BYDC: Make youth group membership compulsory

The Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) has called for every child under 16 to be required to join a youth organisation, warning that urgent action is needed to stem rising violence among young people and revive faltering community support systems.

“We recognise as a youth council that there is a surge in violence, and the surge we are seeing is among young people. It’s not a surge that we take lightly,” BYDC President Caleb Brathwaite told journalists on Wednesday. He said urgent, structured intervention was needed to combat what he described as a growing crisis.

Before a press conference held at the Grazettes Resource Centre, the youth organisation held a three-hour meeting with Criminologist Kim Ramsay and Director of the National Peace Programme Alison Roach-Plummer.

This call for compulsory participation in youth groups – ranging from traditional organisations such as the Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and Cadets to newer entities like the Caribbean Youth Environment Network – comes amid broader concerns about deteriorating values, social disconnection and the normalisation of violence.

“If they’re not getting discipline and direction at home, they are best placed to get it within a youth group doing something that they love,” Brathwaite explained. “Whether it’s football, cricket, netball or music, structured activities help young people build values and feel understood.”

The absence of early intervention mechanisms, declining positive community influence and a disconnect between the education system and youth realities have collectively contributed to the rise in violent behaviour, he argued.

“There is a lack of investment in youth-led spaces and the erosion of positive community influence,” he noted. “We need to ensure every young person feels their voice is heard and that there’s an organisation or someone out there who understands what they’re going through.”

Brathwaite said that at this stage, a mapping of how the mandatory system could be rolled out could not be stated, as the BYDC had yet to meet with the Ministry of Education.

“Had they been here, we could’ve mapped a pathway through the school system to link students directly to youth organisations,” he said. “But even without that, we as the national umbrella for youth groups can create that structure.”

The BYDC also highlighted severe underfunding as a key obstacle to progress. Brathwaite revealed that the council had previously requested a modest $30 000 annual subvention, which would barely support one full-time youth advocate – yet they have not received that amount to date.

“We were able to get a slight increase last year, but we’re still nowhere near what’s required,” he said. “Give us the resources – financial or technical – and you’ll see what we can do.”

He added that logistical costs – from insurance and transport to refreshments for youth fora – often come out of pocket for volunteers and students who already face financial strain.

Another concern raised was the low visibility of existing youth programmes in the National Peace Programme. Brathwaite acknowledged that even he was unaware of some ongoing initiatives due to poor public awareness, adding that this was a serious issue as it meant the programme was not as effective as it ought to be.

“Better publicising is needed. If the people you’re trying to reach don’t know these programmes exist, how can they participate, and how can we measure their impact?”

During the conference, Executive Assistant Abriana Forde also criticised the cultural shift in parenting and media consumption, pointing to digital platforms like TikTok and Instagram as influential forces shaping youth behaviour more than national institutions.

“A lot of the culture and values we see now are influenced by what young people consume online,” she said. “We’re not even logging onto BBC – social media is where we’re getting our cues from.”

The council is also in the process of collecting data to identify key issues such as robberies, shootings, stabbings, gang violence and poverty. The findings will be shared with the Peace Programme and the Crime Prevention Unit.

Brathwaite expressed the hope that the findings would reinvigorate programmes geared towards the youth and guide targeted efforts to reach “unattached” youth – those not in school, employment or training.

“We need to meet young people where they are and have real conversations,” he said. 

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb