Another student honoured for doing the right thing
The police department has been honouring outstanding students from Belize City high schools this week. It is part of their program, Do Di Rait Ting, which seeks to motivate and encourage students to stay the course. This morning, a student from EP Yorke, was recognized for his perseverance despite growing up in a gang invested neighbourhood. Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
A third student was honored today by the Police Department for doing the right thing. Fifteen year old EP Yorke third form student, Kenbart Staine at assembly today was given a certificate, T-shirt and a tablet courtesy of the Precinct four of the Belize City Police Department.
Sgt. Elroy Carcamo, Community Policing Unit, Belize District
Elroy Carcamo
“Mister Staine was selected for Du Di Rait Thing program for the month of March 2014 by Precinct 4. What happened we have 5 high schools within that area and out of the submissions that was received; the officers in charge along with the committee members sat down went through the nominee files and decided that Mister Staine was the one that best fits to represent them for the month of March 2014. What will happen is that now Mr. Staine has been elevated to the next level where we will have the national selection in July and there we will decide among all the nominees from the different precinct from across the country who will be the top ten winners fir this year 2014.”
For Staine, he says he never wanted to be a victim of his neighborhood and so he tries to exceed despite all the setbacks he currently faces.
Kenbart Staine
Kenbart Staine, Awardee
“At first I was shocked I didn’t really believe that I could win but I’m proud of myself and my achievement and I just want to thank people for the support overall. In our community, there is a lot of negative things, lot of setback and coming from the southside it is not expected. I want to break the stigma against young men as myself. I know it’s very difficult but through the support I was able to overcome.
Duane Moody
“What advice would you have for other youths like yourself who would want to do the right thing but may not be able or do not have the motivation to do so?”
Kenbart Staine
“Just to stay positive and to make the most of their opportunities because it may be difficult but taking the hard way is sometimes the best way to go and I just want to tell them try to overcome and beat the odds because there’s a lot.”
Sergeant Elroy Carcamo of the Belize District Community Policing Unit says that the program initiated back in 2008 to motivate youths into doing positive things in the community.
Sgt. Elroy Carcamo
“We look at several different criteria, we look at the child’s behavior to see how they are behaving how they have turned around and start behaving good, we look at their academic achievement. Some of them were failing very bad and now they have turned around and you can see that they are in honor roll and so forth. We also look at community service, because we want them to understand that noth8ing come free and we want to know that they are out there assisting their communities. We look at if they come from single families. If you notice when it come to the Du Di Rait Thing program we recognize our students and students are realizing now that it’s not every time we want to see the youths them on the TV for crime and different things. They can be on TV for doing the right things and for going out there and assisting their community and assisting themselves and I think that the Du Di Rait Thing program is an incentive and assist in diminishing or reducing crime within the area.”
Siian Rancharan of St. John’s College in Precinct One and Rasha Dawson of Gwen Lizarraga High School in Precinct Two were also honored earlier this week by the program. Duane Moody for News Five.
