Dr. Howard Harvey was rescued from the streets by the Christian organisation
Nadine Wilson Harris
While hustling as a windscreen washer on the streets of the corporate area, Howard Harvey found a safe space at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) along Hope Road.
His lifestyle made him street smart, but it was the teachers at the “Y,” as it is often called, that ignited a passion for learning. Today, he has many academic accolades, including a Doctor of Education degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but despite his many achievements, one of Dr. Harvey’s greatest pleasures is being able to assist the boys currently at the YMCA, who are a constant reminder of himself so many years ago.
Recently, Dr. Harvey connected with some of his friends, who pooled their resources and donated some well-needed computers to the institution. The computers were handed over to the mathematics lab for the benefit of between 40 and 52 boys who are currently enrolled in a Youth Development Programme (YDP).
“They [friends] are basketball players who I used to play basketball with, and then they migrated to the states, and they are involved with organisations overseas, so I’ve been in dialogue with them,” said Dr. Harvey in explaining the source of the donation.
Dr. Harvey has come to realise that greater effort is needed to keep boys engaged in the classroom. Most of the boys currently enrolled in the programme were struggling in the regular school system and are now taught basic Mathematics, English and life skills.
“Maths is an issue, so hence the need for the computers,” he said.
Dr. Harvey, who works full-time as a career development officer at the HEART Trust/NTA, is also an adjunct lecturer at several local universities. The father of three volunteers at the YMCA in several capacities, including as the president of its youth arm and a mentor to the boys.
Growing up in the inner-city community of Maxfield Park in Kingston, Dr. Harvey had to learn early to help his parents support himself and his nine siblings. He would skip school and spend most of his days washing car windscreens for motorists who paid him in exchange for his service. He initially started going over to the YMCA to catch water, which was needed for his trade, and then the invitation was extended for him and the other boys to come and swim. Eventually, they started attending classes at the institution.
“While we were on the streets hustling mostly for survival, the YMCA was really right there and was like a place of richness, in terms of social richness and economic richness. Everything was just rich there, compared to where we were from in the communities; in the inner city,” he said.
Dr. Harvey gave his future some serious thought after a conversation with a female motorist who engaged him as he washed her windscreen.
“I don’t know if she was lying, but she said, ‘you are so good-looking; you are not supposed to be out here; you can do something better with yourself,” he recounted to the Freedom Come Rain newspaper.
He does not observe this same level of comaderie between windscreen washers and motorists today. Some of the motorists he noted wind up their windows, and the windscreen washers, on the other hand, are at times very demanding.
“When I was out there, I went out there for this kind of survival kind of thing to supplement school. Today, I don’t see that in the boys; I see a more antagonistic type of behaviour. So when we were out there, it was like a business for us. When we hustled, we would buy Windex, which we used to attract the clients. For them and us, it was like a business, so they were our clients and we were their customers, so we tried to develop that relationship,” he explained.
While some things have changed, one thing that has remained the same is the shortage of men in the classrooms at the YMCA. Most of his teachers then were female, and today that is still the case.
“Boys are struggling with social issues, so you find that when they come into a classroom, it is hard for the females to get them to focus. When I go there to present to them, it is as a male telling my story, and some of them tend to listen,” he said.
“They need more men to come in to be apart of the staff, to teach, and to counsel,” he appealed.
Apart from mentoring the boys, Dr. Harvard gives motivational speeches at schools, churches, and business organisations.
“I have that skill, and I use it very well in the church. I am so grateful to the Lord for where I am. [I’ve] gone through a lot of stuff. Two or three times I came close to death, and the Father said, “You have more work to do.”