Toledo youth wins “Do the Right Thing” award
Reforming prisoners is one thing, but preventing young people from becoming criminals in the first place is a whole lot more effective. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports on one initiative by the Police Department that seems to be paying dividends.
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
“Do the Right Thing”: it’s what the Police Department has been telling Belizean youths for the past two years. And today, twenty-one young men and women from around the country who have been doing just that during the past school year were recognised in a ceremony at Old Belize on the Western Highway.
Insp. Diana Hall, O.C., Community Policing
“Often we hear on the news of the negativity that some of our youths are involved in. Today, you are here to be recognised for the positive things you do.”
All the youths received medals of appreciation displaying the “Do the Right Thing” logo … but seven, selected by a committee, were awarded with prizes and money for school.
Daniel Paquil of Punta Gorda was seventh. He received three hundred dollars. For coming in sixth, Keran Rocke of Belize City was awarded five hundred dollars. Belmopan resident Emmanuel Salazar was fifth and took home seven hundred dollars, while Independence High School student Loretta Logan received eight hundred dollars for taking fourth place. Logan, who topped her third form class and is a peer educator, credits her mother with helping her along the right path.
Loretta Logan, 4th Place
“She has always showed me that if you want something you fight for it and I truly believe in that since she is a single parent, she has accomplished so much.”
“I haven’t always done the right thing, but it’s better to learn from your mistakes.”
The third place prize was nine hundred dollars and went to eighteen year old Sandra Braaten of Belize Christian Academy.
Justin Magana of St. Viator Vocational High in Chunox Village placed second.
Justin Magana, 2nd Place
“Today I feel very excited, I feel happy about what the Police Department has done for all of us youths.”
Magana received a full two-year scholarship to S.J.C. Junior College, worth over four thousand dollars.
Justin Magana
“My message to all the youths is if you have been doing to the right thing, continue doing it and if you have not been doing the right thing, buckle up it’s still time to do the right thing, and it pays, it surely pays.”
But the grand prize of a computer, a year of DSL internet access, and a two-year scholarship to S.J.C. Junior College went to twenty year old Eric Moreira of Barranco Village.
Eric Moreira, Do the Right Thing Winner
“For me, this is the greatest day of my life.”
According to Commander of Community Policing, Senior Superintendent Yolanda Murray, there were several reasons why Eric topped the other nominees.
Sr. Supt. Yolanda Murray
“We have fourteen criteria that we are looking at. And from those fourteen, a person can have seven or more of those criterias and Eric was one of those persons that had more than seven.”
“He has struggled through life very hard without his mother, without a dad. He has worked to send himself through school, he has worked to assist his brother to go through school, he has helped elderly people in the community, he has good grades at school, as a matter of fact, he graduated this year.”
Eric Moreira
“I didn’t expect it because the day when I get the phone call I was in Barranco cleaning a yard and the lady who take care of the phone came to me and said you got a phone call from Belmopan, from the Police Department. And I was like, wow, what did I did? I never did wrong stuff, so I was surprised when I heard that the police was calling for me.”
Kendra Griffith
“And when you found out that it wasn’t because you committed a crime?”
Eric Moreira
“I jumped, I happy. I never yet get happy like that inna my life because dah wah opportunity. It mek my life easier because I noh really have to work hard because earlier I mi think bout go work before I further my education to sixth form, but the opportunity comes now I will take it.”
Eric says he plans on staying with relatives in the city so that he could attend school. In his address, Commissioner of Police Gerald Westby told the young people to remain vigilant.
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
“Today as we honour and award these seven youths and recognise the many nominees and so many other youths out there who are doing the right thing, we encourage you to be steadfast and resolute in your goals. Peer pressure and other forms of destruction are many and so are the obstacles that seek to keep you from realising your dreams.”
And to help the youths to realise their dreams and potential, the Police Department plans to build on the success of Do the Right Thing and create more initiatives like it.
Sr. Supt. Yolanda Murray
“So far it is successful, but we can still look forward for better success from the programme. We need more schools to be a part of the programme and we need more students to show that they are doing the right thing.”
Commissioner of Police Gerald Westby
“Our objective continues to be to strive to provide alternative means of youth behavioural changes and this is only one phase in this objective that will be complemented very shortly by the other programmes such as Youth Explorer and Youth Athletic League.”
After the ceremony, the youths were treated to lunch and a tour of the museum. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
The awards were valued at approximately twenty-thousand dollars and the police department would like to thank all those businesses that donated in cash and kind. They include Atlantic Bank, FirstCaribbean International Bank, St. John’s College Junior College, Fultec, Belize Telemedia Limited, and Old Belize.
