Reaffirming their commitment to the Cayman community, members of PwC are once again volunteering to positively influence youngsters who attend the PIN (Positive Intervention Now) after school programme. Last year the PwC volunteers introduced a public speaking competition for the youngsters and, as it was so successful, they have once again launched the project for this year’s group of new students.

PIN is an after school programme created and run by St George’s Anglican Church, for students in year six who attend George Town Primary School, offering them a place to learn and grow spiritually, mentally and emotionally and have fun at the same time. The programme runs from 3pm to 6pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. PwC has been a solid supporter of the programme for many years, providing financial support, as well as a large supply of lap top computers, not to mention hundreds of hours of volunteered time by its staff to come and help the students with homework and fun projects.

The public speaking project was introduced last year as a way of promoting a variety of skill sets among the PIN students, says Angilynn Chan-Baraud, PwC’s Business Development Senior Manager, who coordinates the firm’s efforts to assist the PIN programme.

“Last year we set the students the task of researching a sport, a country or a famous person, such as a sports star, a musician or an actor. Then they had to create a PowerPoint presentation on their chosen individual and say why they believed their chosen person was a role model for them. The students were required to present their findings to a panel of PwC volunteers and also their fellow PIN classmates and teachers and we had a hard time choosing the winners as all the students had made a great effort,” she confirms. “This year our theme is specifically focused on countries and each student has chosen a specific country on which to write and then produce a PowerPoint before presenting to us later this year. Each student is challenged with their own individual country choice; there are no duplications on country, so each presentation should be completely unique.”

According to Ms Marlene Ricketts, the PIN programme facilitator, PwC’s involvement in the programme has been invaluable.

“Whether they are helping students with homework, working with them on their public speaking project or other projects such as a photography competition, PwC volunteers always bring such energy and enthusiasm to the class,” she states. “The students really look forward to interacting with the volunteers and the positive influence that they bring is obvious. The public speaking competition is a particularly important project because it tests the students’ abilities on many levels, from researching their chosen subject to creating an attractive and entertaining PowerPoint to successfully delivering their presentation with confidence, these are all important skills which, once mastered, will go on to greatly assist the students in later life as well.”

Presentations are to be given at the end of November and early December and so students will be working hard over the next few weeks to create a lively and interesting piece of work, Ms Ricketts confirms.

“We are always so deeply grateful to PwC staff for their unwavering support for the PIN programme,” she says. “Each year we welcome a new set of volunteers along with some who have given their support year after year. It’s really a joy to welcome them into our classroom and we thank them for their continued and enthusiastic support.”