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.... Guest Editorial

02nd March 2010
Helping Hands or Political Ploys?

Probably it is not being lauded as it should but the Big Brothers of Saint Lucia initiative, where a group of non aligned citizens have come together to provide mentorship, friendship and positive role models for the young men who so frequently are before the courts, is worthy of note.
So too is the Peace and Love initiative.
Any initiative that has at its core the upliftment and betterment of the young men of this country is an initiative deserving of praise, after all we all know that too many of the crimes committed here are at the hands of the 16 – 35 age group, dominated primarily by the males in our society.
Our prison is testimony to this fact and so too are our courts where it has been observed that a lot of the young men coming through the doors of the courts had a similar story line as to how they found themselves there.
According to those behind the Big Brother project what is most prevalent in the stories coming out of those young men coming in the courts is the absence of positive male role models in their lives. The absence of a father figure in their homes seems to have had drastic consequences leading to what they have become today.
And so just like the Peace and Love idea that has been proliferated within the inner areas of Castries, the Big Brothers of Saint Lucia basically came together because concerned citizens offer to lend a helping hand in getting young men to rethink the life of crime they seems to have embarked on without a care of the consequences.
Both initiatives seem to be interested in helping wayward young men. The Big Brother plan offers these young men role models, positive male images and persons that could be role models in their lives. With the Peace and Love scheme it is all about getting rival gangs to stop the violence, see life as worth living, help build their communities rather than destroy each other.
 
 

Both of the projects are about targeting young men to instill self confidence and self esteem in them. Persons behind the Peace and Love initiative want to spread the message outside of Castries where it has been concentrated. Proponents of the Big Brothers initiative are looking toward the schools, the courts and other like organizations such as CAPS, FAITH, RISE and other community organizations and leaders.
As wonderful as both the Peace and Love and Big Brothers of Saint Lucia initiatives are, one area of concern to some people could be that the main voices fronting these organizations are those of politicians both of whom are competing against each other for the same constituency come the next general elections.
Should it be a case of accepting the messages and the efforts and dismissing the messengers or should it be a case of waiting and watching to see whether these are simply political ploys by the contesting parties to help boost their chances at being elected to parliament come the next general elections?
Whichever way Saint Lucians may want to read this, one thing we all can agree on is that both initiatives could make a difference in the lives of many of our young men and subsequently improve the atmosphere of fear that seems to be dominating the country today.
The public should be taking an active interest in both initiatives because the success of both could go a long way in somewhat curbing the decline of values that are responsible for some of the ills gripping our country.
(M.G.)

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