The sport of chess made a historic entry into the cultural programme of the Carenage Community Centre on Saturday as a group of enthusiastic youngsters turned up to receive their first lesson in the celebrated mind game.
Officers of the Diego Martin Regional Corporation expressed the hope that this initiative, taken in collaboration with the T&T Chess Foundation, will eventually lead to an expansion of the game throughout the corporation's network of centres.
The chess course, running over five Saturdays, is part of the launch of DMRC's Youth Scholarship Programme which covers a range of sports including football, cricket, basketball, tennis and boxing. In his opening address, Alderman Darryl Smith, chairman of the corporation, emphasised the problem of crime as one of the council's top priorities.
The DMRC chairman expressed the need "to continuously protect and develop the youths," recognising the work of various agencies partnering with the regional corporation in fulfilling this major task.
He noted that launching of the DMRC's first Youth Scholarship Programme was designed to "give youths in what is considered 'hot spot crime' areas the opportunity to learn a sport, engage in cultural activity or receive assistance in their academic pursuits.
Smith gratefully acknowledged the sporting organisations partnering with the corporation to give youths of the area a full scholarship to attend its training programmes.
These bodies include Lil Spartan Basketball Academy–Maple Leaf School; SKHY Football Academy- Queens Park Savannah; Ron La Forest Football Academy - King George V Park; T&T Chess Foundation and Carlos Taylor Tennis Academy.
"These agencies are working to develop youths of the nation," he said.
In particular the T&T Chess Foundation is giving a course of free chess lessons culminating hopefully in the formation of a chess club and the holding of a tournament among participants.
"Following this, the intention is to repeat the process in other 'hot spot' areas," he added.
Representing the T&TCA were president Edison Raphael and Carlyle Singh who is conducting the classes.
Alderman Smith also revealed the corporation's intention to introduce academic and cultural programmes with the establishment of a home-work centre under Felicity Richards and art-of-poetry and song writing classes tutored by Jenna James and Derron Sandy.
Also present at the launching were two former T&T national footballers, Angus Eve who was also a guest speaker, and Ron La Forest who expressed concern over the social and developmental consequences stemming from a decline in physical activity among young people. His hope was that the programme's tutoring would produce a strengthening reversal in this regard.
In her address, chief executive officer Marva Carter stressed the corporation's commitment "to impact positively on the social and cognitive skills of young people. She hoped that the programme would help to mould partakers "into better decision makers and productive members of society." Both the chairman and CEO of the corporation thanked Sports World for its support as the official corporate sponsor of the Youth Scholarship Programme.
DR heartily compliments this multi-faceted initiative taken by the Diego Martin Regional Corporation in response to the need for strengthening the all-round development of young people in its area.
His particular hope is that the introduction of the royal game into the programme will not only achieve the ambitions of the programme but also eventually produce many of the country's leading chess players.