In keeping with the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School’s Leadership Action Plan, which seeks, among other things, to improve the education of boys, the Home and Food Technology Department held a seminar to correct the view that Home Economics is only for girls. The teachers have found this view to be held increasingly among the boys at Campus B and even some parents.
The seminar entitled, “Home Economics is also a Boys’ Thing” was held on Thursday 14th April, at the Teacher’s Resource Center for an audience of all First Form boys. The guest speakers were Mr. Vanburn Brookes, Principal of Morlens Architecture Services and Rev. David Christmas, Deacon at Central Baptist Church and Ericsson Engineer, both of whom spoke frankly and directly to the thrilled audience of young boys. Both Mr. Brooks and Mr. Richardson enlightened the boys about their journey to success and challenged the young men about what it is to be a “real man”. Mr. Brooks in particular described Home Economics as a tool for “the management of life and survival”.
Delighted, Mrs. Shermin Wrensford-Adams, Head of the Home and Food Technology Dept. and her staff consider this to be a very good start to the challenge of changing hearts and minds. The boys were each presented with a pamphlet with a wealth of information about Home Economics. Similar initiatives are to follow, aimed at of reshaping the views of boys and parents towards Home Economics.
The Department thanked Mr. Brooks and Mr. Christmas for taking time out to give back ably to inspire the young men and illustrate the applications of Home Economics in their own field of work as well as other ‘male’ identified/dominated careers. They were each given a token of appreciation as a mark of gratitude.
