Youth for the future camp ends on a high note
With summer almost over, this month camps around the country are closing up shop. This morning, News 5?s Jacqueline Woods spent time with youths at the University of Belize?s School of Agriculture, Central Farm where she found young men and women eager to share their experiences.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It was the first national youth gathering of its kind organized by Youth for the Future to train one hundred and fifty young leaders to become productive participants in the development of Belize.
Joseph Card, Camp Coordinator
?We just came to the realization that one or two person?s can?t do that job. If we are saying that we are dealing with young people and we are trying to help young people and we are trying to have young people participate, then they should participate with what?s happening in this country. Basically, we understand this to be the case. So we called on all the youth leaders in each district and we gave them this opportunity to come to this two weeks training so that they could work hand in hand with Youth for the Future.?
Casey Polonio, Youth Leader, Belize City
?The youths represent the most of the population where about sixty or seventy-two percent and all we need to do if want to get anything done, is to gather together and we can do it. We are the majority and we can get any Government Official or any person in power to do what we want them to do, especially if we approach them in the right way.?
The youths say there are a number of social issues affecting their peers in their communities and they are looking forward to implementing programmes that will help them reach bring about positive change
Rhonda Middleton, Youth Leader Lake Independence Area
?Well presently, there are not many youth programmes there that is planned for the youths, the needs of the youths in the Lake Independence Area. So we have many of them who are not doing anything.?
Dejon Tucker,Youth Leader, Port Loyola
?Well we were train in some of the sessions about conflict resolutions and also health on how you can affect yourself with the different drugs and things like for instance, that falls under crime. Those things cause people to do crimes and be quite violent and things like that. So they?ve given us some introduction into those courses to help us talk to young people.?
Nora Arana ? Youth Leader, Port Loyola
?I believe some of the problems facing the youths in Port Loyola are poverty and crime. The area is a very poor area and I believe that youths don?t have no youth friendly activities or facilities to entertain them or to have them doing activities that could have them positively affecting their lives.?
Evan Martinez, Youth Leader, Dangriga
?Well in Dangriga, what we seem to have as a problem is youth participation. We always have youths who sometimes wish to have things done, but the opportunity is not there.?
The youths also got involved in a number of community service projects in the neighboring villages of Esparanza, Georgeville and Unitedville. Y.F.F. says by the time the youths returned to their respective communities on Saturday, they will have all the tools they need to realize the camp?s aims.
Joseph Card, Camp Director
?They have to go back into their communities and do what they have learnt. Implement what they have learnt and we have asked every young person from each district to come up with projects, to come up with personal plans for themselves and plans for their groups so when they go back in to their communities, the community can see what these young people have been doing.?
The camp also had youths from Mexico, Cuba and the United States. Y.F.F. says they plan to make the camp an annual activity. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
The camp was held under the theme “If it is to be, it is up to me”.
