and stationery, these centres provided a safe learning space for some 60 disadvantaged students when remote learning became mandatory. We are doing our part to mould responsible, thoughtful members of society and we are ensuring the future through investments in the present.
