Carenage’s Wall of Fame
Few of us remember the players on the Trinidad and Tobago national football team from the early 1980s. Even if we don’t remember their names, a few of these players are making sure their legacy lives on. Endorsing and ensuring love of the sport, discipline, consistency and health, the Role Models of Carenage support a weekly coaching clinic in the Carenage Recreation Grounds at Haig Street. Junior (Phillip) Baptiste talks about the football clinic for the children of Carenage. It’s a labour of love that was launched in 2014, and that he now bears responsibility for, almost single-handedly.
A group of us ex-national football players have always stayed in touch. As a police officer, I was/ am more keenly aware of the deterioration in society, in family life, that has led to unmanageable youth, children without role models. So when I retired from the police service in 2014, I decided to dedicate myself to providing role models and to working to rebuild purpose and character in the youth. A group of us, footballers, including people like Angus Eve, Ian Pacheco, Nigel Henry, Kenwyn Jones, Dexter Lee, Andre Ali, Kevin Molineau – most of us with roots in Carenage – decided to form this association.
Role Models honours not only footballers from Carenage. We have dedicated a wall at the Haig Street grounds to be a Wall of Fame in tribute to people from Carenage who have excelled in their fields. We have people like Bernard Julien, Ron La Forest, Michelle Lee Ahye (track), Claudia Applewhite (hockey), Paul Newallo (swimming) and others. The wall
is a reminder of some of the people who have come from Carenage and succeeded. It is intended to inspire the children and youth who use the grounds.
We started on August 2, 2014. And the Role Models football coaching clinic has continued every Saturday (except Carnival and Easter) since then. From 9am to noon on Saturday, we have over 150 children (boys and girls), five to 15 years, in training. It is healthy, disciplined, sporting activity that is necessary at this important time in children’s lives. Many have discovered that they have talent. Most are learning focus, coordination, commitment, teamwork and acquiring lifetime qualities and character.
The group of about 150 children is graded into different age groups with coaches; Tony Peters and Ruben Charles work with me. I try to bring TT overseas players back home on vacation to play with them.
We try to organize occasions for our kids to play with their age group, in teams around the country. We’ve gone to Chaguanas, Siparia, and Tunapuna. We would like to take them to Tobago or Grenada to play football. We would also like to take them on outings, to the zoo, or to the pitch lake in La Brea. Right now, we have an under-14 team competing in the Republic Bank tournament. The play offs are in the stadium. This means transportation to get them there, and also ensuring they are outfitted in full gear, including team shirts. Every Saturday, we need to provide water, juice and snacks.
Championing the challenges
These are some of the challenges of managing a group almost singlehandedly. Even though we ask parents to pay a monthly subscription, we don’t turn away any child. Of course, some parents can’t spare $100 a month; but many of them forget. So we are actually carrying a hefty number of children. How do we get parents interested in the welfare of their children, when they don’t, or can’t, pay fees; when they are happy to just have a place where they know their children are safe on Saturday mornings. We organize a barbecue and invite parents to assist, support, contribute, and two turn up.
We ask the businesses in the area to provide some financial assistance, but many of them don’t want to be asked for support all the time. They don’t see their contributions as investments in the community.
How do we build community through the young people when the elders seem not to be interested? I really thought that I could start the process by coaching football. Now, it seems that I need a lot more. I need to be able to pay coaches consistently. I have a volunteer secretary but there’s so much behind the scenes work that I would like to have full-time support. I think this clinic has already expanded beyond my pocket, but I cannot stop now. There is need for the Role Models Football Academy to be more organized and to be able to mobilise the community behind us.
This is the real motive, community building.
Sharing the vision
My son Cleon Baptiste who works with a law firm, has registered the Role Models Football Academy as a non-profit organization. So we are ready to partner with a sponsor that would allow us to be properly administered, with good management, and to have a plan for growth and sustainability. My interest continues to be coaching. Through that contact with children, we can provide mentorship, help them to be coordinated in movement and thought. My vision was always to keep the kids off the street, to occupy them; to help expand their minds and motivate them with possibility, even international possibility. I want to see the Wall of Fame fill up with other Role Models from Carenage.
In order to build a community that supports our young people, I need the help of other members of the community. Anyone who wants to help is welcome.