Apprenticeship Programme, Inspiring the Youth

Last year we were there when a group of Belize City youths completed an apprenticeship programme. Today, we were at Youth for the Future Drive, when they happily received their certificates.  The occasion was energized with the participation of Daniel Loveless from What You Know as well as a former graduate of the programme, Akeem Gill, who is now earning his living in the cruise tourism industry. Both had inspiring messages. Here is News Five’s Duane Moody with a report.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Last December after a decade of working along with Belize City youth, the Apprenticeship Programme graduated another sixty men and women after having met all the requirements and excelling during the six-month course. But their certificates were missing a signature and it wasn’t until today that the signed documents were handed over to the apprentices. Today, there was a treat because What Yuh Know’s Daniel Loveless from the Caribbean show was present for the event.

Dianne Finnegan, Coordinator, Youth Apprenticeship Programme

“Today, because Daniel is in our country, I worked it around his visit so that he can do us the honour and give them their certificates. This is a youth apprenticeship programme and so him being the person who he is, who better than to have them laugh and enjoy a moment of just gratitude for life.”

Daniel Loveless

Daniel Loveless, Founder/Host, What Yuh Know

“I just wanna encourage them to not give up on your dreams; believe that everything is possible. Anything you put your mind to, as long as your mind can conceive and believe it, then you can definitely achieve it. So I just want to encourage them to not to give up and to keep pushing to achieve whatever golas or vision they have.”

Also present for today’s event was another graduate of the apprenticeship programme. Akeem Gill for some years now has been working in the cruise tourism industry. He is back home on vacation and shared some inspiring words with the apprentices.

Dianne Finnegan

Dianne Finnegan

“We want to inspire them to understand that all those individuals were where they started, and so these individuals must motivate them to understand that they can also reach their level of greatness. A ladder, step by step in order to reach the top; there is no easy way out of it. And so when we bring back these past apprentices, it is to inspire and motivate them; how did you get to where you are? That’s the question and the response is what they take back with them in order to persevere and become their greater self.”

One of the messages that resounded was that sometimes the support that a young person needs cannot necessarily be found at home.

Dianne Finnegan

“They want to remain in the programme but they lack the necessary resources to keep them in the programme. Again, we go to the extent of speaking to their partners because there are some of them who their partners have always had them home, so now that they are out there, now that they are aspiring, it’s an issue. They see it as a competition. So how do you get them to understand that this is a partnership; two cheques coming into the house can only make things better. And so, there is a lack of mentorship among our people to understand their journey.  As a family, it doesn’t matter who it is, a cousin a friend, an aunt, an uncle, whosoever, you’ve got to come together to nurture someone who is trying to climb that ladder of greatness. If you don’t do that, they feel obligated to go outside of their comfort zone and often times, outside is where the danger happens.”

Duane Moody for News Five.