The young men between the ages of 19 and 22, dead in five hours - the calculus of that kind of carnage still confounds many city residents two days later. But the youth population is the most affected. That is why the newly formed National Youth Council of Belize is today making a public appeal to all relevant stake holders to allow them to join in the efforts of rescuing the youths from grasps of street and gang lifestyles. We spoke to the Belize District Youth President about it:
Stafin Duncan - President, National Youth Council of Belize
"When you hear 3 young people dying in 1 night, who is not concern? As the National Youth Council, we believe we are directly tasked to get involved, directly tasked to ensure the youths are being protected. From, committing the crime, being influenced to commit the crime and from being the victim. So, we are calling out the police to see if maybe we can get involved. We don't have a problem with the way they are doing their job. We want them to continue but maybe we can do more."
Reporter
"What's new insight, can an organization that is built primarily by youths can provide to finding a solution to this problem?"
Stafin Duncan - President, National Youth Council of Belize
"Ok, now the way we feel, we can give that insight is by actually talking to the majority of the youth in this country and trying to find what they really feel. A lot of the times, the police, the organizations, they do their job from the way they think and nothing is wrong with that, but what harnessing a little bit of what we think, the young people think, maybe there's a solution there, just maybe if you hear what they have to say, you'll understand a little and change your path or change the way you find a solution just maybe and that's the way we feel we can help."
Renata Samuels - PR. National Youth Council of Belize
"Our council is made up of different people from youth groups and we have the link because we can talk to them. They come and talk to us on a daily bases too as well. People are very upset about the crime and the violence and they want to be a part of the solution. They want us to help and we feel that we can help too. So, our link is actually having some youths from the different crime areas. On our council, we have people that are from South side, most of our council is made up of people from South side. So, they hear the cries, they hear the gunshots, they see the violence. So, they can help. They are right there. They experience it."
Reporter
"Have you approach any of the relevant organizations to try to tell them, hey we want to be involved in this as well?"
Renata Samuels - PR. National Youth Council of Belize
"Well, we have not actually approach any of them yet. This is actually our call. This right here, our press release, us approaching them in a way, calling out to them to help us be a part of the solution. We want to help. We want to do something more. There is more that can be done. It needs to be fixed and it needs to be fixed now."
Anybody who wishes to get in contact with the National Youth Council can contact them via email at nationalyouthcouncilbz@gmail.com or calling them through the Department of Youth Services at 207-6282.
