DYS Graduates Seven Hundred Youths

Last October, the Cabinet decided to take a multi-sectoral approach to help to fight crime when the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Department of Youth Services. D.Y.S. enlisted over seven hundred youths in three different programs and today, those students graduated from their courses and have options to either return to take another course or to move on and seek employment. News Five’s Marion Ali was at the ceremony and filed this report.

Jorge Lozanos

Jorge Lozanos, Top Performer, Leadership Intervention Program

“When it is obvious that the goal cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goal, adjust the steps.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

Jorge Lozanos was one of seven hundred youths who today completed a year of studies at the Department of Youth Services, in collaboration with the Leadership Intervention Unit, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. For the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, today’s graduation marked the completion of several months of hard work and dedication on the part of the students and their teachers.

Kareem Musa

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“This is really the fruits of the labour of the Department of Youth Services, Mr Dawson over at the Behaviour Modification Unit, and of course the commitment, the drive and the participation of the young men and women who sit here today as graduates, receiving a certificate sending a very loud message that they want a better life, they want opportunities to learn; they want opportunities in terms of employment.”

Director of the DYS, Kevin Cadle shared the view that one should not be written off and discarded from society because they made wrong choices in life.

Kevin Cadle, Director, Department of Youth Services

“Not because we would say a person is at risk, or they’re so-called gang-bangers, that means they’re not theoretically inclined and not smart, you know. Some of these guys are very, very brilliant, and some of them are eventually will end up with PhDs along a life path. The reality is that psychology and sociologically, somewhere along the line something happened.”

While events may have happened in the lives of many of these students, Cadle explained that they want to advance in life.

Kevin Cadle

“Five hundred young persons were trained in graphic designs and communication skills, as well as customer service. So with that we’re going to graduate all three categories at the same time. They get math, financial literacy, English, sociology, social studies as well as life skills. It is young people who are not going to school, in most cases, young people who are unemployed, but within some of the categories we have young people who are doing pretty well in school and are actually desirous of becoming employed.”

For the graduates who want to seek employment, they will be assisted with job-placement opportunities. While those who want to take on a new area of study at the facility will be allowed to do so.

Kevin Cadle

“We are now embarking on a robotics and technology institution at mile twenty-one, and an agriculture and technology institution at the old Four-H, now the Western Region and we’re now getting ready to register both institutions under the Ministry of Education, which is huge, as well as we’re opening new facilities at Mountain Pine Ridge, which will be geared to continuously retrain young in becoming positive citizens.”

Marion Ali For News Five