By Nixon Dickenson
In this week’s article in the series Voices from the Streets Part 9, I would like to share the perspectives of Willandra Elliot who is the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassador.
Listening to this bright, young mind was very encouraging which has led me to caption this week’s article ‘A New Hope’. As we spoke about the possible reasons for the recent criminal acts that have scarred the fabric of our society, she expressed that while she is not an expert in criminology, she believes it is essential to discover what the triggers are behind gun violence and effective solutions that will positively impact the Turks and Caicos Islands.
She shared that to address the root causes of gun violence we need to delve deeply into its origins. In our conversation, she addressed two possible triggers; media content and the family structure. Willandra shared that understanding what drives young men to participate in violent crimes is crucial to prevention.
This led to her posing the question about the influence of media, specifically television and music, and if so, the possibility of the government contemplating regulating media content in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Another perspective shared by Willandra was the impact of the family structure where for most single-parent homes the focus of the parent is often geared towards being able to financially provide for their children which leaves little room for nurturing and emotional support for them.
She believed that reverting to the community approach of raising children would prove successful in reaching and influencing our youths and possibly deterring them from making negative decisions. She expressed that every group, even informal ones, functions with a hierarchy and sent a personal plea to our young people to consider this beautiful country the Turks and Caicos Islands that we call home.
It is time for a truce as the senseless acts of violence over the past months have left many grieving families throughout our country. She shared the sentiments of many concerned citizens that our young men should be allowed to thrive in society and rendered her thanks to the government for the implementation of the TVET program through the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College.
She believes that this is a step in the right direction and that urgency should be given to expanding the program to encompass more skills that will appeal to young men who prefer electrical work, working as a mechanic or carpentry. Most critically establishing partnerships with businesses that can hire ex-convicts, enabling them to make positive contributions to society and their families can prove a step in the right direction towards curbing crime.
Willandra’s conclusion was addressing crime effectively requires a holistic approach. As I listened to this promising young lady, I felt inspired that we are going to succeed in finding solutions to combat gun violence and other criminal activities.
The other ideas presented by Willandra on addressing crime will be shared in the next week’s article as her views need to be read and shared. I believe that there is hope in addressing crime and new ideas will spring forth on this social ill, as long as we keep the conversation going.