Education Can Make a Change for At-risk Youth/Gangsters

But how receptive are the participants? Vernadelle Bailey is one of several lecturers who have been tasked to working with these young men. She says, despite some obstacles, they want to learn.

Vernadelle Bailey

Vernadelle Bailey, Lecturer

“We teach financial literacy; that will assist them with how to handle money, to make budgets, how to invest. We teach literary skills; reading, writing, understanding. We teach life skills which we need every day to cope with everyday life – tough, difficult easy, we need to have the skills. And we also teach math. If yo can’t count it, noh mind how yo make it, yo have a problem with it.”

Duane Moody

“How have they been receiving the information? Have they been grasping the material?”

Vernadelle Bailey

“Right now I can say that we have excellent response. We have about six groups of students. And of these students, I have never encountered a kickback or a negative. I find students that are willing, students that want to learn, students that ask questions, students that let us know, Miss, what we are doing is something good and we will work with this program because this is something that we want. Today we had a little child, like a four-year-old. If we want you to be a part of this, if we want you to work with us, then we need to work with you. So if you have a problem leaving your baby at home, bring your baby. He or she is not a bother to us. We will work with you because we want to work with you.”