It's called Operation Positive Re-enforcement (OPR) where the Youth for the Future teams penetrates tough neighborhoods and encourages at-risk youths to leave behind their lives on the streets and get a job. It sounds simple, but it's a process and last year, of the 150 youths that came to youth for the future, 85 did get a job, 50 of them permanently. This year, the first 30 are already in the classroom and they told us what they are learning.
These 30 young people, mostly from disadvantaged educational and social backgrounds could just as easily become society's write-offs, but instead they are in this class learning life skills form development counselor Merilyn Young.
Douglas Hyde, OPR Coordinator
"With our young persons, the sessions we have placed in this training deal directly with life skills issues, things that they will definitely need to fight in life."
And for these young people, the fight is to overcome the prejudices that formal society has imposed on them.
Douglas Hyde,
"The systems are tight for them. Some of them dropped out of school, some of them have police records, and some of them have served time. What we are trying to do with the systems is to show the young persons, or to show the business places also, that these young persons are ready for a job and they have the skill. What they need to do is to take time out to interview these young persons because they are going through the session."
And today those skills were about finding a career orientation, a lesson well learnt by two we spoke to. Lloyd Diego wants to be a carpenter.
Lloyd Diego, Trainee
"I am thinking right now about trying to buy up my tools to try and do something 'cause I already see how the country is getting harder. So I am trying to come out of that living 'cause that living is dread right now. Nobody is giving you anything right now check, you have to get up there and try do something."
That lesson is also clear to Rhonda Flowers, a mother of one, who was intimidated to go and ask for a job.
Rhonda Flowers, Trainee
"Me being out in the world looking for a job, it really hard because I mean (to) facing the people them and asking for a job, I am kind of ashamed. To hear the answer no, which in it is just a yes or a no or maybe I'll call you in for a interview, I really ready for it."
And being ready means asking for a job as an office clerk.
Rhonda Flowers,
"I always want to be a office clerk. One time when I was younger I always wanted to be the first female Prime Minister but can't handle that so I really want to be, like I said, just a office clerk. I want to do something from 8 to 5 so I could got time to back home and tend to my baby and be there for my baby."
Jules Vasquez,
So you give up on the Prime Minister thing?
Rhonda Flowers,
"I give up on that."
Jules Vasquez,
Why is that?
Rhonda Flowers,
"I mean I don't want people look at me the other way in the sense that I don't wanna have that mentality like let people look up to me and then all of a sudden they just drop it, they look down on me, you know."
And while she doesn't want to let anyone down, they also don't want to be let down anymore by a society that has often shunned them.
Douglas Hyde,
"Majority of them does (sic) not just want a job, some of them would want a better life. They would want to come out of that poverty situation. Some of them would want to also explore some of their educational aspect of life where they want to go back to school. Some of them want jobs. Some of them want a better living. Some of them want somebody to listen to them, somebody to love them."
It's love that they must pay for with the lessons they learns here, because if they don't, the flip side is that disregard and disdain comes which is just about the only thing that comes free.
As we noted there are 30 youths participating in the two-day workshop and the organizers plan to do nine more programs this year. They receive training in job preparedness, Aids education, personal development and conflict resolution and anger management. It is sponsored by the OPEC Fund, UNFPA, and the Ministry of Health.
