Do something!
If you cannot support from the front, push from the back!
I spent some time on Saturday at the NGC Bocas Literary Festival in Port of Spain Trinidad. The festival brings together literary works from all over the Caribbean and the diaspora with a number of world renowned writers and poets. What struck me at this event was the honest and open stories of a few young men who were incarcerated from the age of 15 for an average of ten years at the Youth Training Centre (YTC). They along with their English teacher, a woman who volunteered to teach them English Literature whilst at the institution, decided to tell their story in this open, honest and wonderful piece of work called Wishing for Wings. I found myself literally weeping listening to their story! And there and then I vowed to do something! We have young people from the age of 11 being incarcerated and locked inside for 23hours a day, we have a rehabilitation system that instead of rehabilitating it creates more prisoners and resentment! and the thing that made me weep more is that it is so easy to play a part in making where I live a better place! I want to thank those young men for being open and honest, for deciding that they want to live a different life. That was the other thing that I learnt from them, it all starts with a decision! there is nothing more powerful than a made up mind. No wavering, no doubt, just a firm decision and things fall into place after that, not without its challenges but that power overrides them!
The stories from Wishing with Wings are truly inspirational!
Peace!!
I spent some time on Saturday at the NGC Bocas Literary Festival in Port of Spain Trinidad. The festival brings together literary works from all over the Caribbean and the diaspora with a number of world renowned writers and poets. What struck me at this event was the honest and open stories of a few young men who were incarcerated from the age of 15 for an average of ten years at the Youth Training Centre (YTC). They along with their English teacher, a woman who volunteered to teach them English Literature whilst at the institution, decided to tell their story in this open, honest and wonderful piece of work called Wishing for Wings. I found myself literally weeping listening to their story! And there and then I vowed to do something! We have young people from the age of 11 being incarcerated and locked inside for 23hours a day, we have a rehabilitation system that instead of rehabilitating it creates more prisoners and resentment! and the thing that made me weep more is that it is so easy to play a part in making where I live a better place! I want to thank those young men for being open and honest, for deciding that they want to live a different life. That was the other thing that I learnt from them, it all starts with a decision! there is nothing more powerful than a made up mind. No wavering, no doubt, just a firm decision and things fall into place after that, not without its challenges but that power overrides them!
The stories from Wishing with Wings are truly inspirational!
Peace!!
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