The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation (MCADF) in the grand tradition of the Foundation’s anniversary which occurs today, Sunday April 28-2013 - is pleased to announce that for the third year running – the entity has again found another outstanding Jamaican teen worthy to be called The MCADF Autism and Disabilities Ambassador.
The overall winner of this year’s competition is Shakira Bennett a student of the Queens School. Miss Bennett starting in January 2013 when the competition began, volunteered her time and energy to work with the marginalized and disabled, choosing to focus her efforts on the elderly with disabilities and through her ingenuity and out of the box thinking; went about introducing into the competition a new element… that of looking at the disabilities that occur when one matures and loses the ability to function in many crucial ways, rendering that segment of the population impaired and or disabled in many ways.
Shakira mounted several projects and displays to highlight disabilities at her church and school and was supervised during the competition by her teacher Ms. Georgia Brown Wynter, who will be awarded within the competition’s context as an outstanding mentor.
Prior to integrating the disabilities experienced by the elderly; Shakira consulted with the judges of the Autism and Disabilities Ambassadors competition 2013, to see if this would be credible interjection and focus.
Without hesitation it was deemed a go, as the judging committee, discussed and deliberated and were opened to this new horizon by the young teen, one which they had not officially deemed an area of disabilities focus for the contest, until Miss Bennett highlighted that area had both credibility and need for focus.
Miss Bennett was further validated when the Foundation received the first ever World Report on Disability dated 2011 - a collaboration of the World Health Organization and the World Bank …in which it was articulated that, “disability is part of the human condition- almost everyone will be temporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life, and those who survive to old age will experience difficulties in functioning”.
According to head of the Foundation Maia Chung, “ by our research and anecdotal observations, those disabled due to age…make up a large number of those functioning with impairments and or full on disabilities and need to be factored into any type of planning for disabilities that is done on the national level”.
Miss Chung added, “While still focusing her work on traditional disabilities, she has added a new layer of focus to our work and for that she deserved the award”.
However, in addition to her enriching of the competitions focus, Miss Bennett, did the work - mounted the displays, gave the talks and wrote her essay for an entire three month period, which spoke not only to her commitment but her ability to stay the course – a key element when dealing with issues affecting the disabled.
Miss Bennett is this year’s only awardee, as unfortunately out of 20 persons who entered, the contest from schools across the nation… the work was of a poor standard, while a majority of those who started were unable to carry out the requirements for the January to April period designated for the competitions activities.
For her efforts Miss Bennett will receive two laptops, a blackberry, two scholarships valued at 40-thousand dollars for her education with particular focus on her CSEC activities. She will receive the trademark trophies of the competition the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory Autism and Disabilities Ambassadors Trophy, The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation Autism and Disabilities Ambassadors Trophy and the Senator Norman Grant Autism and Disabilities Ambassadors Trophy. She will receive a signed copy of Maia’s Journal, while her mentor will receive a trophy and a five thousand dollar grant.
She in total will be receiving roughly two hundred thousand dollars in prizes.
Shakira will receive her prizes at the April 28-2013 launch of the book Maia’s Journal to be held at the Pulse Complex at Trafalgar Road in Kingston Jamaica. The book launch will see a combining of the launch of the book Maia’s Journal, published by LMH Publishers, the awards handover and the acknowledgement of the five year anniversary of The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation.
Managing Director of the Foundation Maia Chung said, “It will be an honour to have Shakira at the launch of my book which is to be held under the patronage of Jamaica’s first lady Lady Patricia Allen. It was sad for us to see in this year’s competition that only females entered, since its inception three years ago this is a state that has not changed. We hope it does not indicate that the men of Jamaica young and old have no interest in this area of life. It was also disheartening that in the year of our most entrants most did not stay the course. The competition ‘s activities are scheduled out of school hours and that is why it is crucial to have a mentor for each competitor to ensure that the activities designed by each contestant is not negatively affecting school work and are being carried out as per the standard of the contest”.
She added, “We are always happy to find even one person within that age group, which is our deliberate target group in our work, the 12 to 18 bracket… that is aware, willing and dedicated to look at the disabled in a positive way and that can stay the course. We reserve the right to make no award if we are unable to find any competitors worthy of the great prizes that we secure each year. And we have some of the best prizes in local competition history especially as it relates to young people”.
This year’s sponsors are Senator Norman Grant patron of The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation, Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, LMH Publishers Maia’s Journal, Maia Chung Television, LIME, Kwasi Tinglin, Devtar Productions and Super Plus food stores and The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation and the Golden Child Music Group based in the United States.
The judges each year comprise the Foundation’s board members and some of the sponsors of the competition.
Last year’s Autism and Disabilities Ambassador was Sicourney Jackson also from the Queens School, the Queens High School has made history in producing competitors 2 years in a row.
The Autism and Disabilities Ambassadors competition was developed by Managing Director of the MCADF three years ago, as target outreach for the 12 to 18 demographic of the country, to awaken awareness and action among the next generation of parents, teachers and politicians who will have to deal with the nation’s Autistic and Disabled.
It is also the flagship activity for the Foundation’s observation of global Autism month, commemorated each April. The competition starts every January 4 and winners are announced on the Foundation’s anniversary April 28.
This year the Foundation turns half a decade old.
