YOUTHS at Charity on the Essequibo Coast are calling on the relevant authorities responsible for the day-to-day activities within the area to pay more attention to their wellbeing.

“We want people to pay more attention to what the youths want in Charity,” said Charity resident, Godfrey Stull.
During a recent visit to the Charity Community Centre, where a number of youths were gathered for an afternoon game of football, the Guyana Chronicle seized the opportunity to find out from them what were some of the problems they were having in the Cinderella County.
According to Stull, “The bigger ones don’t really come around and talk to us; everything that is done on the (Community Centre) Ground is done by private people.
“If the Ground has to weed, people like me would get it done; pay people to do it.”

A few players who were present also chimed in, with one saying: “We’re glad to speak, because people don’t come to Charity and ask us what’s going on, or what we need; nothing at all. But when they want us to vote for them, they come.”
Stull, who’s a member of the Charity Extreme Football Club, said that while Essequibo is known for producing some of Guyana’s top cricketers, in Charity, a vast majority of youths have a keen interest in football.
“Sometimes, close to 200 youths of all ages would be on the Ground, so, we would be grateful if someone could donate some equipment to the club,” he said.

The Essequibo resident said that though the Essequibo Football Association (EFA) is still getting its feet wet, it would be a good thing if the Ministry of Education, through the Department of Sports and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), can find a way to support all the clubs in Charity.

With regards to the RDC, it was said that Council should look into the refurbishing of the stands at the Charity Community Centre, and also construct a fence that would aid in the collection of revenue from rental.

But despite their many challenges, the youths collectively believe that things will change. As Stull reasoned, “I think they just need people that generally care about the youths in the area, and are not just there because of who they know in the government.
“The RDC needs to play a better role in the community, and help us a bit more”

By Rawle Toney