In a matter of days, Government will begin to reconstruct negatively perceived street corners, known as blocks, as its highly touted ‘Building Blocks’ programme begins.
Minister of Youth and Constituency Empowerment Adrian Forde told reporters that as the voices of hundreds of neglected youth were being ignored, they were being pushed toward ‘block culture’. He added that 30 per cent of youth between the age of 18 and 35 are currently unemployed leaving them desperately in need of the “tools of empowerment”.
After nine months of planning, Government intends to launch the first phase of the three-million dollar programme at the Bonnets Community Centre in Brittons Hill.
Forde said: “They say it takes nine months to get a baby, so we in the ministry are proud parents, because the birth of the project will start next week Monday.
“Those non-idyllic structures that some community members fear to traverse in their daily routines, we are going to make into idyllic business centres.”
The minister was speaking to the media at the Courtyard Marriott in Hastings after an awards ceremony for another youth initiative, the Get Into Hospitality event.
Forde said ministry officials visited every “nook and cranny” to speak with young people on the blocks. He revealed that 70 per cent of youth who lime on blocks want to be entrepreneurs.
The youth minister said he visited at least one block in all 30 constituencies and was hoping to produce ‘block-preneurs’- a term which he uses to describe youth who set up businesses on the block.
He said: “They want to have their own businesses. They want to have a tangible stake in what happens in this country and so we as a government recognise that the moral test is how we treat to our most vulnerable.
“What we said is that we want to hear what our young people want to do. So we collected all of the data and decided to commission action based on the information collected.”
The initiative is being rolled out in the midst of a particularly violent year in which over a dozen mostly young people were murdered in the first two months.
Less than a week ago, Forde addressed the opening of the Chesterfield Brewster Youth Empowerment Center in Silver Hill Christ Church, which is to be used as a place of recreation, sport, training and entrepreneurship.
For this most recent project, the ministry has collaborated with the Ministry of Housing and Lands and Town and Country Development Planning Office.
Youth are to gain skills in business, entrepreneurship, bookkeeping, barbering and agriculture as viable alternatives to crime, the minister said, adding: “As much as we put laws in place and beg the young people to put down those destructive weapons, we have to provide alternatives, because the question they will ask is: ‘when I put down those guns, stop robbing or selling drugs, what will be the alternative?
“Gone are the days when Government is going to take three million dollars and spend catering for a summer camp programme. The Prime Minister is saying that she is going to take this same three million dollars and build up our young people and provide a safe and productive space for them.”
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Yes Medic, and what incentive is are being offered to these aspiring young businessmen?
What’s their electrical, water, fuel rate? Will they be paying rent for their spaces? Will they get a rent amnesty period?
Don’t just give us the PR, tell us the fullness of this magical plan. The blocks needs healing, and you are a medic. So according to your word, ‘the little ones who with their parents depended on the summer camps have been sacrificed for the block programme’.
Under this Mottley lead administration these same little ones will have to get to the block stage of their lives to get assistance from this government. Again I ask where is the social conscience of this administration?
It amazes me that people who are supposed to be intelligent believe that those who lime on these so-called blocks really want to be productive members of society. I have seen from experience that these block limers want absolutely nothing to do with conforming to be productive members of society. All these guys are interested in is criminality plain and simple and to waste money on them is pure ignorance and I make no apologies for my statement. The weed wacker programme that was rolled out a few years ago was a failure all these guys are interested in is the selling of marijuana and under the cover of darkness robbing innocent people.
The thing is I have had the occasion to see first hand that some of these block limers are in some cases well educated, some of them went to the older secondary schools and had the ability to enter the workforce as they had gained proper certification, they even could have pursued higher learning but refused to do so because it would have entailed too much work and you are talking about they were literally the forgotten men? Man don’t make me laugh, I would rather see the Government spend money on a summer camp programme any day than pander to a bunch of wayward men who want absolutely nothing to do with being productive.
By the way, there were block boys in this country for years and both governments tried to help them but I am yet to see any real success in getting them from off the blocks and being productive members of society. Why don’t you Mr Minister ask them about joining let’s say the nature fun ranch or better yet devise a programme wherein conjunction with the army start a programme to mould them into disciplined members of society and have them taught skills there? I bet the enrollment for such a venture would be high, yes I am being sarcastic because I doubt you would get any of them who would be interested then again I could be wrong, so I will just sit back and watch how this initiative will work.
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Waiting to see if this will turn out like all the other block programs.
The gun gives these guys a sense of power do you honestly think a tool will do the same.?
Mr Forde: That Centre at Silver Hill has absolutely nothing to do with you. That was and still is the “brain child” of Mr Lashley ( a good man).
It would not stop what’s going on it the new generation an it going to get worst
I think the government should give Corey Lane of Nature Fun Ranch an injection of $5 million (let’s up that to $15 million) to help redirect some of these “boyz on de block”.
This is something that would receive wide support, even from non-supporters.
First and maybe only time I agree with Harper. Some more money should be directed to the fun ranch.
I remember an owner of a construction company on Brasstacks said a mother begged him to take on her son who use to be on the block. He did. And guess what, the ‘block-man’ quit after 2 days. His explanation was that the work too ‘hard’. Where do you find easy work? Not all of those bock men want an honest days work for an honest pay.
Carl Harper that is too much money for the fun ranch project. I agree on the point of giving them money I have no bones about that I love Corey’s project but to assign money to lawless young men who don’t like work and don’t want to work in these times of austerity is mind-boggling. I agree there must be a stop to this block culture and I will keep my thoughts on putting an end to it where it belongs and that is in my head, but back to the issue at hand, the best bet is what I mentioned earlier a programme in conjunction with the military and a serious programme, these block boys need skills and discipline and I also see Corey’s fun ranch as a means of targeting the more younger ones who might be capable of being brought back from the brink of destruction, don’t want the more hardened element running Corey off of his ranch and more than likely planting nefarious crops. Anyway, Carl, I am all for giving the fun ranch an injection of cash, it would be more palatable than spending money on lawless men when people are getting sent home.
wait ..you abolish the government camps…maybe becasue it was a program of the previous govt..why couldnt you have restructured the govt camps,…see how they could have been improved and made more relevant (if needed) …have a focused program where young people could be nurtured…mentored and guided from day to day…and seek to save many from ending up on the block…you criticize the last govt but you are no different. I guess if you had continued the camps, you think it would look like the last govt program and they might get some credit… why do successive govt think that nothing the previous did was of any worth….there is a time to stop playing politics with people’s lives….this is such another case. a word of advice…if something has merit, it does not make you less of a man (govt) to use it and build upon it. You dont have to criticise everything….pick out the good and work on it.