It's been a very difficult 2020 layoffs, school closures, and stay at home orders. And these Covid time conditions have put many young men in the urban landscape at a huge disadvantage.
It's a social crisis unfolding in slow motion, and one that one Martin's based youth program is working hard to combat. Cherisse Halsall headed there yesterday to find out how founder Winston Harris is keeping chins up in times of crisis.
He made his name as a radio personality at KREM but recently Winston Harris "Brick City" was in the news for
Winston Harris "Brick City" - Philanthropist "Well actually that incident was really was, I don't put like a yes or no, but nobody can't set you up unless you set yourself because I could have ignored that. If you notice the proof right now and the reason, I don't want get into it due to that still in the court, so I don't really want to get into that, that is the advice of my lawyer."
But despite those legal troubles, Harrison is getting back to what he loves, a program that he says he's been running for over three years. It's called the "Making A Difference Youth Program." and it's all about empowerment.
Winston Harris "Brick City" "This program is to make a difference for youths to employ youths, this program is about right in your neighbourhood. The program is basically about empowering the youths in your neighbourhood for their skills. I mean due to the Covid a lot of them lost their jobs a lot of them were employed, so now we came up with this program wherein the community we decided to do stuff in the community and as I speak you notice the young man is by the pipe washing vehicle."
But this program is wide-ranging, supporting start-up entrepreneurs while giving back.
Barber "Breda so what makes you keep doing your barbering under this house bottom for the ghetto youths them? Look I need to provide some kind of service for the community nothing is really going on and I need to keep moving. Right now this the Covid, we stay here, we have space and everything we're going to push on make them look good and have them feel nice and proud so that they stay out here and stay positive."
And among "Brick City's acolytes you'll even find a poet.
Robert McClaren - Neighbourhood Youth "Back yah have talent, potential and it's just energy and things just need to get invested into the youths so that back here can better and better. They brand us as criminals now, from back here so basically we don't want that image out there because we want all the youths from back here be able to go out there and not have people shout of he's from behind Martin's he's going to try to rob me and try to break into my house."
McClaren says he's not into any of that negativity preferring instead to focus on his poetry. And he's had some recent viral success with this poem entitled "Ghetto Youth Slogan."
Robert McClaren "Well basically the poem is just about everything going on in the community because the poem starts like this, not just because we are from the block means we have to buss Glock only and that's basically it. We want to see a better picture, we want to enjoy this life here because it's only one life we get to live."
But whether it's artistic expression or just good old-fashioned hard work the objective is to keep busy, it's like the old adage "Try do something before something do you."
Winston Harris "Brick City" "What this will do this will make us grow back and allow them to open their own business, that's the whole plan to have them open their own business. They aren't really making money off of it, but they keep themselves occupied. And all of the youths that are part of this program don't have anything to do with being part of any gang or anything, these are regular youths in the neighbourhood who want a difference in themselves and they are trying to do that on their own to make a difference."
Brick City's program is currently comprised of about 20 to 25 members, with about 13 others on a waiting list.
