All is not lost for Barbadian youths who have been labelled as deviant, and as a matter of fact, many can be brought into the fold of productive members of society, says Prime Minister Mia Mottley. However, this could only be accomplished if all Barbadians recommit to the motto of taking a village to raise a child.
“Pulling back requires each of us in this country to go beyond our duty to country, to family, to self, to community, and to recognize that we all have a duty to be able to raise this village, to raise these children, to raise this family called Barbados,” said Mottley.
The Prime Minister, who was delivering the featured address for the 22nd annual conference of the Barbados Association of Office Professionals, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre this morning, contended that the issues of deviance issues did not start overnight. Instead she placed much of the blame on the ten-year tenure of the previous administration.
“You can’t not provide opportunities for young people, to not train them for 10 years, no forms of training outside of what a parent might decide to do for that particular child, and expect that they know exactly where to go, what to do and how to feel,” lamented Mottley, who went on to detail how the youth was let down.
“We used to spend $5 million a year training people from St Philip to St Lucy, cultural and sports training to complement what they learnt in school. To teach them that they have to soar together and play together. To know that I can be older than you, but still you can beat me in a game and I still have to respect you, basic things in life that make us work better, allow us to soar together.
“Instead we did all kinds of things. We found jobs for the big people. We made sure contracts could come for the big people, and we forgot that the youngsters were there and needed our support and our guidance. We forgot that things left to their own devices often go astray,” she said.
The PM noted that quite often members of the extended family will need to step up and fill voids that are sometimes left by parents.
Mottley explained, “The group of persons who are badly in need of our guidance, our support, our love and our discipline are those between the ages of 15 and 21, many of whom look like strong, strapping adults, but who we know are full still of doubt and full still of wondering. They will not show it but are usually thankful for this support in whatever way it comes.”
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The best way to help them is too take control. There are people amongst them how are in control of them. That’s what we call GANGS.
Youth and black people in general do not need pray/prey or subliminal black balling. At this point this people just really need therapy. U people keep shunning the treatment, so prepare for the backlash.
This was an empty useless speech delivered by Mia, and politics, no substance. Imagine her using language like the “big people”in her presentation, and in her given position as Prime Minister. She tried to insinuate that the DLP had no programmes to boost youth development, how deceitful. When we examine the BLP Administration’s track record so far, we see nothing to cheer about when it comes to programmes for youth development. The BERT cuts have taken its toll. And speaking of big people, those are the ones benefiting very well at this time from the present Administration. The poor man’s balls are being squeezed beyond compare.
Mia Mottley has no shame. Every ill she talked about is now happening in her administration. Laying off young workers, giving jobs to big up friends, ending youth summer programs and sporting events are all her doing. Don’t letr her fool you.
Therapy, Jennifer? I can just see it now: Spa day with massages, hot stones, mani/pedicure, sugar cane facials and lettuce leaves for each meal on biodegradable plates. Kid goes home after a wonderful weekend and, viola, he/she is on their way to becoming a productive member of society. Jen, can you spot me some change so that I can get some “therapy?”
Colville Mounsey, you must be misrepresenting what the prime minister said. Never would anyone blame deviant behavior mainly on a government and never would anyone place a short time frame of ten years for youth deviance to occur. It takes a very long time for an individual to accept change; good or bad, and it take a group even longer.
Block culture on the other hand was in existence from time in memorial and the increase in crime in this group was easy to predict.
Behavioral change in a group takes a very long time and that is impacted by society. This, I think is what the Prime minister is saying.
The time of ‘taking a village to raise a child’ is over, we must face reality and realize that Laws to curb the behavior in combination with parental and teacher guidance is now the only answer.
The more our youth is exposed to the internet the less control we’ll have over them. The internet is referred to as the social media, for a reason. The internet has now replaced the Village.
BUT I heard her in that speech blame the previous administration for the “lost souls of our young people”. What a thing”!!!. Mrs Prime Minister: Please stop campaigning and get on with the job at hand.
Again I say, establish a Penal/Young Offenders Company,for these young thugs, entirely administered by the Barbados Defence Force.
@Belfast – won’t help. Just share avoidance really, which equates to mal-adaptive coping. Until that pebble in the shoe is dealt with then, this people will stay on the merry-go-around.
Young People also need role models….They are the ones Leading in professional roles….they too have to play their part….Talk the talk and walk the walk…..Every adult is a role model to children however some adult behaviour is VERY questionable.
The PM must also realise that she herself is a role model for all the young people
3RDSun,
WEll said. I agree with you totally. MAM thinks we are all dum and foolish just like Liz Carl Harper Thompson. MAM continues to give her friends and relatives Consultancies, jobs, opportunities and privaledges that others can never access, She keeps blaming the BLP while trying to make us believe she is a saint. I wonder if she is much different from the deviant youths to which she refer?