Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne has called on the nation to work together in assisting the country’s youth to convert their energies and aspirations into focused and disciplined pursuit of better lives.
Prime Minister Browne was speaking in his New Year’s Day address to the nation during which he call on all to persuade the nation’s young people to embrace education and training and to seize opportunities for employment and honest earnings.
The country’s leader was speaking against the backdrop of a rise in youth on youth violence in the country and across the region.
“I am obliged on this occasion, as we look forward to a year of continuing progress, to sound a word of caution about increasing incidents of violence involving our youth. This matter saddens me, as I am sure it distresses all responsible adults in our beloved homeland. We have seen or heard of how youth violence has spiralled in other parts of the Caribbean, with homicides rising and parents terrified for their children.This phenomenon must find no welcome here,” he said.
He noted that all of the nation’s social and economic advancement could be blighted by the rise in youth violence. He therefore call on the nation to come together to convert the energy and aspirations of the nation’s youth into focussed and disciplined pursuit of better lives.
“We must persuade our young people to embrace education and training and to seize opportunities for employment and for honest earnings. Earnings that can buy them property, allow them to invest, and also, to contribute to their families, and their nation.
They must be helped to pursue worthy and productive activities which fill them with pride and by which their nation can honour them,” said Prime Minister Browne.
Prime Minister Browne pointed out that his government is providing the education and training opportunities through its investment in schools and scholarships that are open to all.
“We have established and capitalized the entrepreneurial development fund with millions of dollars to facilitate entrepreneurship, including youth entrepreneurship. We are also attracting the investments that create jobs and small business services that earn money.
Considering the myriad opportunities available to our youth; there is little or no excuse for delinquent or violent behaviour by our youth,” he said.
The country’s leader stated that to stop growth of the worrisome development, urgent and sustained interventions are required by all stakeholders, starting with parents.
“ It requires the active participation of all, to stunt it at its root and to redirect the development of our youth in areas that will bring them social acceptance and personal rewards,” he said.
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I support this call for everyone to get involved in nurturing and empowering the youths. I coll mostly on fatherhood figures to stand the ground
This is the prime minister who said to me he cannot help me. So I cannot hire the initial 5 to 50 people. And I cannot strategically donate the $100,000 to the village as I intended to because the ministers refuse to facilitate my endeavor that is of national importance and of substantial merit.
I wanted to be the first to do this but I am not investing until I have the level of safety I want.
It is just upsetting reading this headline. Do they really want to help youths and the Antiguans and Barbudans? The evidence shows no.
Their actions are intended intentionally to help themself and any help Antigua and Barbuda gets is incidental.
Gaston Browne’s translation:
HELP, I’VE LOST CONTROL, AND THE ABLP HAS DIRECTED OUR TAXES IN THE WRONG AREAS.
HELP ME PLEASE, HELP MEEEEE …
Gaston Browne is fully cognizant, of the situation with the youths and their criminal behaviours.
Gaston Browne is fully cognizant, of other criminal activities which are affecting the Nation, negatively as well which MUST be addressed, simultaneously with the youth violence, since, it make ‘common sense’ to bring some semblance to the fast, rising negative effects of ALL CRIMES on the Nation.
Gaston Browne is fully cognizant, of his HANDLERS(the Oligarchs, Medium, Media) and their MANTRA which is OUT OF CHAOS, COMES ORDER!
If Gaston Browne is honest with himself and the People, he should know, what to do to curb the rise in violent behaviors, amongst the youths!
If, Gaston Browne don’t know, then it’s time for him to go from the position, that he hold, and let the Nation hold, a forensic auditing, of his policies which have us in the mess.
Gaston Browne, the People owe you, “nothing more, or nothing less.”
Gaston Browne, it’s time for you, to demit the office of the PM, you’ve failed the test.
Ras Smood aka Jumbee Picknee
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat Bastard
Vere C. Edwards
Agree that we must all try to create a society together that raises the youth in the right way.
It’s great that investments are made in schools and scholarships but there probably needs to be a reorganizing of the tertiary sector. Do we have a separate freestanding culinary school? a school of the arts? a natural cometology school? a trades apprenticeship program? a business school? and so forth… locally or within this sub-region? Do we have innovative interdisciplinary or niche computer courses? Every student leaving secondary school should have a programme available that they can get into. Instead of available programmes limiting enrollment, programmes should be expanding until every student has fair options. How are the facilities at the current non-uwi tertiary schools? Are the classrooms properly setup and configured with furniture, wiring, available devices etc. for modern class delivery when needed? Is there enough equipment? Also, there needs to be more advertising of opportunities. When a wannabe criminal goes out to do his dastardly deeds, he should see flyers advertising training opportunities and jobs everywhere. Also, community plazas should have readily accessible unemployment centres to help with finding job placements and taking short helpful courses. Just my 2 cents…
Gastoon Brown cannot be serious with this comment, you legalize 3 ganja tree and people can smoke herb any place in any manner, the youth picked up on your generous offer and make sure that the country Will never forget, every community in the country all the youths are doing is sitting on the corner smoking and selling your 3 legal ganja tree.
Now you are asking for help, you know what to do Gastooon, get our youths back to going to school and playing sport and not putting a spliff in their mouth
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