At-risk youth in St James get lifeline
MONTEGO BAY, ST James — More than two dozen at-risk youth from several gritty inner-city communities in St James have been given a lifeline.
Freshly awarded plaques and certificates prove their vocational skills, and they also benefited from lessons in anger management.
Paul Webster sees the Youth Crime and Violence Prevention Intervention Programme as a lifeline.
“I want to go far, further than where mi deh. As a ghetto youth mi a pree fi go inna one of those top hotels. I really appreciate this thing,” he told the Jamaica Observer at the recent graduation ceremony.
The Canterbury resident was among the 28 participants who proudly collected their certificates on August 31. Others were from Flanker and Rose Heights. Aged 17 to 29, group members included mothers, fathers, and high school dropouts who were eager for a change.
Webster was pleasantly surprised to be named the programme’s top male participant.
“It will change a lot, get certificate and things, trophy; never did expect them things,” he said proudly.
The top female in the programme, Daneisha Wright, says she now sees herself as someone others can emulate.
“This will help me to be a role model to others, [to let them know] that don’t let the place where you come from define who you get to be,” she said.
She intends to build on what she has learnt and will soon enrol in HEART/NSTA Trust to become certified in the food and beverage skill area.
For Leon Dixon, the most valuable lesson he learnt from the programme is how to control his anger.
“I like that part because me is a man that have anger issues sometimes and it help to calm you down. Them a make mi know seh is not everything I should answer, just calm. Sometimes they give us some methods, like to count in our mind,” he explained.
He believes these lessons taught to him and his peers may help curb the violence within their communities.
He is also looking forward to employment opportunities, eager to put his recent training to use. He is willing, he said, to do “any job”. He is confident he can do just about anything required because of the work experience the programme provided for him and 13 others.
Over the six-month life of the programme, participants were equipped with vocational skills for employment, entrepreneurship and behaviour modification through psychosocial intervention. Participants were trained in food services skills, with a focus on being excellent waiters. They were also introduced to cleaning and sanitisation techniques.
The initiative was implemented by the Institute for Workforce Education and Development, a member of the Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited Group, which co-sponsored the project. Additional funding came from the United States Agency for International Development through its local partner FHI360.
