Govt ramps up youth programmes amid rising violence

The government is intensifying efforts to combat rising youth violence through a comprehensive approach to conflict resolution and community engagement, Minister of Youth Charles Griffith has announced.

He outlined a series of programmes that represent a concerted effort to equip young people with essential life skills and provide pathways to education, employment, and entrepreneurship.

In response to recent increases in violence among young people, the ministry is embedding conflict resolution skills across all its programmes.

“In every single programme of the ministry, we have a life skills committee. These skills are imparted to all of our young people. Conflict resolution, anger management, and leadership are staples within the life skills programme,” Griffith told Barbados TODAY.

A key initiative is Project Dawn, which has enrolled over 420 people in vocational training programme and helped launch 31 new businesses. The project extends support to young entrepreneurs, including those recently released from prison.

“We have seen a situation where guys who came out of prison have been involved in the process in terms of the training, in terms of donations in kind, because part of the program is to help those youngsters who are interested in starting their own business to have a hand up,” Griffith explained.

The ministry has also activated a block committee to engage directly with youth in their communities.

“This committee is tasked with going to every single block on the island to ensure that we can, one, let those youngsters know that there’s a basket of deliverables available here at the ministry,” said Griffith.

In a notable agricultural initiative in St Andrew, the ministry provided 20 acres of land and farming equipment to young people.

“We facilitated a group of guys on the blocks at Belleplaine with 20 acres of land. We would have ploughed the land and provided all of the implements that they would use in terms of farming,” the minister detailed.

To address recidivism, the ministry has partnered with the Barbados Community College to introduce educational programmes within the prison system, including a digital media project aimed at providing inmates with skills for self-employment.

The ministry has also established a youth hotline to provide immediate support for mental health challenges.

“We have a hotline that is there to assist those youngsters who are feeling stressed. For persons who can identify that there’s an issue related to our young people, that hotline is available for them to call,” Griffith emphasised.

The hotline is supported by partnerships with the psychiatric hospital and the Social Workers Association, ensuring professional assistance for callers, including those with suicidal thoughts.

Other initiatives include summer camps and the Moving On project, which supports 11-year-olds transitioning to secondary school.

Griffith expressed confidence in the ministry’s multifaceted approach:

“We are providing every single training opportunity for all of them.” He added that “a lot is being done in terms of assisting those youngsters who want to be assisted.” (RG)