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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, October 22, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – With five clubs successfully launched to date in St. Kitts, the Ministry of National Security is putting plans in place to further expand its Explorers Youth Clubs initiative across other communities on the island. More than 350 children between the ages of 3 and 19 years old are currently members of the Explorers Youth Clubs.

 

Within the next few weeks, the Ministry is expected to launch two additional programmes; one in the Village-McKnight-Boyd’s area in West Basseterre and another in the Lodge-Ottley’s area in Constituency Seven.

 

Presently, there are the Mol-Phil (Molineux and Phillip’s Village), St. Paul’s, St. Peters, Shadwell and Cayon Explorers Youth Groups.

 

The Explorers Youth Club initiative falls under the umbrella of the Ministry of National Security’s social intervention programme, which is part of the Ministry’s broader crime prevention strategy geared towards strengthening character and promoting positive behaviours in young people.

 

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Mr. Osmond Petty recently described the Explorers Youth group initiative as the Ministry’s flagship programme, and noted, “Already in the Mol-Phil area, we have had reports from parents and schools and so on, which show that there’s a marked improvement with the children who attend [the club] in terms of their behaviour and their deportment.”

 

The expansion of the Explorers programme will be facilitated through funds provided by the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The Taiwanese government, through its Embassy in Basseterre, presented a cheque valued at US$225,000 to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis on Friday, October 19, 2018 to further boost the Ministry of National Security’s social intervention programmes.

 

Mr. Petty commended the Taiwanese government for its generous assistance and stated that, “This is another investment in the young people of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, albeit from a national security perspective, as we try to reduce and prevent crime in this country and channel the energy of the children and teenagers in another direction.”

 

The Explorers Youth Club initiative engages the participating children in positive events and activities, such as community clean-up campaigns, summer camps, and the annual Independence Day Ceremonial Parade.

 

The Explorers Youth Club initiative is spearheaded by Police Inspector Rosemary Isles-Joseph, who is assisted and supported by officers from the community-policing team.