Take Away the GUNS…. Put Tools in Their Hands Instead!
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Posted By: Ivan Butcher II on November 03, 2020 It is not hard to imagine, that if these children were being provided with the material distractions afford our children, they would be doing and spend their time doing exactly what our children were doing or not doing. Don't Blame the Children: Look At Their Role Models I remember as a child being told, "Do as I say, not as I do." So to me this meant that I was to wait until I was old or big enough to do what the adults were doing. Today, these children are exposed to and subjected to life situations that were hidden from my generation… more http://hbcuconnect.com/cgi-bin/blog.cgi?bl... Unless there are organized group activities for the Youth, like there were in the past, we cannot expect anything else from them, left up to their own decisions. It Has Been By Design The fact that we here in the Virgin Islands, during this recovery period, are faced with having to wait for the Outside to rebuild our homes and our infrastructure has been by design. http://hbcuconnect.com//content/333817/it-... The message, I would like to leave is that most of the petty and the felony crimes that are committed in our society can be prevented. Today's educational curriculum is outdated and underfunded. We graduate thousands every year and there are thousands of dropouts, all are sent out into our communities with just a certificate / diploma. Some are barely able to fill out an application for a job. This puts a lot of them in a survival mode, which means to them, quoting Malcolm X, By Any Means Necessary. The youth allude to their crimes committed in this community as, "Street Tax." Are Black Men Using Jail as a "Cope-Out"? A "Cop-out," to me, is someone who is capable but would rather make excuses and blame something or someone else for their deeds or lack of doing anything. A "Cope-out," on the other hand, is someone who would rather let someone else deal with their responsibilities and complains they are not capable. http://hbcuconnect.com/content/214013/are-... No child should leave school without a Trade. Those college students with a trade could easily supplement their education without going into deep student loan debt. A lack of direction ( purpose) and a deflated ego are main causes for our youth dropping out of school, getting pregnant and committing violence, all are not college bound. When we send our children out into society without a viable trade or a marketable skill, we are breeding generations of beggars, criminals, thieves, welfare recipients or they leave the Virgin Islands. Approaching our current economic and social condition with a new perspective, will address existing hardships : closing of businesses, massive layoffs, mismanagement of funds, over crowded schools, broken homes and families, teen pregnancies, dropouts, mental depression, drugs, crime, suicide, violence, etc. My Solution: The Arts as the trade: Art plays a major role in our lives every day. All forms of business, large or small, employ an artist's services to work out the audio and visual presentation of their product or service for promotion and sale. The Multipurpose Stimulus Business Proposal I am one of the many Virgin Islands Government retirees, from the Dept. Of Education, owed a substantial amount of money. The Virgin Islands Government, with this Federal small business stimulus initiative grant / loan program, could pay back some of that retro debt by transferring government vacant and abandoned buildings and properties over to those owed interested, for potential small business operations. http://hbcuconnect.com//content/354901/the... This Art program would be both profitable and therapeutic. Teaching through Art would not only give direction, it would also provide marketable skills and it would enhance the trainees self esteem , which would promote self confidence and respect for others as well as them becoming role models. The trainees from the other vocational trades training programs can be used for the refurbishing of these newly, reestablished business properties. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Ivan Butcher II
Business Proprietor, The Butcher Shop of the Virgin Islands Member Since February 2008 |
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