Dennie Quill, Contributor
THE PARLIAMENT'S focus this week on youth has once again placed on the public agenda pertinent issues relating to youth development.
It might not have the kind of ripple on the surface of current opinion anticipated by the Government, but this long-awaited update of the National Youth Policy which replaces the 1994 version, seeks to give deeper meaning to the definition of a common vision and framework for positive youth development.
Reports of escalating crime among the youth and by the youth have prompted persons to demand that something be done about the crimes being committed by teenagers and young adults who appear to have grown more fierce and violent over the years. In this scenario tough questions relating to prevention, punishment and rehabilitation have to be considered.
It seems that the sum of $50 billion required each year for the next five years is well worth investing in the youth of this country so that we deter more juveniles from becoming adult felons. It is indicative of our commitment to the future.
The reintroduction of the National Youth Service in 1995 was one of the major outcomes of the 1994 policy and from all accounts it is a worthwhile programme. There are many success stories to be told about this programme.
OUT-OF-CONTROL TEENAGERS
But I cannot support the appeal from National Youth Service director Keith Duncan for $3 million from the private sector to fund summer training camps for out-of-control teenagers in some of Kingston's high schools.
The group of 13 to 17-year-old troubled students will be tutored over three weeks to ensure that they can better fit into the school system in the new school year. My concern is that parents of these children appear to have been let off the hook. There are scores of parents who are bringing up their children in an environment of moral poverty and then expect the Government or the private sector to take care of them when they become a menace to society.
The teenage years are fraught with problems. Rebellion and experimentation are common. There is a political imperative for the Government to try and tackle the anti-social behaviour of these out-of-control teenagers and interrupt the cycles that lead to juvenile crimes. They cannot be solved by the Government alone. They cannot be solved by the private sector alone. They cannot be solved by teachers alone.
The lines must be drawn between Government's responsibility and that of the parents. Too many parents are looking to somebody else to do their job. And it is not the teacher's job either. Teachers do not have parental responsibility, although they are under a duty of care to act as a responsible adult to ensure the child's safety.
Parental responsibility is awesome. It requires that mother and father teach their children to recognise right from wrong, see to their education and provide them with love and emotional support.
We know that in the Jamaican situation mothers always have parental responsibilities for their children, while fathers may acquire this responsibility. It can be difficult raising a child without the necessary financial and other support. It seems we need to re-examine our family laws to ensure that the men shoulder their responsibilities. Where is the pressure on deadbeat fathers? We know what happens to men who abandon responsibility for their children in first-world countries. They are tracked down, they are unable to renew their driver's licences, register their motor vehicles etc. until they have paid child support.
Could the private sector's $3 million be better spent on introducing better parenting skills on a national basis?
PARENTS' SUPERVISION
Parents should educate their children on the deadly effects of drugs, sex, gangs and weapons. They should take greater interest in what their children are doing after school and supervise their leisure activities including television viewing choices.
Parents should see that their children are involved in community activities such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, and church groups so that they feel a connection to the adults in their neighbourhoods.
The logical place to begin to arrest delinquency is the home. Parents and families need to step up to the plate and identify at-risk individuals and try to remove these bad influences.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com
