As for the youth age 14-20, I had individual sessions with them about their life struggles, environmental pressure, handling anger, family situations, social supports, making short term and long term goals, jobs, and independent living skills. It was difficult to meet with the youth because of the time frame I had allotted for youth. With my curfew at Monkey Bay, I could only run the youth groups from 2 to 5 and this was not the time the youth were available. Youth came out after 6 or 6:30 and for my Director, this was past dark and past my curfew. I did the best that I could with the youth I did meet. I also personally went to the homes to stop by and meet them. Many times they were not home, but at least I tried.
As for my youth I did meet, they were all boys with the exception of a few girls. The one young girl was completely house bound. She was home schooled and only let out of the house with adult supervision. She was sixteen and one could imagine how tough this must me for a young girl. Her mother wanted to protect her from all the trouble going on outside, which there was trouble. Drug use, burglary/theft, and promiscuous behaviors i.e. girls pregnant at 12 years old. We discussed some ways to find her freedom and enjoy herself. I requested to speak with her mother, but her mother was working during the day.
One young boy was applying to work at a computer store and we practiced interviewing. Another was just turning his life around from gangs and fighting. He found himself in the same struggle most do-trying to stay away. This was very common territory and it flash backed right to Compton when I worked with those caught in gang wars. It's truly such an awful thing when you want out of a gang, but you are stuck living right in the middle of it.
The thing with gangs in Belize is that there is red vs. blue and there is the power of association. This is present in all gangs, but in Belize it seems like more of a chain effect. When you are a part of the gang, everyone around you is involved. Just 2 boys were killed that day at the local store. Shot. Point blank. They had no gang association, but their cousin did so they shot them. It was so sad what was happening just when I was there. There was one death after the next with gang violence.
One of our mentors, Mama Jones, did not show up for her jewelry lesson because her grandson was shot and killed. It was all connected with this person knowing that person and a whole community left completely saddened. How could something like this happen all in just one week? It was complete tragedy hearing one story after the next all due to gang violence.
Of course nothing is being done by the government to prevent this rather it continues to be problematic in the community. Even Mama Jones said, there is nothing that we can do rather we just have to pray. And that is what we did. We prayed for those young souls lost due to gang violence.
As for my youth I did meet, they were all boys with the exception of a few girls. The one young girl was completely house bound. She was home schooled and only let out of the house with adult supervision. She was sixteen and one could imagine how tough this must me for a young girl. Her mother wanted to protect her from all the trouble going on outside, which there was trouble. Drug use, burglary/theft, and promiscuous behaviors i.e. girls pregnant at 12 years old. We discussed some ways to find her freedom and enjoy herself. I requested to speak with her mother, but her mother was working during the day.
One young boy was applying to work at a computer store and we practiced interviewing. Another was just turning his life around from gangs and fighting. He found himself in the same struggle most do-trying to stay away. This was very common territory and it flash backed right to Compton when I worked with those caught in gang wars. It's truly such an awful thing when you want out of a gang, but you are stuck living right in the middle of it.
The thing with gangs in Belize is that there is red vs. blue and there is the power of association. This is present in all gangs, but in Belize it seems like more of a chain effect. When you are a part of the gang, everyone around you is involved. Just 2 boys were killed that day at the local store. Shot. Point blank. They had no gang association, but their cousin did so they shot them. It was so sad what was happening just when I was there. There was one death after the next with gang violence.
One of our mentors, Mama Jones, did not show up for her jewelry lesson because her grandson was shot and killed. It was all connected with this person knowing that person and a whole community left completely saddened. How could something like this happen all in just one week? It was complete tragedy hearing one story after the next all due to gang violence.
Of course nothing is being done by the government to prevent this rather it continues to be problematic in the community. Even Mama Jones said, there is nothing that we can do rather we just have to pray. And that is what we did. We prayed for those young souls lost due to gang violence.
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