The head table of the Leadership Intervention Unit also provided an in-depth overview of a number of initiatives that have already been rolled out in Belize City. These are supposed to lay the groundwork necessary to provide meaningful alternatives which the at-risk youths can pursue in their transition back to productive members of society.
The Acting Director of the Department of Youth Services said that these projects will give the participants access to remedial education, vocational training, and an opportunity to mingle with trained BDF soldiers and firefighters. Here are those comments:
Kevin Cadle - Acting Director, DYS
"One of the most important things that we want to look at is to continue with the educational aspect of developing these young persons. One of the things that we're going to do - Doctor Lorna McKay is charged with working directly with the young men within their neighborhoods to create remedial opportunities in Math, English, information technology, as well as graphic designs. We meet with the Taiwanese Embassy next week our counterpart, to start mapping out the graphic designs and information technology components for the young men. In terms of their skills building. The Center for Employment Training that we're opening up at Mile 21, known as a Central Regional Youth Training Institute, will be participating in ensuring that electrical, plumbing, and all these different types of programs are given to the young men. As well, we're seriously looking at the medium term for this Youth Challenge Program, which will be at my Mountain Pine Ridge. What we want to do is to be able to allow for these young men to be able to participate in the Belize Defense Force, as well as the firefighters, for the fire department, whereby they could be trickled into those particular areas. And we're serious about that. We're also looking at the importance of counseling, and the University of Belize is taking stock through the family assessment that is what's currently being done, to be able to deal with these young men as well as their families. It's not just the young men that we need to work with. It's also their family. So there's a host of work that is getting ready to take place within their communities and to continue to build on them. I could tell you that the United Nations Human Rights will continue to launch the community committees on violence that also known as ELOP with roots, and that is going to continue to build the capacity of key players within the community to continue to mitigate crime and violence."
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