Fayola K J Fraser
Harnessing the power of communities as vehicles for change has long been postulated as a viable means of human, economic and social development. Nekisha Sorias, an athlete, educator and advocate for change, as well as an alumnus of the US-funded Community Engagement Exchange (CEE), has long been working in her community to bring about change.
CEE is a year-long programme that equips civil society leaders, aged 21-27, with skills and resources to address 21st-century issues in over 100 countries. For 12 weeks, the international fellows have the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge and experience as part of their assignment to collaborate with a Youth Advocate Programme on civil society initiatives and prepare to return to their home countries and undertake community engagement projects. Selected in the top 140 out of 6,000 applicants from around the world, Sorias has long understood the circular impact of participating in her community. Hailing from Barataria, the 25 year old is a former student of Bishop Anstey High School, and a graduate of the University of the West Indies, with a Bachelor’s in Primary Education.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, both of Sorias’ parents lost their jobs, and she began to brainstorm not only how to have an income for her household, but to bring income to other financially stricken people in her community. Her brainchild, Sorias’ Mobile Market was born. In 2020, when elderly people were advised to stay at home and not interact with others, she took the opportunity to offer a market delivery service, bringing fruits and vegetables to high-risk people who could not leave their homes.
Buying produce from her relatives in agriculture to bolster their income, she would trek to Mayaro to get produce and return to her community to sell. “When I got the call that I got an OJT job to teach in October 2022, I was so happy, it was my dream and I felt like I made it,” she says. As she phased out of her market business, leaving the heavy lifting to her parents, Sorias began working in a teaching position.
After only three months, she got yet another exciting phone call. In January 2023, she was offered a place in the CEE programme and was torn between leaving her new job “to gallivant in the US on a whim for three months,” or sticking with her dream job. In retrospect, Sorias has not a single regret. She left her job and went on the CEE programme for three months in the US. She described the way the three months of work broadened her mindset, introduced her formally to community-based project work, and helped her better understand gender and youth-related issues. “Right now I’m in my sponge era,” Sorias laughs. “During the CEE programme, I was able to soak up so much knowledge, have hands-on training in a non-profit, and create such great networks.”
She worked in a youth advocate programme in Philadelphia, and schools, opening her eyes to the US school system, which made her realise, “we real bless in education over here. Our system is rigorous, but when you put our students into the real world, they’re able to flourish.”
Her passion has always been in working with children, especially those who are not raised in environments with a multitude of opportunities. To advance her work with children and commitment to spreading her knowledge of self-defence to the community, Sorias is hosting a summer camp in 2024 which includes self-defence training, fitness, arts and crafts, hikes and even volunteer opportunities for children ages ten-16. This camp will be hosted in the St James area and offered to members of the public for a small fee.
Sorias returned home to implement the lessons she had learned during the CEE programme. At present, she teaches taekwondo and self-defence at her alma mater, Bishop Anstey High School, equipping young women with techniques that not only strengthen them physically but also mentally. When she first started teaching taekwondo at Bishop, the girls would ask her “Miss, when I’m walking on my street and the fellas telling me things, what to do?” or “Miss, I was in a taxi and a man grabbed me and I didn’t know what to do.” With these questions, Sorias realised early on that her purpose for these girls was not only to teach them sport, but to teach self-defence in real-life scenarios, and support them in building self-esteem, “transforming the class from a sporting class to a reality check.”
When her students have examinations on the horizon, Sorias even gives them extra time during her class to study to reduce their load. At her very young age, Sorias has already been able to impact scores of young women, teaching them valuable life skills and offering them an outlet for their personal development.
As humble as she remains, she has finally seen the impact that her work has on others, and “even if I have two girls in my class, it’s still a big deal and still an opportunity to help them.” She advised other young women to also be in their “sponge eras”, absorbing everything life has to offer and imparting goodness to everyone they interact with daily.
To learn more about Sorias’ summer camp, feel free to contact her via her Facebook page (@Nekisha Sorias).