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That's why for the past 7 weeks, 16 parents form the Port Loyola area have been participating in a parenting skills workshop. This afternoon the Police Department along with Restore Belize held a graduation for this community safe zone initiative. 7news was there:

Douglas Hyde
"On Mondays to Fridays for the last 7 weeks from 1:30 - 3:30 we had these parents participating in bettering their skills and looking on ways on how to become better parents. We are seeing the researches and results that are showing that as many of these parents are asking for help and support in specifically growing up their kids and we are seeing more and more the issues that are related with our young people and our children so what we've been doing along with RESTORE Belize, Ministry of Human Development and of course the police department got together and we put together our technical team and develop a 7 weeks package."

Nelma Mortis, Program Officer - RESTORE Belize
"That was birthed out of community consultation where the community was asking for parental support and parental training and so that is how the training began. It ran for 7 weeks with a series of teams done in sequential order to assist or empower parents and to provide certain support and identification of services that can be access by parents in terms of parenting and their own personal and social development. It was definitely a success base on reflection given by the participant. It was 16, we were aiming for 30 but we recognize that our communities are very depress and we have to find strategies and ways of meeting them. We were only able to recruit 26 parents. However if we should say that we have consistency it was about 16 of them, so that in of itself speaks a lot."

Monica Bodden
"How you got involved in this program."

Dana Young, Graduate
"First of all my niece Kimberly attended and when she came home one day she told me that I should try make time to go. But because of work I told her that one of these days I would go. One day finally I got off of work and I took the opportunity and advantage at the same time and attend, every day I look forward to come; hoping I have night shift or a day off to come."

Monica Bodden
"Now tell us a little bit about what you guys did in the training."

Dana Young, Graduate
"My first attendance here we had a parenting and that was very touching because i have a 17 year old daughter. At the training we talk about how to be comfortable talking with your kids and allow your child to go here and there and making decisions. For me that's not me - you can't go anywhere unless you are 18 years old. The reason why is because we live in area fill with crime and violence and I am very scared of her, I don't know that she is aware of what's happening out there, so I don't think that she will be ready until about when she is 18 or so."

Monica Bodden
"But the program actually help you to.....?"

Dana Young, Graduate
"Yes, being at the program - I think it was Ms. Lovell who had taught me to loosen up a bit. Let that child go out or else you will turn that child into a monster and I went home that day and I hug my child and say 'Monique, you can ask me to go anywhere, once you are at that age to go, I will let you go'."

Restore Belize plans to take the training into other communities in Belize City.