As the old saying goes, if you give a man a fish he eats for a day but if you teach him to fish he’ll eat for a lifetime. It’s a threadbare cliché, but it’s also true and the Conscious Youth Development Programme is intent on proving it. Well the Conscious Youth Development Program is taking it one step further: it will give 100 ghetto youths an acre of land and teach them how to fish, farm, and feed. Planners want the youths to feed themselves and make money to sustain their families. The project is based, where else but the tilapia capital – Belize Rural North. Here’s more.
Yesterday there was excitement at the Fisheries Hatchery in Biscayne as these CYDP affiliated youths made their first catch at a fish pond. It was the first catch of many because these young men are future farmers who will put down the gun and put their hands in the ground – or in this case the ponds.
Andrew Budran, Future Fish Farm
“I have six kids brother, six of them, all of them young and di life whe I di live right now, I work but the money you are making still can’t provide everything.”
Calvin Osmond Jr, Future Fish Farmer
“I think it is a positive idea because it creates jobs, food, ease up crime, and I think agriculture is the way you should go from ever since.”
And Calvin Osmond Jr. and these other youths will get farmland, 1 acre each to be precise, through a partnership between CYDP and Belize Rural North Area Rep. Edmund Castro. Castro has already found land in his area for the youths to work on.
Hon. Edmund Castro, Belize Rural North Area Rep.
“We have identified along with some of my colleagues in Cabinet, have
identified a piece of land that we will use as a pilot project for this program. So today we are on tour, showing them the tilapia ponds and from the tilapia ponds we are here now on the ground showing them the area where the surveyor will be out here tomorrow to survey off a piece of land so we can jump start this pilot project.”
Supt. Edward Broaster, CYDP Director
“It gives me goose bumps and a lot of excitement to see that young persons in Belize City are not interested in developing land and getting into agriculture. This is exactly what we need, we need to mobilize our young people and get them into productive sector of the society.”
Hon. Edmund Castro,
“The young brothers will be out here along with guidance from the Ministry of Agriculture, along with guidance from the Ministry of Fisheries, the Fisheries Department to teach them and give them a new opportunity.”
A new opportunity these youths will seize.
Lexus,
This is a positive message for the youths. I got five pickney now and that is why I changed because I have to deal with them right now and left something fi them. Put down the gun because right now we di deal with a positive message. We want everybody to put the gun and start to till up the soil.”
Calvin Osmond Jr,
“I neva did get this opportunity before. This was my dream from ever since but I neva get the opportunity before until now. What I think about it is it is a positive idea and I would a want it get bigger.”
The land was surveyed today. Only 50 youths showed up yesterday but land has been identified for 100. It will be leased to them and it is non-transferable. If you are interested in the program you can sign up at the Conscious Youth Development Program’s office on North Front Street.
