There are many themes set for Child Month throughout the world. Here , in the Cayman Islands, it is “Be Strong! Be Brave! Be You!”

The Department of Children and Family
Services (DCFS) is organising a host of interactive events that start
on Friday May 3rd and continue to Saturday 1st
June.

You can view the whole list of events
in our iNews Briefs & Community Events section. You will find
something to appeal.

In Jamaica the theme is “Take Action!
Break the Chain of Abuse Against our Children”.

In 2016 the Jamaica Observer asked a
number of teens aging from 15 – 18 “What Child Month means to
me”. These are their answers:

Travis Rowe, 17:

Child Month is important to me because
I think it’s important for the country to acknowledge and empower
children to achieve their goals.

Tiean Roberts, 18:

Child Month is important because it
gives us the opportunity to pay even more attention to the future of
this country and it brings awareness to things affecting children and
how we can fix them more than any other time of the year.

Serrano Messado, 18:

Isn’t it great to honour our
children? They are the future, the next generation. Children are the
ones who are going to carry on the legacy and the foundation made for
them, therefore, they prized possessions and should be honoured.

Romain Kenton, 17:

For me, Child Month is a period in
which children should feel that society appreciates them for their
gifts, talents, strengths and weaknesses. It’s a celebration, a
thanksgiving of their precious lives right now and the future impact
they will have on society. However, my concern is that rather than
one month for the year, similar attention should be paid every month
of the year.

James Braham, 15:

Child Month is important for it is a
point within the year when we recognise our nation’s children even
more than we do throughout the year. We’re special! Child Month is
our time to be appreciated, since we also celebrate Mother’s Day
and Father’s Day.

Brittany Clarke, 18:

Child Month shows that children are
still appreciated and seen as essential aspects of our present and
future. By recognising our children’s talents and achievements and
showing that we care, it can help to foster their development and
empower them to become strong future leaders. Our children, our
future.

Leneka Rhoden, 18:

I like Child Month not only because
it’s loaded with fun activities, prizes and surprises but because
in celebrating this we are urged to remember and honour the vital
role that our children play in contributing to the development of our
society. Notable stakeholders take into consideration at this time,
how is it that they can safeguard our precious bundles of joy, as
they are reminded that our children are the future of the nation.
While it shouldn’t be that children are celebrated only one month
for the year, Child Month serves to highlight the various
achievements of our young ones and for that, its importance cannot be
overstated.

Taniel Campbell, 15:

Child Month is important to me because
this is the one month of the year that the future generation gets
recognised. Through this recognition, as children we feel encouraged
to carry on the legacy that trailblazers before us had left. This
recognition is important because children are the future and if we
don’t seek to encourage the future, what will become of the future?

SOURCE:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/career/what-child-month-means-to-me_60162

It would be nice if we could hear what
our own Cayman teens think what child month means to them.