What Were Youth Hostel Residents Doing on the Roof?

Just before ten o’clock this morning, news spread like wildfire that resident youths at Princess Royal Youth Hostel were on the roof of one of the buildings. Speculation was fast and furious on social media as to why the residents were there within minutes, the police were there as well as B.D.F. soldiers. A News Five crew arrived to find police still on the compound and the youths being directed into a building. Despite attempts to speak with the manager, there was little to no information as to what transpired. Ten minutes later, the police left the compound. This evening, the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation issued a statement saying that an incident which occurred at the girls’ section of the residential facility this morning was contained. Ten female residents broke through the sheetrock ceiling in their dormitory and forcefully pried loose sheets of zinc to gained access to the roof. The staff, with assistance from B.D.F. volunteers on site and the police, worked together and safely removed the residents from the roof.  According to the ministry, several staff members called in sick and so relief staff was brought in to provide proper supervision; however, the educational classes would be held within the dormitory building, instead of the usual classrooms. This resulted in the youths not being escorted around the compound as part of their normal schedule of activities. That did not sit well with some of the residents who reacted negatively to the change in operations. The release ends by saying that “behavioural issues are common among the high-risk female population residing at the Youth Hostel because many of these adolescents are affected by unresolved trauma. From time to time this; unfortunately, manifests in aggressive and destructive behaviours. The staff, along with the counsellors and social workers at the facility, continues to work with the residents to help them to develop alternative strategies to manage their emotions and behaviours.”