PHILIPSBURG – The Indian Merchants Association (IMA) donated funds to enable 5 school counselors (Jina Mamtani-Mahbubani, Nina Espacia-Joseph, Amy Arrindell, Jessica Richardson and Judith Edouard) to attend the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Conference in New Orleans this July.
“In order to continue helping our children to the best of our ability, it is important to continue getting personal and professional development in the counseling and therapy field. There are many new methods and materials that come out each year, which are displayed and taught at the American School Counselor Association conference,” IMA said in a statement.
“It is imperative that these counselors attend this conference in order to get the much needed and updated information to help our children, and other counselors so that they can bring about change with the youth on our island,” the statement continued.
“As parents or educators we want for our young people in life, to know how to treat each other with respect, to be good corporate citizens, to be strong and self-aware, find positive role models and learn to follow their dreams.”
“We want our schools to teach these big life lessons, but in the midst of pressure to raise test scores and control behavior, many schools aren’t sure how to effectively to do this. The counselors will learn how to effectively do this by attending the ASCA Conference and participating in the different sessions. Inherently, we know that what matters most are our young people, their life lessons, the skills and values, the stories and experiences that will unlock each child’s hunger to discover their own passions and be brave enough to pursue them,” the statement concluded.
