Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, joined by entertainer, Winston ‘Cassius Clay’ Yearwood (far right); Trustee of the Maria Holder Memorial Trust, Peter Symmonds (left), Q.C, J.C.; Minister of Youth and Community Empowerment, Adrian Forde; and third form student at the Parkinson Memorial School, Akasha Callender, to cut the ribbon.
A section of the audience at the official opening ceremony of the Chesterfield Brewster Youth Empowerment Centre yesterday in Silver Hill, Christ Church.
Some US$40 000 was given by the Maria Holder Memorial Trust to ‘get the Centre up and running, inclusive of furniture and computers’.
THE Chesterfield Brewster Youth Empowerment Centre has been officially opened.
The facility, which is located in Silver Hill, Christ Church, is named after the father of the Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of the Maria Holder Memorial Trust. The Trust partnered with Government and provided the funding to assist with the refurbishment of the Centre.
It will be used as a place of recreation, sport and training. It will also comprise three shops, one of which will be owned and operated by a member of the disabled community.
Speaking at yesterday’s opening ceremony, Trustee of the Trust, Peter Symmonds, Q.C., revealed that US$1 million was used by that organisation to carry out work on the building. He further said an additional US$40 000 was used to “get the Centre up and running inclusive of furniture and computers”.
Also addressing the ceremony was Minister of Youth and Community Empowerment, Adrian Forde. He said the Centre “will provide a safe and productive hub for young people as we build them out both literally and figuratively. We are going to establish a community management committee. A committee that is responsible for the programmes of the Centre. We are not saying as a mainstream we are going to do ‘X’ programme or ‘Y’ programme. We are saying come to us with the ideas, let us have a committee made up from the constituents and we are going to put action based on the ideas we have got. That is the type of engagement we are going to have…”
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley was also present for the evening’s proceedings. In the feature address, she urged all in the community to “make the choice to take care of this building”. She asked residents not to allow anyone to litter on or around the premises or to deface the building.
She also used her remarks to challenge the Silver Hill residents to make the right choices. She pointed out that a collective approach is needed to bring about positive change within the country.
“I ask you in this community, as I will in so many other communities across Barbados, will you join me on board in being able to make the choice to raise our children together as a nation, because what we see must not continue, with those aspects of it that see us regrettably seeing too many of our young people not understanding that the choices that they make now may preclude the future that you and I want for them. The Government cannot do it alone, you can’t do it alone, but the one thing I know is working together we can and we shall.” (MG)