Youth violence across Antigua gets Cabinet’s attention

1. A boot camp may reform some youths but how many of these troubled youths would actually volunteer for a boot camp? It would make more sense if this former ABDF was in charge of the boys training school and you implemented the boot camp there and hire former ABDF people who have some patience with youths but also a backbone, social workers, two or three strong teachers who are up to the challenge to teach the boys at the institution. Grant the current staff at the boys training school their transfers because those individuals have been telling you they are trained to work in that environment and you guys know that.How are you going to have people working at a detention center for troubled teens and they have no background and experience working with troubled teens lol smh and how can you have weak females being directors of an institution especially someone who does not have their heart vested in reforming the youths but just collecting a directors salary lol smh. You want change but Dont want to put in the real work. I’m sure like everything else you just waiting for a foreigner to come donate and do the job you can do for yourself but since institution like these do not generate revenue you are not going to put the right efforts into making it work lol smh. You can still develop a voluntary cadet corp in the schools but for troubled youths you need a boot camp to provide intensive decipline. As well the government have to focus on the environment, the homes these youths are living in and the parent because many of them are from single parent homes ran by women who cannot control these youths and many young girls are becoming more violent as well. These are the same girls who will give birth to children and what will they teach their children, will it not be the same irrational behavior they have learned smh. There are a combination of factors that needs to be addressed in wholelistic manner and one thing is not the solution for every youth. You guys have social workers in the country and supposedly in the schools so what is the role of these social workers whom are getting paid. What are they implementing in the communities and homes where these troubled youths are coming from. What assessment have been made by social workers or counselors you guys hired in the schools. Lol it’s funny how the government want to tackle the situation with youths once the pot already bubble over and the fire is out of control. If the ministry of education would’ve hired influential people who wanted to make a real contribution to the youths then most of these youth violence issues would’ve decreased but they only hire people based on image and not realistic and ambitious intentions.

   I was denied work because I am a Rasta. In the US I worked with troubled youths, I have a masters in social work and it’s a concentration of family and child welfare, I used to be in the military, I was once a federal police officer and I once worked at the boys training school until I resigned. I resigned because the director they had there was a joke and she never the education, experience, compassion or competence to work with those young men she was just there for the pay and you all know how things go in Antigua friend friend n political affiliation get employed even if the person does not have the education and experience lol. Well I will sit back and watch the soap opera because it will be an entertaining saga lol.

   • 10000% agreed with you my brother.

     How can I connect with you? I am getting ready to build a youth center and we need people like you. But you are absolutely right. The government talks too much and do too little. Having the right people to do the right job.

     Praying for a solution 🙏

     788-5704

     • I honestly with my whole heart pray you have success in your endeavors, but I went back to the US to make money. I honestly do pray you have success 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

2. After forty plus years, of recruiting incubation/indoctrinations in plain sight with several sets/groups/gangs graduating to #The Next_Level of the Criminal Enterprise, the professionals and authorities have finally realised, that “ANTIGUA U HAB WAN PRABLEM brewing.

   While factors such as social media, peer pressure, poor education are factors which will enhance criminal activities amongst the youths, until, until, until. until, until, CRIME and CRIMINALITY, embezzlement to forgery to corruption to smuggling, things which the youths may be just beginning to understand at those ages 15 to 24, again until CRIME is addressed simultaneously on all levels, on all fronts to include #ALL, then sound bites, photo ops, Cavalier cocktail sessions ain’t gonna do nothing but enhance the Water._Balloon effect in the #Next_Level of CRIME & CRIMINALITY….Senor AG!
   The Government knew there was a problem decades ago, but instead of nipping it in the bud, they let the tree grow to produce succulent fruits.
   Burning Spear a Reggae Icon, preacher and teacher, said this decades ago, “teach the youths right, cause you may be sitting on a Bomb.
   And, preacher Bob said, “hypocrites and parasites, #parasites, will come out and take a bite, and if night should turn to day a lot of people will run away, and who the cap fit…”
   The cap fit the professionals and government.
   Please be reminded when making the parent/home training argument, look at ALL CRIMES.

   Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
   De ‘ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Bastard

   Vere C. Edwards

3. Sounds like a good idea. Don’t have to make it mandatory, just give them time off their “sentence” but don’t show them how to use any weapons until they actually learn how to behave.

4. Easier to train a child than to fix a man

5. I would also like to say if anyone has the capability or if the government entities may magically care. A safe house for at risk youths both boy and also for girls needs to be established. When I was working at the boys training school it hurt my heart to see non violent at risk young boys who were supposedly rescued from a troubled home and placed in the boys training school amongst violent troubled youths. These violent youths prayed on the innocent ones who were supposed to be there for safe keeping and as a result these at risk youths had to adapt and conform to their environment. Some of those at risk youths lost their sanity and became violent because it was a way of survival. There were young boys who were sent there at a very young age and they were sexually prayed upon by the older boys and this was told to me by the boys because I made it my business to communicate with them and I utilized play therapy to chat with them and tried to positively influence them. They will tell me the last director Hector would gather information about them from their therapy sessions and take the information and throw it back in their faces to degrade them so they refused to go to therapy because of lack of confidentiality and trust but they trusted me because I was real with them. When they shut down the boys training school for renovations they just tossed those young men back into the environment with no resources or services and many of them ended up on the prison system. Man it hurt my heart to see how many of these young men who had potential just lost hope of life and became a product of the prison system. Some of them had football and basketball skills and when I came to work I played with them so I know. The young boys in Antigua need positive role models and people who care about humanity if things are not addressed now then it will get much worse. Open an at risk group home for at risk young children and leave the boys training school for violent criminal minded young boys.

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