Y.F.F. opens drop-in centre for city youths

It’s called Operation Positive Reinforcement … the latest attempt to curb violence and risky sexual behaviour in Belize City’s youth. Command central is the Youth for the Future office near the Bel-China Bridge. Today Y.F.F. officially opened the doors to its drop-in centre for teens. The idea is to encourage youths already attending personal development and anger management to stop by and learn. Coordinator of the Violence Reduction and HIV/AIDS Education Unit, Douglas Hyde, and Peer Educator Lucreisha Wagner say the space is user-friendly.

Douglas Hyde, Coordinator, V.R.U. & HIV/AIDS Education Unit
?One of the things that we have done is to use these young people creative ideas, in terms of the designs youth friendly drop in centre. So the majority of the designs are by the young persons themselves. Their ideas, their opinions, and suggestions are by them. We have done is this to show that the positive things that can happen in this office they can turn it into their group or into their community.?

?There are so many issues related to our young people present day. I mean there are so many: social issues, poverty, lack of skills, lack of ability, lack of education. There are so many things. Why drugs and guns have influxed our country so much that our young people feel like that is the ?in? thing right now, rather than trying to learn a skill or get a job or gain your education.?

Lucreisha Wagner, Peer Educator, Y.F.F.
?We go out in different hotspots and we set up a table with all the condoms, the pamphlets, and everything and we give out the HIV/AIDS information.?

Karla Vernon
?Do people respond? Do they come up??

Lucreisha Wagner
?Yes, we got a lot of response on that and they ask us over and over to go back, go and do another session because they really like the topic and stuff. So it?s positive.?

?I think with what we?re doing, it builds a lot of confidence with the youths to come in and say ?hey, okay we need some condoms, we need some information.? So, it?s really working.?

Equipment for the Y.F.F. drop in centre is being provided by UNICEF, the Global Fund, and the Ministry of Sports and Youth.