Dennis Minott | From mixed nuts to enlightened nation builders

In virtually every Caribbean household there is a tin or bag of mixed nuts, often presented to visitors at Christmas or stashed away for special occasions. The contents are never uniform. Some nuts are large, others small; some have shells that are stubbornly hard, others crack easily. Yet, taken together, they offer flavour, variety, and nourishment.

So it is with the Caribbean’s young people, particularly in A-QuEST princelings and “doclings” of Jamaica. We are blessed with an astonishing assortment of temperaments, talents, and temperings. Some are brilliant yet painfully shy; others brash but brimming with energy. One may be a poet in patois, another a budding physicist beatin’ pan, another both leader and mischief-maker in the same classroom or cracking up A-QuEST Online by Zoom. They are our “mixed nuts”: sometimes difficult to pry open, often undervalued, but invariably containing something worth savouring.

The task of mentoring such young people is not about creating replicas of ourselves or sorting them into tidy piles of “prestigious” and “ordinary”. It is about discovering the meat within, recognising each one’s potential, and helping them to flourish in a region that too often undervalues them.

CHALLENGES BEFORE US

To mentor in Jamaica today is to swim against strong currents. The education system remains troubled by cruel inequities, with the buffoonery of “pools”-timetabling and chronic resource shortages undermining both learning and motivation. Too many bright students are left quietly frustrated, their curiosity dulled by systems that stymie and stifle rather than stimulate..

Then there is the trust deficit. Our children and adolescents see, hear, and feel the dishonesty of too many leaders. They learn early to distrust authority, to believe that promises will not be kept, that doors will not be opened. A mentor must, therefore, earn trust patiently, for many young people have known disappointment long before they reach adulthood.

Globalisation presents both opportunity and temptation. The most gifted minds dream of departure — to Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America. They are not wrong to seek broader horizons, but their exodus deepens the Caribbean’s exit of brains. A mentor must balance encouragement of global ambition with the reminder that home – yaahd – still requires their brilliance.

Meanwhile, the social noise of our timesv—vconsumerism, celebrity culture, crime, crafty billioneering, and political cynicism — can overwhelm young minds. It is no use pretending that these influences do not exist. Mentors must help young people filter the noise while affirming the value of their culture, for it is in our rhythms’ raw honesty and our dances’ defiant creativity that many find voice.

THE MENTOR’S CALLING

What, then, is the role of the Caribbean mentor? It is not to manufacture perfect diamonds but to sharpen iron with iron, to build bridges where none existed, to be both anchor and lighthouse.

First, we must listen fiercely. Too many of our youth go unheard, their opinions dismissed as childish or irrelevant. The act of listening, of truly paying attention, validates their humanity.

Second, we must model resilience. It is not enough to preach perseverance; we must embody it. Our lives — failures as much as successes — become their textbooks.

Third, we must give access. Talent starves without opportunity. Indeed, mentors often possess keys fitting

• Doors to knowledge and guidance.

• Doors to personal and professional development.

• Doors to well-being and support.

• Doors to creative and exploratory spaces.

• Doors to future pathways.

Mentors must open doors to scholarships, laboratories, internships, and networks, ensuring that gifted but under-resourced young people have a fighting chance.

Finally, we must instil bold humility. Confidence is essential, but arrogance corrodes. The young must learn to “nyam it raw” when opportunity comes but also to treat others with dignity, to respect knowledge, and to lead without pretension.

THE MENTOR’S JOY

Despite the difficulties, the rewards of mentoring in Jamaica are profound. There is joy in watching a shy student stand with poise before an international audience, or seeing a rural mentee win a global fellowship, or receiving the first journal article from a young scientist who once doubted her worth.

But the deeper joy lies in knowing that we have not polished perfect products but nurtured authentic persons. They emerge as the trail mix of our region’s future: sustenance for nations that desperately need more integrity, imagination, and empathy.

Mentors often discover that the relationship is reciprocal. As much as we sharpen young minds, they sharpen ours. Their questions expose our blind spots; their creativity pushes us to abandon stale methods. In mentoring them, we. too. are renewed.

CARIBBEAN IMPERATIVE

The Caribbean is at a crossroads. Poverty persists, violence scars communities, education falters, and political leadership struggles with credibility. Yet within our “mixed nuts” lies a reservoir of potential unmatched by many larger nations. If properly mentored, today’s restless teenager could be tomorrow’s visionary leader, pioneering scientist, or enlightened compassionate policymaker.

We cannot afford to abandon this task to chance. Mentoring must be intentional, structured, and widespread. Schools, churches, universities, and community groups must commit resources to identify mentors and to train them. Private enterprise must support such initiatives, for they, too, will benefit from a better prepared workforce. And every professional who has climbed the ladder must remember the duty to extend a hand downwards.

The Caribbean has always been resilient. From black slavery through Asian and black indentureship, from hurricanes to economic shocks, we have endured. But endurance alone will not suffice for the next generation. They need guidance, discipline, encouragement, and vision. Deliberate mentoring is the bridge between endurance and excellence.

CLOSING REFLECTION

Mentoring young mixed nuts in the Caribbean is stubborn, joyful work. It is the art of believing in potential before it is obvious, of guiding talent when it is misdirected, of offering light in spaces darkened by despair or pretentious ignorance. It is a responsibility we dare not neglect if we are serious about building societies worthy of our young people’s gifts.

As the ancient proverb reminds us: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17). May we, as mentors, commit to the sharpening. For within every mixed nut lies not just a kernel for personal success but nourishment for the Caribbean’s collective future.

Dennis A. Minott, PhD, is a physicist, green energy consultant, and longtime college counsellor. He is the CEO of A-QuEST. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.