The youth of Bon Air Gardens, undaunted by the limitations of covid19, are already planning for life after the pandemic for themselves and for their community.
In celebration of International Youth Day on August 12, the young men and women of the Bon Air Police Youth Club came together to launch their agricultural programme which they are hoping will benefit the entire community and teach other children in the area about the financial and economic benefits of agriculture.
The club’s agriculture programme was created under the strict supervision of police officers who ensured the community’s children adhered to covid19 protocols. Rotating five participants at a time, the project took two weeks to complete, and the children were able to plant several crops, including celery, chive, lettuce, pigeon peas, and sorrel.
[caption id="attachment_908264" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Ahjani Sorias, left, gets some advice from Jahmali Samuel, while at the back is Prince Du Bois at the Bon Air Recreation Ground, Arouca. - Photo by Sureash Cholai[/caption]
They are also hoping to add scorpion peppers which they will market and sell.
Bon Air resident and team leader on the project, 15-year-old Jahmali Samuel, said the income earned from the sale of the produce will be used to improve the youth club and teach participants how to save money and sell products.
The club will also teach participants how to cook the food grown and develop healthy, organic eating habits.
“The youth has strayed from agriculture,” said Samuel. “They believe it is a poor person thing and we are hoping to correct them in the future.”
Club leader Sonia Robinson, in a phone interview with Newsday on August 14, said it had been in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since the beginning of 2020 and was giving five grow boxes as part of the UNDP's Grow box project.
Grow box kits were given to each Police Youth Club throughout the country to grow their own food as well as a $1,500 voucher to purchase materials.
Because of restrictions on movement due to covid19 regulations, however, the project came to a halt.
She said as the children were on vacation, the club used the opportunity to get the programme started in time to launch for International Youth Day.
[caption id="attachment_908262" align="alignnone" width="683"] Vegatables planted at Bon Air Police Youth Club agricultural project at the Bon Air Recreation Ground, Arouca. - Photo by Sureash Cholai[/caption]
“We figured it would be a good day to launch as the theme for this year was transforming food systems: youth innovation for human and planetary help.”
She said the idea came about as a casual conversation with a few club members, and within a short space of time, the team agreed on the project and mobilised to get the garden started using the resources they had.
“The project was a way to earn funds for the youth club,” said Prince Du Bois, another team leader o
