Dear Editor,
Some time ago I wrote on the youth club movement losing its influence, but it now seems that apart from the police youth clubs, SDC (Social Development Commission) clubs are nowhere to be found.
The youth club movement had its genesis in the days of the Social Welfare Commission. Now the SDC has almost been discriminated against with the change in community relationships values and attitudes.
Youths clubs, up to the 80s, were vibrant, with clubs displaying strong leaderships and a fair level of voluntarism, which although not as impressive as in former years was still noticeable. Clubs were still meeting weekly, and organising and planning events for implementation. Members paid dues which encouraged thrift and a level of self-reliance. Members voted in and out poor performing officers, which prepared them for future community and political representations. Clubbites were instilled with certain values and attitudes through the annual leadership training seminars and voluntary services to the general community, eg Labour Day work activities; caring for the elderly, conducting literacy classes and other positive endeavours.
The youth club movement has the distinction of producing some 60 persons who have represented Jamaica and the West Indies, in various fields of sports. Merlene Ottey, Seymour Newman, Lawrence Rowe, Desmond Lewis, Richard Austin, and others were at some time members of youth clubs. Desmond McKenzie, MP for West Kingston, was a senior member of clubs affiliated to the SDC. This speaks volumes about the effectiveness of the period.
Youth officers, if they exist, are hardly seen in the communities, organising the thousands of 14-18 at-risk youth on the corners. A frightening statistic highlighted by Prof Don Robothom is that of nearly 250,000 people who, in 2009, were in the 15-19 age group, 88 per cent of whom were neither in school nor at work. Some efforts are being made by Community Security and Justice Programme, but SDC is the implementing arm of government social policy and is designed to tackle the issue of youth development. Officers need to leave the offices and go out and meet the youths on their level and try and reason and understand what their interest is and find appropriate approaches to affect changes.
Sometimes just being a friend can achieve so much. From my experience, the youths want to see genuine interest in their development, not just to drop a circular about a pending meeting which tends to go nowhere. Plans to have IT centres in parishes are good, but most times the youngsters who you want to reach are unable to go because of reasons including literacy and transportation.
The people in leadership have to acknowledge that the youth club structure needs to be reorganised with incentives to encourage the thousands of young people outside the school system to be part of mainstream society. Resocialisation must be a priority for the youth.
Karl Goodison
boystownydp1@gmail.com
The death of the youth club movement
-->
Some time ago I wrote on the youth club movement losing its influence, but it now seems that apart from the police youth clubs, SDC (Social Development Commission) clubs are nowhere to be found.
The youth club movement had its genesis in the days of the Social Welfare Commission. Now the SDC has almost been discriminated against with the change in community relationships values and attitudes.
Youths clubs, up to the 80s, were vibrant, with clubs displaying strong leaderships and a fair level of voluntarism, which although not as impressive as in former years was still noticeable. Clubs were still meeting weekly, and organising and planning events for implementation. Members paid dues which encouraged thrift and a level of self-reliance. Members voted in and out poor performing officers, which prepared them for future community and political representations. Clubbites were instilled with certain values and attitudes through the annual leadership training seminars and voluntary services to the general community, eg Labour Day work activities; caring for the elderly, conducting literacy classes and other positive endeavours.
The youth club movement has the distinction of producing some 60 persons who have represented Jamaica and the West Indies, in various fields of sports. Merlene Ottey, Seymour Newman, Lawrence Rowe, Desmond Lewis, Richard Austin, and others were at some time members of youth clubs. Desmond McKenzie, MP for West Kingston, was a senior member of clubs affiliated to the SDC. This speaks volumes about the effectiveness of the period.
Youth officers, if they exist, are hardly seen in the communities, organising the thousands of 14-18 at-risk youth on the corners. A frightening statistic highlighted by Prof Don Robothom is that of nearly 250,000 people who, in 2009, were in the 15-19 age group, 88 per cent of whom were neither in school nor at work. Some efforts are being made by Community Security and Justice Programme, but SDC is the implementing arm of government social policy and is designed to tackle the issue of youth development. Officers need to leave the offices and go out and meet the youths on their level and try and reason and understand what their interest is and find appropriate approaches to affect changes.
Sometimes just being a friend can achieve so much. From my experience, the youths want to see genuine interest in their development, not just to drop a circular about a pending meeting which tends to go nowhere. Plans to have IT centres in parishes are good, but most times the youngsters who you want to reach are unable to go because of reasons including literacy and transportation.
The people in leadership have to acknowledge that the youth club structure needs to be reorganised with incentives to encourage the thousands of young people outside the school system to be part of mainstream society. Resocialisation must be a priority for the youth.
Karl Goodison
boystownydp1@gmail.com
The death of the youth club movement
-->