By Trudy Simpson, Staff ReporterCHAOS STALKED yesterday's start of Children's Expo 2001, as the National Arena struggled to contain the more than 4,000 children who turned up to view the displays.
From as early as 8:00 a.m., busloads of students from infant, primary, preparatory and high schools began loading into the Arena, pressuring the accommodations as well as parking facilities outside.
Long lines stretched into the parking lot under a broiling sun, while inside, teachers struggled to control and keep track of the groups of excited little bodies, many of whom had travelled from as far as Portland.
Children blocked the National Arena's entrance, the exit and the stairs leading to the second floor, ignoring instructions and frustrating efforts by teachers, volunteers and the organisers, the Jamaica Foundation for Children, to keep the steps clear of traffic.
Later, children milling around obscured the view of people watching the on-stage performances, resulting in calls by the emcee for teachers to control their students.
Chairman of the Planning Committee, Mrs. Ceila Stephens, later told The Gleaner that the problem of blocked stairs was occurring for the first time and that efforts to prevent a recurrence would be taken into consideration when planning for the next Expo.
She added that the unforeseen glitches were being dealt with as they arose, and that some glitches were caused by the way the National Arena was designed and because there were limited volunteers to oversee the function.
But, despite the chaos, Mrs. Stephens hailed the first day as a resounding success and said that she was hoping that more than 10,000 children would come to see the three-day event. More than 9,000 came last year.
The expo, mounted under the theme, "Children The Power Source of our Future," also had fewer display booths than expected, but children had no complaints about the information presented by several organisations, among them the Gleaner Company Ltd.
"I like the animal one (Pedigree Dog Food) because I like to learn about animals. I pressed this thing and learned about dogs," said Charles Reddie, a student at Mavisville Prep, Vineyard Town, Kingston.
Students flocked the KFC and other mascots and clamoured for give-aways while, in the background, City of Kingston Co-op Credit Union encouraged children to save money and Grace Kennedy's FX Trader taught them the value of foreign exchange.
The Ministry of Health's Children's Services division, the Paediatrics Association of Jamaica, Colgate, Milo and Hope Worldwide, which brought its HIV prevention Maze, taught children about illnesses and how to care for their bodies while they handed out caps, stickers, badges, brochures, buttons and bags.
In addition, Friends Hotline told the students that there were people to talk to if they had problems, even as they learned more about nutrition from Nestle, Lasco Distributors and Anchor whole milk.
Not to be outdone, the Jamaica Environment Trust continued to lobby for youth involvement in protecting the environment, while the Department of Correctional Services showcased leather craft, furniture and baked goodies made by youngsters currently participating in its rehabilitation programmes.
