Walking the talk:

This column continues from two weeks ago when I wrote about the very tragic and brutal killing of six-year old Sean Luke in Trinidad. Two weeks ago I vented the anger that boiled and raged inside me and I suspect tens of thousands of people all over my country.

Yes, we all cussed the police who did not respond to the little boy’s mom when she reported his disappearance; we again criticised the national security minister, the prime minister, the parliament; we blamed poor parenting and lack of discipline for the two teenagers now charged with Sean Luke’s killing and we wallowed in our miserable state.

But a remarkable thing happened. During the course of our exchange of e-mails and telephone calls, many people recognised that we can no longer just talk about the situation that has developed in our beloved country regarding crime but that we need to do our part, small or large in helping the vulnerable young people in Trinidad.

A quick perusal of the people before the courts on criminal charges shows a lot of teens and those just out of their teen years caught up in a life of crime.

Many of us have realised that the time had come to end the blame game.

The time now is to walk the talk and get up and make a difference in the lives of our young people who, with some guidance over the years could be saved from a possible life of crime.

I have no elaborate plans. For now, I intend to make it my duty to talk to the young people on my street, ask how they’re doing in school; what subjects they like best; what profession they want to get into and how they plan to get into it, without putting any pressure on them.

Before, I’d wave to them and ask how they’re doing out of politeness.

Some friends and I have been talking about reaching further out to young people, maybe visiting the orphanages and meeting with some of the young residents there on a regular basis, exchanging our experiences and follow up their progress from year to year, helping them in whatever way to achieve academically or by getting a skill.

We’re still working on this idea. But at least one person has purchased underpants for some male orphans who on a radio programme a few weeks ago talked about the humiliation and indignity they feel when they have to scramble for a few and probably well worn-out underpants after the laundry is returned to them.

Simply efforts like this make a whole world of difference to those young boys at the orphanage.

Many more people in our societies need to get out there on the ground and help influence the lives of the young people who we see going downhill quite quickly and I will do my utmost best to encourage those around me to get involved.

We can no longer leave that responsibility up to the government or the state or to the rich corporate bodies in the country.

While in Bermuda last week, I found out that the Premier Alex Scott was part of a programme called the Big Brothers.

Checking further, I found that it was called the Big Brother Big Sister volunteer programme which has been making a positive impact on the lives of children, primarily from single parent homes, for the past 25 years.

I can see something like this evolving in Trinidad and in many of our Caribbean islands where young people, particularly those with one parent or no parents, need the support and guidance of a Big Brother or Big Sister.

According to the web site on the programme in Bermuda which was adapted from the United States, a Big Brother or Big Sister acts as a mentor and role model, offering friendship and guidance, sharing experiences, providing an invaluable role in helping to teach a child values and responsibility, as well as how to have fun.

A survey found that some 91% of children involved with Big Brothers & Big Sisters Programmes experience a sharp rise in self-esteem, 70% do better in school, and 73% stay out of trouble with the law.

According to the BBBS Bermuda web-site, some of the children matched with Big Brothers and Big Sisters have faced very real obstacles in their lives. “Having a mentor who knows how to work hard to overcome challenges, and who is willing to share knowledge and experience, makes a world of difference. Others are simply in need of an adult influence in their lives to help link them to educational, recreational, and health care services,” according to the web-site.

And guess what? Bermuda has a very low crime rate. I’m not surprised.

While many companies in Trinidad have become involved in various social programmes, I do believe a personal interaction with our young people is a key aspect of companies making a real difference in the lives of our young people and the communities where they live.

Primary and secondary schools, with the help and cooperation of parents, can also reach out to students who are showing a tendency for violence.  Perhaps set up a mentoring programme. I’m sure Trinidadians such as Robert Riley, the President of BP in Trinidad and Vincent Perreira, the President of BHP Billiton in Port of Spain would volunteer their time to talk to some of the targeted students about their life experience and how they’ve reached so far in their careers.

I hate to bring any mention of politics into this column but I do remember Trinidad’s current Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday who promised to “adopt” a young 13-year old boy who followed him in awe during one of Panday’s protest walk some years ago.

I was there, I interviewed the teenager and he was very happy that Mr. Panday was planning to “adopt” him. Maybe he saw some hope in his future and not in the Beetham Gardens, opposite the smelly city dump and one of the areas notorious for criminals.

I believe it was last year when I saw a headline in a daily paper stating that Mr. Panday’s ‘adopted’ son was crushed to death under a garbage truck.

Apparently, he was asleep at the garbage dump where he rummaged through the discards for his living, when he met his death.

A helping hand could have probably saved him from such a fate.