If you are a parent of a teenaged boy or girl and a young adult and are concerned about your child’s future especially during a time when many of our young men have either become victims or perpetrators of crime, there’s hope in a new BDF programme. For some families it is even scary to think where our children will be or what they will become in ten years time but tonight we just might have a solution that can help you guide your loved ones in making the right choices in life.
The Ministry of National Security and the Belize Defence Force through its volunteer element are looking to recruit four hundred young persons who will be members of the newly formed BDF Youth Cadet Corps. The programme aims to develop the children’s skills through military discipline and life skills. If it sounds like a challenge, that’s because it’s meant to be. But as explained by Commanding Officer of BDF Volunteer Element Lt. Col. Edmund Zuniga, the experience is just what is needed and will help the youths in their civilian or military life for years to come.
Lt. Col. Edmund Zuniga, C.O. Volunteer Element
“The easy way to say it is if you want your child to survive, ten years down the road to be a good man or be a good woman, this is the programme to put them into. Somebody sometime a long time ago said give us a boy we give you back a man. I don’t want to say that with them for this programme because we won’t graduate them as men but when they turn sixteen, we want to be able to transfer them into the volunteer element so that they can continue developing their military skills and for those who are interested to go on into the regular force and beyond.”
Ernesto Mendoza, Parent
“I get my child involved because I believe that the programme is a very positive one. I believe that it will instil positive values and standards. It will build his character and I think that it is good programme for young people.”
Lt. Col. Edmund Zuniga,
“The way we have organized it is based on a military structure and we say we are going to have a battalion of young cadets which means that we are going to have four companies. A company is about 90 persons, between 90 and 100 persons. In terms of Belmopan, Belmopan is number 4 company. We are going to have two platoons there, made up of 60 persons and a platoon in San Ignacio with about 30. Corozal and Orange Walk will form a company, Belize City itself will form a company in addition to a small marching band and Punta Gorda and Dangriga will form a company. So we are looking at four hundred or so young cadets.”
The youths will be learning drills, map reading, first aid and other life skills. There will also be lectures on issues of concern to young persons like anger management, HIV and Aids, money management, health and hygiene, government and governance. They will also be assisted in their academic development. Today the programme was officially launched in Belmopan. During the ceremony Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo encouraged the children to take up the challenge of developing skills and for parents to play a more active role in supporting the children.
