President urges stronger youth engagement amid violence, food security worries

Barbados must urgently strengthen youth engagement and practical skills training at the primary level to counter rising violence and looming food security risks, President Jeffrey Bostic warned on Thursday, as he called for renewed national focus on organisations that build discipline, service and agricultural awareness among children.

President Jeffrey Bostic speaking to those in attendance at Lawrence T Gay Memorial Primary School. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)

He told staff, parents and more than 600 students gathered from Lawrence T Gay Memorial, and Wesley Hall Infants School, which is being temporarily housed at LT Gay, to deepen their commitment to youth organisations such as 4-H group, Brownies, Blossoms and Cub Scouts, declaring that Barbados could not afford to “retreat” in the face of rising violence and ongoing food security concerns.

President Jeffrey Bostic being presented a gift from 4-H Club members. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)

Speaking during a presidential visit to the Spooner’s Hill, St Michael school as part of its 44th anniversary celebrations, President Bostic said the presence of young people in organisations focused on discipline, agriculture and service was “very important” as the country confronts growing social challenges.

“We cannot be living in a country where we have a serious food security problem, and we don’t start to deal with it from right here at primary school level,” he said after inspecting members of the Blossoms, Brownies and Cub Scouts and meeting pupils involved in the school’s 4-H programme.

The Head of State described Barbados as being “on a very slippery slope”, and said his nationwide school visits were part of a wider effort to engage young people before they drifted into violence.

“Some people have said to me: ‘Your Excellency, you need to slow down’. But my answer is this, ‘what is confronting this country right now? There can’t be any slowing down’.” 

Referring to recent incidents involving school violence and shootings near children, President Bostic said adults could no longer dismiss troubling behaviour as somebody else’s problem.

“We need to fix this and to fix it fast,” he said, recalling a video of schoolgirls fighting while other students recorded the altercation instead of intervening. “If it doesn’t affect me, it’s not an issue. If it doesn’t affect my family, it is not an issue. For those with that thinking, I want to say to you today that you’re wrong.”

The President said the solution required collective responsibility from teachers, parents, schools and communities, while stressing the importance of rebuilding the community spirit that once helped guide children.

“There were people in the community, in the church, in the school who were able to help us in areas where we were struggling at home. I’m a product of that,” he said.

Pointing to the school’s emphasis on “self-respect, self-discipline” and its STEPS programme, he also called for stronger parental involvement and renewed support for technical and vocational pathways.

“If we are graduating people without anything, we know we have a problem. What are we doing to fix it?” he asked.

President Bostic also used the occasion to promote the upcoming Chapman Challenge initiative, which he said included students in Classes 3 and 4 as part of efforts to support children transitioning into secondary school and steer them away from violence.

“We believe that we need to do a lot more to be able to help these children to transition to secondary school and to be able to help them not to go astray,” he said.

Earlier, Principal Brent Blackman reflected on the school’s journey since opening in 1982 and praised the resilience of both staff and students.

Principal of Lawrence T Gay Memorial Primary School Brent Blackman. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)

“Our school will rise again because of the dedication and the hard work that I see here on the premises,” he said, noting that the presidential visit coincided with the school’s anniversary week celebrations.

Blackman also spoke personally of the President’s influence on his own life as a former cadet officer at Combermere School.

“The encouragement that has been given to me has brought me to the place where I am today as a leader of a school,” he said. “I know that the words that His Excellency will give today will be valuable to you.”

The ceremony began with a flag-raising and inspection parade before Head Boy Aiden Trotman officially welcomed the President. Students from both schools later showcased rhythmic poetry titled “We Choose to Shine and Shine”. Wesley Hall performed The Blessing in sign language, and the choir sang a song before presenting gifts to the Head of State.

The visit concluded with a tree-planting exercise involving the school’s 4-H club, to which the President said: “I just planted my first tree.”

President Jeffrey Bostic assisting in tree planting ceremony. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)

Thursday’s event marked the first school visit by the President for the third term of the academic year, as he continues to fulfil a pledge made in his inaugural address to visit all schools across Barbados.

(LE)