The Leadership Intervention Unit is much discussed as the panacea for Belize's gang problem. It's not quite that simple, but taking young men and women away from gang life means offering them some alternative.
And that's where the Tubal Training Institute comes in. Today, 67 graduates walked away with a certification in their selected area of trade, but also with the opportunity of either starting their own business or having the proper qualifications and skill to join the workforce. This is after completing the fourth cohort for the Tubal vocational trianing.
Here's what we gathered at the graduation ceremony this afternoon.
Andrew Dawson, Acting Director, LIU
"So I have been acting director of the leadership intervention unit for about 5 months now and we are currently putting together a mechanism where we can monitor, this is our 4th Cohort so far we have passed over 120 persons now these 67 add to that and we have mechanisms in place that we will track this individuals and kind of do an assessment of the impact and where we are currently at the program. We have a lot of success stories more than Mr Wagner but we are going to look now in that direction and how we can get these persons back and engaged back into our program as mentors."
"So it's a 3 month program, as you heard the CEO mentioned we look at capacity building training as it relates to entrepreneurship, and other capacity building engagements and they will be receiving their small packages with start up kits for their specific discipline that they can utilize to do their own entrepreneurship, start their own business or they can further their studies. We offer that type of support for them as well as a long term support."
"Fortunately for us we have participants all the way from Belmopan from the Cayo district right so it is a mixture, we mostly had those from the Belize District but now we are seeing an influx of participants willing to come all the way from Belmopan to participate in our trade vocational training."
Kareem Thurton, LIU Graduate
"I feel Good because I went through a lot of trials and tribulations and things right, I just lost my big brother so he was someone who, when he was here he encouraged me to reach to my success and to finish my program, I just got out of jail and so he encouraged me and this is one thing I can say I did for my big brother."
JO-
"So what now, where will you go? Will you go and work?"
Kareem Thurton, LIU Graduate
"Yes I just graduated from electrician and so lots of electricians say it's good to start your own business and be your own entrepreneur and thing too."
"I want to thank my electrician teacher because there are some of us who came as hard heads but he is behind us to push us to work better especially Ms Gamboa because there were certain days when I wanted to stop and give up but Ms Gamboa was behind us to tell us to continue the program and that's how I finished and thing."
The program not only provided them with the opportunity to learn but also a stipend and transportation to their classes everyday.
