Youth Week activities kick off at Y.F.F.
The lighting of the torch and a display by members of the Youth Cadet Service Corps this afternoon marked the start of Youth Week. This time around, officials at the helm say the focus is on substance.
Kevin Cadle, National Youth Coordinator
“We cannot give young people jobs but we could give them the employment opportunities that they need through training, etc., so we are taking a different kind of approach now. We are saying listen, we are on the move, we’re going back out there, we are looking for the young people, we are saying to the young people, listen we have a commitment with you, we want to insure that our commitment is heard and that at the same time we want to give you back those opportunities that you had once upon a time with us and revitalize that opportunity that we had before.”
Marion Ali
“Young single parents, young teenage pregnant mothers are also youths. Do you have opportunities for them as well?”
Kevin Cadle
“Yes, we do. We are in the process of setting up an entire project called Youth On The Move. What we will be doing is having tents in each neighbourhood and we will be going to those neighbourhoods and conducting literacy programmes, training programmes and entrepreneurial ship programmes for young people and single parents, especially females. We will be having classes, tutorial services, which will be held in evening time at Youth for the Future.”
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Sports
“A policy needs to be established and likewise Youth for the Future to be established as a statutory board that there is a management team that will be able to take this Youth for the Future into the right direction. If we look on the streets of Belize City there are many violent crimes, many youths are dying and sometimes we say what can be done but I believe something can be done and I have to find the resources for it to be done.”
Tricia Gabourel, President, Y.F.F.’s Y-MAD Youth Group
“We basically try to advocate to young people; try to instil leadership in them and volunteerism, that’s what we are geared towards. And we try to fulfil our advocacy efforts using TV shows and different things like that. We try to advocate to youths on issues.”
Marion Ali
“Do you think you reach those youths who are engaged in violence, the one that hang out at the base corner and are “hard core”.”
Tricia Gabourel
“Hopefully. If they are viewing it we usually talk about the violence.”
Ferguson says the Youth Policy should be ready for implementation by January.
