THE Rose Hall Town Youth and Sport Club (RHTY&SC) will extend its ‘Say No to Drugs, Crime and Suicide and Say Yes to Education and Sports’ campaign with a joint programme with the Community Outreach Department of the Guyana Police Force ’B’ Division. This expansion will see the hosting of several sporting competitions for youths in Berbice as part of the effort to promote sports as a positive alternative to a life on the road for youths.
Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster, stated that the club and the ‘B’ Division have worked together in the past and this new venture would strengthen the bond between them.
The two organisations late last year contributed sports gear to numerous youths and sports clubs and in June 2015 donated $250 000 worth of schoolbags to less fortunate students in the Ancient County.
The sports tournaments to be organised under the “Say No to Crime Project” are a double wicket competition for females, a basketball tournament along with a volleyball tournament for clubs drawn across the Ancient County.
Top three winners will receive attractive cash prizes and trophies and the two organisations would use the opportunity to speak to youths on the importance of ‘Saying No to Drugs, Crime and Suicide’ while urging them to stay in school and to get involved in sports’.
Depending on the success of these three tournaments, the programmes would be expanded to other sports including Inter-village cricket, cycling, table tennis and chess. The two organisations would also be working along to assist less fortunate students with school uniforms and footwear for the new school year, to assist sports clubs with gear from funds raised from the Ms Region 6 Fashion Show and hosting of several Christmas children’s parties in four of the less fortunate villages in Berbice.
The 2011 National Sports Personality-of-the-Year Awardee is urging business entities across Berbice to get on board the project as it would benefit every person in Berbice if the crime rate is reduced by providing alternatives for youths.
The programme is being coordinated by Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Bakewell Under-17 and Intermediate, Metro Female and Gizmos & Gadgets first division teams.