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Visiting Canadian Minister impressed with progress of Buxton Youth Developers
Canada’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Diane Ablonczy, and High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana, David Devine, yesterday paid a visit to the Buxton Youth Developers (BYD) Project which received over CDN$39,000 from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).
The Buxton Youth Developers was formed in March 2007, to reverse the image of the crime-ridden community and to provide an alternative to delinquent activities and other anti-social behaviour.
From left: Mr. Lenox Shuffler- Patron of the BYD and Rotarian, Minister Diane Ablonczy, High Commissioner David Devine, BYD Founder – Robin Philips and Ms. Ann Geer – Consultant CIDA Programme Support Unit.
The initiative which started out providing extra lessons to 25 students now caters for approximately 300 from Buxton and neighbouring villages. Parent and community involvement have grown significantly and so have children’s attendance and performance at their respective schools.
The students treated the Minister to a game of street football followed by a cultural presentation, after which she presented some school supplies to the group and interacted with the students and their parents. One of the first beneficiaries, Adephele Peters, spoke of his experience and attributed his success at the Secondary School Entrance Examinations to the extra lessons he received.
Robin Phillips, founder of the group, expressed gratitude to the Canadian Government and other stakeholders for their assistance over the years. He also gave an overview of the group’s establishment and credited the success of the programme to the use of sports to attract the children to the literacy and numeracy classes.
Minister Ablonczy praised the leadership of the group, saying that those who have led the Buxton Youth Developers have made a tremendous difference in the community and the lives of the children who are a part of the group.
She also referenced three things that were evident during her visit: that knowledge is power; that we are stronger together than apart and that though Canada and Guyana are far apart, “our hearts are close together.”
The Canadian portion of the project commenced in 2009 with the development of the Vigilance Community Ground, which included levelling of the facility, installation of bleacher stands, and construction of a sanitary block.
In 2010, CFLI again supported BYD through the construction of a multi-purpose building at the Vigilance Community Ground to accommodate literacy classes and other activities of the group. Previously classes were conducted in an abandoned Buxton Market complex.
Minister Ablonczy and High Commissioner Devine flanked by students of the Buxton Youth Developers.
Since its inception, BYD has partnered with the Rotary Club of Stabroek, Guyana, which has been providing critical management support for BYD and brokering numerous partnerships. To date, BYD has benefited from partnerships with UNICEF, New Zealand-AID, Scotiabank, Food for the Poor, Digicel and the private sector.
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