A VIRUS IS LOOSE IN THE SOCIETY

The old woman edged cautiously towards the 12-year-old youth. "Where
you going?"

"By my friends up the streets."

"Why the bandana on your head?"

"Because all dem friends wearing one."

"What is dat in your hand?"

He smiled mockingly. But she had a consuming curiosity to press on.

"Who gave you dat?"

Frightened speechless, the little boy slipped through a neighbour's
backyard and disappeared.

In another reported incident, a 14-year-old was caught by PC Jaglal
along the Mon Repos Street, San Fernando, with 2.1 grammes of
marijuana in his possession. And another deviant youth was caught
with a firearm and held in custody because "he feared that people out
to kill him". It is believed that gang members wanted to dish out
their polluted punishment on him "for not following orders." What orders?

Mervyn Crichlow, Communications Specialist at the Ministry of
Education, only scratched the surface when he reported that "49 had
been exposed to drug-trafficking". I have news for you, Mr Crichlow.
While I will not, at this time, blame the Ministry of Education, and
while I also believe that your intentions for releasing those figures
may have been forthright and honest, there is rampant drug-use and
drug-pushing in the nation's schools. And equally disturbing is the
fact that it has reached the school level. This is certainly a
national tragedy.

Predatory gang members are identifying and recruiting at-risk young
people from elementary, secondary, and senior secondary schools in
large numbers. This virus is attacking our nation's most vulnerable
and precious treasure. They are strategically targeting and
brainwashing innocent fledglings to perpetuate their heinous crimes
on our society. They hope that these youths will go where they
cannot, and find places in our halls of learning where unsuspecting
peers will succumb. If allowed to take roots, it will only continue
the insidious decay and decline of our next generation.

Behind this facade of material comfort of "Trini is nice" and "Trini
is a paradise" looms a dangerous trend that will continue to spoil
the landscape and create further havoc on a society already blighted
by crime and violence.

There are a few of us who believe that a variety of factors underlie
this national tragedy including disintegrating nuclear families,
child abuse and neglect, drug and alcohol abuse, lack of constructive
values, a revolving-door juvenile justice system, and pervasive media
violence. There must be a collective will for finding a solution.
Only a comprehensive approach has any hope for success. Our populace
is looking to our elected leaders not for demagoguery or
partisanship, but for effective legislation and empowering public
policies. To be sure, responsible and responsive government.

We are a nation of talk-on the radio, television, bars and social
places, we talk. Everyone has a plan; few reach out. However, the
police youth groups around the nation must be commended for providing
guidance and support to at-risk youths. They help set and accomplish
goals and act as positive role models. Perhaps a good example of this
comes from the Maraval Police Youth Group. Over 75 young people are
given the opportunity to participate in events and activities
administered by the acting Inspector Joyce James Martin and her team
of motivated officers. With others, she volunteers many hours, to
include Saturdays, conducting home economic classes and teaching
other needed skills to at-risk youths in the area. But police groups
are no island. Community leaders, church groups, NGO's, and concerned
adults must act now, or lose thousands.

Youth frequently face circumstances such as lack of supervision,
negative peer pressure, lack of academic achievement, neglect and
sometimes abuse. These are the ones at risk for violent behaviour,
substance abuse, sexual activity, and gang affiliation. And gang
leaders are capitalising on that apparent weakness.

To kill this cancerous virus we must introduce effective, carefully
monitored programmes that will prevent and reduce gang membership.
There must be a conglomeration of will and effort to give at-risk
youths a non-threatening environment where they can play games, study
and receive services instead of "liming" and getting into trouble
with the law. Concurrently, there must be a viable system of outcome
measures to collect data for what is working and what is not.

It is a disturbing fact that there is no data available from any
programme focusing on the redirection of at-risk youth in the
community. We scarcely know the numbers targeted, programmes of
involvement and the outcomes of these programmes. Ultimately, records
of arrests from police, courts, and probation departments must become
easily available to assist this process.

Esbensen and Osgood's article on, "Gang Resistance Education and
Training" (GREAT) results from a national evaluation, Journal of
Research in Children Delinquency, may be instrumental as we focus
attention on our youth.

This is an officer-taught, school-based education programme with
class topics to include, crime and victimisation, conflict resolution
skills, drugs and the neighbourhoods, personal responsibility and
setting goals. And with the massive reconstruction programmes to
improve the Police Training College now in process, I am optimistic
that this new thrust will include a component to assist at-risk youth
in our society. In the meantime, the youth of our nation must ponder
the message of the late Ras Shorty I:

Watch Out My Children;

Watch Out My Children.

It Has A Fella Called Lucifer

With A Bag Of White Powder,

And He Don't Want To Powder Your Face

But To Bring Shame And Disgrace

To The Human Race.

- -Dr Harold Mahabir is an

international education consultant