Pastor Clive Dottin -
PASTOR Clive Dottin is calling for more state support for troubled young men.
He was speaking on Tobago Updates on November 20 as he addressed how men can be protected and rescued from gun violence.
Dottin said gangs recruit members by taking advantage of the tendency by young people to gravitate into groups. He said, "Young people have that desire to mix, to be part of a group, to exercise either positive peer pressure or negative peer pressure. They may choose the right crowd or the wrong one."
He said youths who get involved in gangs are silently crying out for help.
"I believe in mentoring and rescuing men. There are a lot of men who want to come out of gangs but they are scared. I tell people, don't take these things lightly, because you're dealing with guns and the drug trade."
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He said the local gangs are spreading throughout the Caribbean and the magnitude of the drug trade makes the task harder to control.
"A lot of things are coming like a tonne of bricks at our men, and there are a lot of single women doing a great job, but some can't manage the guys."
He said there are a lot of broken homes that are causing problems.
"This year a mother and a grandmother brought a 17 year old (boy) to me. He wants to kill his stepfather. His father is in jail. Not enough is being done for young men whose fathers are incarcerated. That should be a big thing for Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Education. A lot of kids are coming to school with no fathers – fathers in jail."
He called on the government to implement a national mentoring programme and national trauma programme with 500 men to mentor young people.
The Ministry of Youth Development and National Service currently has a 40 under 40 mentorship programme going into schools across the country.
Dottin said social groups and the relevant authorities need to study the cause of negative behaviour by young men.
"There are triggers that provoke negative behaviour. If we wanna deal with young men, let's deal with the issue of rejection, let's deal with the issue of broken homes, let's deal with the media portraying men as only bad."
He said the media needs to shift its focus because "what is published is followed."
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He added, "If you look at the newspapers and social media, gang activity is number one, and after you have the economy and bacchanalia."
Dottin said he plans to request help from the THA to establish a life-hope centre to counsel youths in crisis in Tobago.
He said women also must be empowered so they won't have to be dependent on "bad men" to survive. He said they must also make better choices for themselves and their children.
