Prime Minister of the Barbados National Youth Parliament Pierre Cooke Jr says crime and violence are not random, and communities must play their part in the development of young people in Barbados.
“I am not here to bash young people, the public does that enough. I am here to remind Barbadians that they have a responsibility to play their part in the development of young people.
“Once upon a time, the church understood they had a role to play in society . . . . We don’t have that culture anymore. We live in a society now where preachers from the pulpit say young people are evil, these young people are evil. I want us to remember that we have to be our brother’s keeper,” he said.
The Youth Parliament convened yesterday for the first time in the House of Assembly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It moved the passage of a resolution that the National Youth Parliament present a communique to the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, and the Ministry of Youth and Community Empowerment.
Cooke, also leader of government business, argued that young people were not born violent, but were instead bright and needed guidance.
“It is imperative that the interventions we need to prevent violence in this country start from young. Those first seven years of a child’s life are critical, and that is where we need to start our interventions. That is where we need to start targeting the young people for the future. (RA)
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