In a bid to transform the crime-ridden image of Haynesville, St James, the Haynesville Youth Club has renewed its urgent call for a community centre.
Despite nurturing over 100 young people and producing national athletes, the club operates from a cramped former police outpost, hampering its efforts to reach more at-risk youth and expand its successful programmes.
“This is a community that has had its challenges over the years in terms of levels of criminal activities and so on,” said president of the Haynesville Youth Club, Peter Skeete. “Over the years, we have done tremendous work in trying to mitigate those challenges. We have close to 120 young people who are consistently involved in sports, culture, education and entrepreneurship activities.”
Despite the club’s achievements, including regional recognition for its contributions to performing arts and sports, its members remain confined to a small room at the area’s old police outpost.
This space, which Skeete said can hold a maximum of 25 people, has served as their headquarters for the past 15 years.
“We’ve been calling for a community centre now for the last 20 years,” he said, further expressing his disappointment. “To think that with all this activity and engagement of young people, we still have at our disposal this very small police station space to facilitate the many programmes we have for our youth. It really saddens me.”
He told Barbados TODAY that the youth club boasts a membership of 60 young people and has distinguished itself in performing arts, winning numerous awards at NIFCA and other local festivals.
Members have travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean, sharing elements of Barbadian and African culture.
He further noted that Haynesville has also produced eight West Indies cricketers and more than 40 athletes who have represented Barbados at the national level in sports such as cricket, football, netball, golf and hockey.
Yet, Skeete believes the potential to do more is hindered by the lack of a dedicated facility.
“While we are here and we can engage 20 or 30 within the space, there’s still a significant number of unattached youth we can’t reach. A larger centre would allow us to bring more young people under our charge and provide more opportunities for them in the areas of arts, sports and so on,” he said.
Community members have rallied behind the call for a centre, recognising its importance to Haynesville’s development.
Resident of Haynesville and shop owner, Anthony Simpson, noted the impact the youth club has played over the years in transforming the negative outlook of the community.
“I think it’s necessary to get the community centre because the youth club has done a lot of positive things for the youth,” Simpson said. “The ones who are involved are the ones who usually turn out to do positive things. We know Haynesville has a reputation that might not be one that is very positive. Developing a community centre will definitely cause youth to go in a better direction.”
The call for a community centre is not just about physical infrastructure. For Skeete and the residents, it represents hope, progress and the opportunity to transform lives.
“I’ve learned many years ago that you make space where there’s none, but at the same time, a centre would only help to bring more young people in,” Skeete said.
“We’ve been successful with what we have, and sometimes people think that’s enough. But the residents themselves have consistently argued for a larger space.”
The youth officer further acknowledged the role of the police force in supporting their efforts, noting: “We continue to commend and give thanks to the police service for continuously allowing us to use this space for the last 15 or so years. But this space is small, and for a community of this size, we really need a bigger facility.”
shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb
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