7 News Belize

Ambassadors For Children
posted (November 26, 2015)
15 young men and women from across the country are being trained as Child Right's Ambassadors. The training started yesterday and it focuses on the rights of a child and number of issues affecting kids in Belize. The Information Coordinator for NCFC, Lindburgh Smith, told us that it is all about protecting children and giving them a voice.

Lindburgh Smith, Information Coordinator, NCFC
"NCFC had a plan a long time ago to spread their wings to reach more children about educating them about their rights and responsibilities. And so we thought that putting together a program would be very key and we came up with the Ambassador's Program which represents child rights ambassadors and we have representatives countrywide. These representatives are being trained since yesterday and that training will be completed on Friday and then they're back to their respective local communities where they will be doing community sensitization with both students, teachers and the community at large."

Courtney Weatherburne
"What does the training entails?"

Lindburgh Smith, Information Coordinator, NCFC
"It's quite comprehensive. We have training on human trafficking, training on child abuse, the penal and juvenile act. We have on the children and family act. We also have facilitations skills which will be for tomorrow and we also have presentation on different topics which will also include training modules on how to go about presenting what they have been learning over the next 3 days."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Describe to me more about the roles and responsibilities that these ambassadors will have in their various communities."

Lindburgh Smith, Information Coordinator, NCFC
"The intent for these ambassadors is basically to have scheduled presentations every month and be on standby for any other call from time to time. And so when these ambassadors go to do their presentation, then they will have to do some kind of report writing where they will send back into NCFC office to let us know how the presentation gone, their challenges, if they need more training and of they need more training in which areas. So that's basically what the ambassadors should be doing and that will be on a monthly basis. It's about reaching quite a large number of people. Through the efforts of the ambassadors, they will be basically our backbone in educating children and sensitizing the general public at large about the importance of children rights and adhering to children rights as well."

Darwin Westby, Child Rights Ambassador
"It's an intense and overwhelming training which will give voice to the voiceless out there and to bring greater public awareness on the importance of our young people who are the future of Belize. So it's a very significant and historic movement towards developing children and young people."

Shartel Cassimiro, Child Rights Ambassador
"I must say it's an overwhelming experience. One of the reasons why is that we have to keep in mind what is the reality and a lot of kids don't know what are their rights and like what my colleague say, they infringe of their right and I am here because I want to assist them to stand up, stop the silence and let us stand up and have that voice. Because I know they are capable of doing it. They are just not educated based on what are their rights and I believe it start from home. We need to even educate the parents' base on what are the right of their child. Because I believe we are the ones who are molding these kids; the kids are our future - our greatest treasure. Imagine for molding - them knowing their rights and what they should stand for, believing in themselves, their identity, their freedom. I believe that is one of the most beautiful thing and we should embrace it."

Tomorrow the participants will be getting their certificates and will start their work in their respective communities.

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