Youths fix up Belize City parks

The Youth Department transformed November thirtieth into a day of giving. As part of Youth Week, many ‘at risk’ young people were provided with a day of employment. Some of the adolescents in the Youth Cadet Corps took the job of delivering food packages to needy citizens while others flexed their muscles in the city’s parks.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

Youth Week was not just a time for lectures in the city’s classrooms. It gave some of them a chance to experience civic responsibility by getting out and putting color on some neighborhood playgrounds.

Harrison August, Youth Officer, Youth Development Dept.

“We wanted young people of Belize to do something positive in their community. We know that often the older folks associate young people with doing destruction, defacing property. We wanted to turn that idea around, so we came up with community day. We wanted to give young people a chance to go into their community and clean up. We identified two parks and we have young people from the National Youth Cadet Service Corps go into these parks and paint the benches, clean up and give it a face lift so to speak.”

Devon Meighan, Youth Cadet Corps

“I think that just cleaning up the place to make people see what Cadet Corps can do.”

Duane Westby, Youth Cadet Corps

“I am out here to do something for the community.”

Jose Sanchez

“What made you decide to do something productive for the community?”

Duane Westby

“So the guns and so could come off the streets.”

Harrison August

“They young people had a fun time doing it. They worked hard today. They’re hungry now, but they did a good job and the department is very proud of them.”

Reporting for News 5, Jose Sanchez

August reminds us that Youth Week continues into the weekend with the first National Youth Karaoke Competition being held on Saturday evening at six, at the Bishop Sylvestre Memorial Centre.