Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Charles Griffith says “boys on the block” are not being left out as Government helps youth in Barbados.
He says the implementation of the block programme Project Dawn contrasted with what the former administration did in 2008 when it shut down a similar initiative called Project Oasis.
Griffith, who was speaking in the House of Assembly during debate on 2024 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals says after Project Oasis ended “all of those guys who reside on the blocks, or who lime across the blocks in this island, were forgotten”.
He says Government launched Project Dawn to assist these individuals.
“Project Dawn [is] a new initiative. There is a block committee at the Ministry, a three-man Block Committee, . . . and these guys are tasked with going on blocks across this island to ascertain the needs of those youngsters on the blocks to gather information in terms of how we should treat to these guys and ladies who are on the blocks across this island,” the minister says.
“Today I am pleased to report that almost 200 blocks were visited on this island, 17 businesses were started out of this particular programme from youngsters on the blocks. We launched this programme in [St Andrew] where 20-plus acres of land were provided to men on the blocks at Belleplaine to farm,” he explains.
