By Vanessa Braithwaite

THE Non-Governmental Organisation, Linden Youth Vision, was forced to end its activities after being evicted from the Linden Enterprise Business Incubator in March.This is a huge blow to youths who depended on the programme to engage in after-school activities to complete school assignments, especially SBAs, and to gain free internet access for research.

LinCEP
Most affected from the eviction was the discontinuation of LinCEP (Linden Community Empowerment Programme), which catered for the high level of early school-leavers in the community.

The programme formerly trained youths in electrical installation and air conditioning, awarding them certificates upon successful completion. This certificate has been used by many youths to secure jobs or enter recognised tertiary institutions.

The two-fold programme started in 2012 and a room was rented in LEN to complete the theoretical part, while students went into the field to do practicals.

Since the NGO does not have any means of garnering funds, the rent of $40,000 was paid by the previous government, but since the APNU+AFC administration’s accession to office, the rent has not been paid.

LIMING NOW
After being in arrears and after months of warning letters to the organisation by LEN, they were finally evicted. Executive board member of Linden Youth Vision, Yanick Copeland, told the Guyana Chronicle that this has been a huge blow for the youths who benefited from the programme as they are now liming after school.

The youths who have commenced their LinCEP training were denied the opportunity to finish, but every day they await word about when it will re-commence. He said that the organisation has not secured any other space, even as the founder Dexter Copeland has been seeking assistance and sponsorship.

Meanwhile, the computers and other equipment are piled up as there is nowhere to put them into use. “There is nowhere for us to facilitate the courses and now there is a huge gap in the programme…. The youths have nothing to do, up to the other day Dexter Copeland had to go into his pocket to pay for a child’s SBA to print, because he [the child] couldn’t afford. When we had our space, we printed students’ assignments for free and they even used the internet for those who couldn’t afford and now we can’t do anything, because we had to vacate,” Copeland said.

When the youths were thrown out of LEN, they protested the act of the organisation, but to no avail.

Sherene James, who was trained in electrical installation, said that the programme has benefited her tremendously, since she learnt many things in the field and is aspiring to be an electrician. She was inspired to join the programme by a graduate who is now at the University of Guyana. “This affected me because we won’t get to do our theory; and now we are being locked out, we won’t get to do our writing part of our course,” she told this newspaper.