7 News Belize

Youth Apprenticeship Programme: A Reason For Hope
posted (May 3, 2012)
Very regularly - in this portion of the news - we have stories about youths who have gone astray - dropped out of school, and fallen into a life of crime or anti-social behavior.

But tonight's story is about at-risk youths who could have fallen, but didn't. And for a few dozen, the reason they are holding on is the Youth Apprenticeship Programme.

The programme is still in its nascence and is only just seeing the graduation of its second intake. But it has already put 57 youths in the work place. 38 of them graduated today and 7news was there. Here's the story:..

Dianne Finnegan - Coordinator, Youth Apprenticeship Programme
"The importance of the programme is basically to showcase the fact that young people out there have a lot of talent. With all that is happening within the society with crime and violence and the fact that young people are being labeled as worthless (they don't want anything for themselves). What they are looking for are opportunities."

Jules Vasquez reporting
For 45 graduates that opportunity was the Youth Apprenticeship Programme. A remarkable 38 of them have already been employed at the establishments where they did their job training. But it wasn't walk on employment, they had to earn it - through an intensive six month programme in job training and life lessons:

Dianne Finnegan
"First they have to go through a two weeks orientation session and during that orientation session is where everything takes place; the importance of civic pride, HIV Aids, the value of the workplace, anger management, true life skills, etiquette, dress code, punctuality, just basically everything that has to do with a well-rounded individual."

The programme they made it through taught a lot about surviving not in the streets, but on the job:

Dianne Finnegan
"No programme that is about grass roots individuals or the at risk youths is going to work if there is not enough mentoring and discipline within that programme."

The students got paid one hundred dollars a week to participate, but it wasn't just free money - they had to save twenty dollars a week - and could lose it all by just a few slip ups:

Dianne Finnegan
"A lot of discipline where if you missed a day of work I deduct $50 out of that hundred dollars. If you missed two days then you get no stipend and so I must say these are awesome individuals. They've never curse, they've never gotten upset. It just became a lesson for them."

And so now, most of them go on to a job - no one knows what the future holds but at least they are the ones who are now in charge:

Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Youth
"So for those people who might be saying 'that they pick me up for a while and then they dropped me off.' Be aware that this programme has a component that whether or not they find a job, they will in our view and it would be clear for anybody to see be better able to handle the rigors of Belize City or rigors of anywhere in this country where it is a struggle for them to survive because of these life skills opportunities that are given to them in this programme."

But the perils of the street and the fragility of a normal life were brought into sharp focus by the man who delivered the welcome address. He is Michael Young - a star of the programme and a kind of poster boy for it.

Young gained employment as a mechanic at a leading auto dealer though this programme but a few weeks ago - he was almost killed in the crossfire of someone else's war. He was shot multiple times - but survived to tell the tale and share an invaluable lesson on the importance of seizing opportunities:

Michael Young
"I stand here before you as an injured man, one who can tell the tale of the present senseless gang warfare that has been placing our beautiful jewel in jeopardy."

"I was shot one month ago three inches from my heart for no apparent reason. I say to you my fellow man that although I am a victim I have decided not to be a coward and to live behind my burglar bars."

"I challenge every young person that is in here today to walk in my footsteps."

Michael Young just released from the hospital yesterday. When he's recovered, he will return to his job as a mechanic at Belize Diesel and Equipment Company.

Those who want to sing up with the apprentice-ship programme can do so by visiting the Mahogany Street district Education Office.

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