As a part of the Ministry of National Security's Shock Treatment program, a group of 22 at-risk boys were recently exposed to several trade disciplines while touring the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI).
The program's initial participants are from T. A. Thompson Junior High School and C.C. Sweeting Senior High School. According to Barbara Cartwright, manager of the Citizen Security Unit of the Ministry of National Security, school guidance counselors played a pivotal role in identifying the boys who would be included in the program.
"Apparently there was a lot of fighting, stealing, parents complaining about students coming home late. Also, most of them admitted to smoking, and a few of them admitted to being in gangs. What we're trying to do is show them a glimpse into the results of making bad choices. We feel BTVI would be able to stimulate and encourage them," said Cartwright.
BTVI's Dean of Construction Trades Alexander Darville encouraged the young men and told them that they do not have to be a product of their environments.
"You have to think about the end results. The mere reason you are here today shows that someone cares. BTVI is an institution where you can come, get a discipline and make some money," said Darville.
Kendra Samuels, BTVI's admissions officer, said BTVI is prepared to offer the boys another level of education.
"Skilled labor is needed, and the Shock Treatment program is trying to heighten their awareness of that. Our doors here at BTVI are open for them if they have the passion and the thirst for knowledge," said Samuels.
The boys, aged 11 to 17, are among the first to participate in the intervention program, which will see a new installment of vulnerable young males on a monthly basis.
"To see the amount of young people in prison isn't thrilling. If we don't save them now, we'll have to manage them later," said Pastor Carlos Reid, director of the Shock Treatment program.
The program allows young men to experience first-hand the consequences of deviant behavior. Over the course of the three-day intensive program, the young men visit Her Majesty's Prisons, the morgue and a gravesite. They are expected to engage in further training over the next two years, during which time they will be monitored, evaluated and if necessary, an intervention will be performed. Ultimately, the program will provide them with positive alternatives.
"One of the objectives is to place them in a position to make positive choices. We want to expose them to different disciplines," said Reid.

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