A youth leader has questioned Government’s anti-violence campaign mere days after it launched with a series of anti-violence messages on bus shelters around the island.
While noting that violence is a cause for concern, particularly violent crime among men under 30, Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) President Roshanna Trim told Barbados TODAY the campaign does not appear to have a focused narrative.
Trim declared: “If the backlash has been so great [towards] an initiative that is focused at young people in order to respond to a challenge that they are disproportionately affected by, have we [then] truly engaged young persons in a matter that has truly affected them?
“While we are not fully aware of the extent of what the project is, anti-violence campaigns have always been [criticized] for not truly responding to the root causes of gang violence, as well as gun crime.”
Trim blamed a host of underlining issues that anti-violence campaigns have failed to address – poverty, lack of real job opportunities for young people and an outdated education system that fails to cater to the needs of the youth in this modern society, among others.
“It also has to be transparent and clear, what the campaign wants to achieve, and how it is supposed to achieve these things,” said the BYDC president.
“I also think the ministry needs to take a more collaborative approach and to engage young people, and youth organizations in the entire process from start to finish, and not simply persons who work in the ministry, but also persons on the outside watching, as well as young people who come from communities that are specifically vulnerable.”
Suggesting an alternative strategy for the campaign, Trim said: “Why have Youth CSOs (Chief Strategy Officers) not been openly given a chance to submit proposals that address the challenges being faced? Youth CSOs remain underfunded and under-resourced, yet very committed to addressing social ills within communities. I think it’s an imperative and at this point in time that we take a look at how we fund, and treat to these CSOs.
“We can do a lot better to work collaboratively and engage young people, not simply as problems to be solved, but as partners in building a better Barbados.”
(SB)
