Youth for the Future in need of funding to help youths

The Poverty Assessment Report released last week revealed that a little less than fifty percent of the population is considered poor. That’s an alarming reality, but the report pointed to a few programs, such as the NHI and Community Policing, that are making a positive contribution. In the recent spate of murders and violence, youths have been mostly at risk. Everyone is crying for something to be done, anything that can restore order in the affected communities. News Five visited today with the Youth for Future, a government-run initiative intended to bring some relief to troubled youths. Duane Moody found out that since December of last year, YFF has been operating without a director and that in fact it does not have funds to sustain the much-needed programs.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Young people, according to recent research, represent fifty-four percent of Belize’s population. That’s the group, according to the former director of YFF, Diane Finnegan that is most prone to violence.

Dianne Finnegan, Former Director, Youth For the Future

“When you carry out your duties and your responsibilities, you must be people minded. We want them to put down the guns, we want a safer Belize, but when we look in the mirror, who do we see? Are we contributors to who they have become? And when we can answer those questions and say how are contributing to the negative outcome of our young people what can I do as of today to change that mindset then we will start to see our country changing.”

But the organization has been grappling with several problems: padding of the payroll, lack of resources and especially particularly inadequate funding from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Dianne Finnegan

Dianne Finnegan

“You know that you have specific funds allocated for specific programs. When we do our budget and we submit that to the ministry, we make our requests for certain programs and certain projects that we want to see carried out. Those are submitted. The fact that the governance unit had created their own programs that we wanted to see carried out throughout in that period and that was turned down, the fact that the violence reduction unit they saw their needs of what the young people were talking about and their concerns when they go into those communities to do their peace interventions, again that was knocked down.  We could get fifty million dollars for the Ministry of Youth to run its programs, but if there is someone holding onto those funds and preventing from those programs and initiatives being executed, then you will always see what is manifesting right now; the fact that crime is escalating, the fact that you have school dropouts. Youth for the Future, they see necessary to make the changes for young people, they must be able to fund them and to see them executed.”

Several youths, who were adopted into programs and promised assistance through the Y.F.F. have not been helped. One is deportee Everett Flowers, who sells natural juices.

Everett Flowers, Deportee

“It helps you to stay focus and two to stay away from the violence and the negative and to be able to make other kids that are coming up to see you as a role model. A lot of times people say I like what you doing because I just got departed from the U.S about three years and a half and for me to come here and start from nothing is pretty incredible. I went there to ask for assistance because I was told to come down to get some assistance, but its’ been a lot of turnaround. It’s been weeks and months and now since the director, Miss Finnegan had left from there, things had canceled I guess so I have changed my focus and I’m doing it myself.”

Finnegan says that’s because the ministry provides money only for salaries and programs are not properly funded. She says the ministry also lacks leadership.

Duane Moody

“Do you feel that the Ministry of Youth is not being run properly?”

Dianne Finnegan

“I sincerely feel so. I strongly believe that we need some strength within that ministry, we need people who are vocal, people who will go into cabinet and do a regular Tuesday report to say, Prime Minister, this is our findings, this is our feedback from the people out there. This is how we are going to try to overcome some of these situations; this is what we are doing within the ministry.”

According to Finnegan, Y.F.F. currently employs about twenty persons and has a yearly budget of about one million dollars. Duane Moody, reporting for News Five.

We’d like to point out that the acting director, Luke Ramos, did not wish to be interviewed.