FOR years, Marjory Trottman harboured the dream of helping at-risk youths in her Braeton Phase 3, St Catherine community. But hampered by the lack of resources meant her desire would remain a distant hope until two weeks ago
when several organisations stepped into the picture.

With the help of the Optimist Club of Braeton and the Social Development Commission (SDC) and support from the Portmore-based National Centre for Youth Development,
HEART Trust and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Trottman two Mondays ago hosted a Youth Development Forum at the Braeton New Testament Church which had the participation of more than 30 unemployed youths from her community.

TROTTMAN... my aim is to see all the youths in my community gainfully employed. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

The main objective of the forum was to get the youths to focus on their future and with the necessary guidance, set reasonable goals for themselves.

After all, Trottman's long-term aim is to see all the youths gainfully employed or at least have a skill that can translate into work some time in the future.

She said having lived most of her life in Braeton she was, on many occasions, called on to assist individuals. Lately, however, she felt the urge to reach more people than just those in her immediate sphere.

"From time to time a young person will come and ask me to assist them to get a job and so I thought it would be best to have something like this for everybody," she told the Observer, adding that she had assisted many youths to enrol in skills training programmes such as HEART.

According to her, the forum was just the first step of a mission to assist the youths in determining where they wanted to take their lives. The forum allowed them to assess themselves, set goals and discuss strategies for achieving the goals. In addition, they were briefed on the various programmes offered by HEART, the application process as well as the importance of getting National Insurance Scheme and Tax Registration numbers.

Optimist Club of Braeton member Elaine Rose (left) counsels two teenagers who participated in the Youth Development Forum held recently at the Braeton New Testament Church in Portmore, St Catherine. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

It was clear from the get-go that a number of the youths required guidance as they lamented that they were already given negative labels by the society. The youths said they were oftentimes referred to as "worthless", told they "can't come to nothing good" and accused of being the "generation of vipers" that the Bible speaks of.

But many of the youths said contrary to the negative perceptions, they dreamed of becoming entrepreneurs, chefs, mechanics, musicians, with one even saying his ambition is to be a video game designer. None
of the youths, however, had actually made even a first step towards realising their dreams.

They said the absence of an income prevented them from getting a skill and in some cases, further their education. Others lamented that they were parents and could not juggle child-rearing, work and school.

Also, one youth said they also did not get enough encouragement from adults around them.

"Nuff a dem big people condemn we because of our parents... because dem say we parents a cruff," said one very vocal female.

It was the same female who said despite going to HEART to get certified in construction work, she is yet to get certification after the classes stalled mid-way in 2006.

But Miguel Wallace, one of their peers who went to HEART and then to the National Youth Service, advised that despite the challenges it was doable. "To become successful you have to have a vision. When I went to HEART, I wasn't very equipped, but then I went on to youth service and I am doing it," he said.

Lloyd Erskine, development area co-ordinator for the SDC, said they have recognised that there is a series of issues as it related to youths who are unattached (not working or attending school).

Following the session, the youths were asked to complete a registration form indicating their interests and level of schooling so it could be determined what assistance they needed.

Erskine said the group's progress will be monitored as the intention was not only to have dialogue, but to provide tangible support for the unattached youths.

Trottman, in the meanwhile, said she is already looking toward getting sponsors to host similar forums in the future.