Everyday this newscast is loaded with stories about the violence on
the streets of Belize City – but those are just symptoms of a sickness
for which strict policing is not the cure, in fact, it’s kind of like
taking an aspirin and expecting it to cure a cancer. But what is the antidote
to all this anarchy? Well, that’s a question whose answer could fill volumes
of research by social behaviourists. However, for those at the CYDP who are
grappling with the social disorder in real time, they don’t have the luxury
of theorizing about urban terror.
They’re on the ground, finding solutions as they go along, and
making interventions where they can. But today I found that they’re not
only on the ground, they’re in the ground. It’s called the Uprising
Agriculture project and it takes at risk youths from hanging on the corner to
cultivating crops. It is an ambitious programme, but it’s more than just
another photo opportunity and a chance to say “we tried”, for many
disaffected youth, it is that single shot at social redemption. I found out
more today.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
The Rhaburn Ridge Agriculture Project sits on sixty acres of land off mile thirty
nine on the Northern Highway. It is just one part of a programme that includes
bee keeping, vegetable and tilapia farming.
The whole idea of the project is to get gang members and other troubled youths
interested in doing something positive in their lives. The question is whether
these young persons have what it takes to make the program work. For example
it is no easy money making venture. It involves hard work, dedication and commitment.
Supt. Edward Broaster, Director – CYDP
“If you would have seen how these young persons cleared the land with
machete and axe, you’d get goose bumps. They can work hard, they want
to work. They just need the access, the equity and afford the participation
and they will work. And this is what we are doing here, this is just a start
of what we hope to achieve.
We have 23 groups of gangs in Belize City itself and we’re working
tirelessly to try and steer their energies towards being productive and being
positive. Think about entrepreneurship and getting into a business that will
help them to sustain themselves and their families and to stay away from that
lifestyle of gang involvement and crime and violence.”
Today the tilapia farming was launched when several bags of fingerlings were
released in one of nine ponds on the property. It will take the fish nine months
to mature. Since the project commenced eights months ago, Youth Uprising, one
of the main groups pushing the initiative has been growing a variety of vegetables
in Teakettle Village. Those have been used to produce all kinds of sauces that
have been bottled and readied for the local market. Calvin Osmand Jr. better
known as Pango is the driving force behind the group.
Calvin Osmand Jr., President – Youth Uprising
“Well what we realized is that a lot of people are graduating out
of school and don’t have no payroll. Everyone is going to school for the
same thing. So we get together and decided we want to create our own food and
our own employment. So we got together and formed this project.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
But what motivated you because we know many youths who are troubled, they would
rather hold up an individual to get that quick cash or they get involved in
drugs because there is money there, easily accessible, they don’t want
to do all the hard work that is involved in making money, an honest living.
So what motivated you guys to move away from that life of crime and get involved
in something productive?
Calvin Osmand Jr.,
“Well nothing easy lasts forever and we have our kids, we have a couple
youths who look up to we and we want to do the right thing and be a role model
to them and future generations to come. So we decided that we will get rid of
those crime and think about something positive.”
The Consicous Youth Development Programme Uprising Agriculture Project has
the full support of its Ministry of National Security which will also play a
role in helping the youths market their products.
Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of National Security
“One concrete example would be that I have instructed the CEO from
our Ministry that the BDF and the Coast Guard could be some of the first customers
to buy the products. Perhaps the prison, although the prison has their own farming
program. That is a specific answer. Another is that as the nine months approach
for the growth of the tilapia, again we will see how we can market it.”
Calvin Osmand Jr.,
“Well we need more support from the public to help by buying our product
because we make our product and nobody is buying it, it makes no sense. So we
need the general public on a whole to help support us by purchasing things from
us.”
The uprising products are market ready and properly labelled.
Twenty youths are presently involved in the agricultural programme.
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