RECOGNISING the need for an intervention in the lives of youths in their communities, three young women, Sherry Ann Hinds, Abidemi Simon and Latoya Benn have started their own organisation to deter youths from a life of crime.

The name of the organisation is ‘Safe Place for Youth Organisation’.
Hinds and Simon have graduated recently with their degrees in Criminology and Criminal Justice from University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) in Trinidad, while Benn graduated with her degree in Behavioural Science from the said university. Hinds told the Guyana Chronicle that the organisation seeks to create a safe space both in the community and at home for youths to express themselves creatively, while aiming to meet their mental, intellectual and economic needs as a gateway for crime prevention.

“We started last year with a project in which we were able to engage in activities such as a back-to-school giveaway in Sophia and Buxton, a parenting workshop in Buxton and a motivational session to some primary school-aged students by collaborating with another organisation called Kapunda Sisters. What we’re trying to do is to effectively address all the factors that are gateways to crime, such as lack of resources, by providing resources for those who are needy; workshops such as career guidance, as well as motivational workshops for youths. We also target parents, since the home is also a very important aspect that we believe needs to be focused on when dealing with crime prevention,” Hinds said.

Hinds said that her aspiration is to become a lawyer, but the criminology path, however, chose her, through a scholarship she was awarded to study the programme at USC.

All was not lost, she said, as criminology is closely related to law, and with the knowledge she has gained, she can still make a significant contribution to her country.

Simon said she was born in Guyana but grew up in The Bahamas. She currently resides in Buxton and has aspirations to become a forensic psychologist to incorporate new policies in Guyana’s justice system.

She enjoys singing, reading and writing and loves sacrificing her time to assist others in any way possible.

Benn is currently employed at the National Accreditation Council of Guyana as a Quality Enhancement Officer and resides in Timehri. She is also very passionate about youth work.

The women, aged 22, 23 and 24, decided since they have acquired the necessary knowledge and skillsets from the USC, that they would give it back to their communities and by extension, the country.

“So I want to actually be able to use my degree to help develop the area [of Sophia] , by looking at ways in which I can help our young people, especially those who are labelled as ‘troubled.’ I can use my degree to create something that can include them, and encourage them to stay away from a life of crime,” Hinds said.

The young woman said that she believes the major contributing factor to the high crime rate is poverty.

“I think the high crime in Sophia is based on the lack of economic opportunities that are awarded to our youths. Looking at this you have to know exactly what causes the crime rate in the community, then you can develop a proper plan. We need to formulate plans that can help deter them from crime. So knowing that economic exclusion is a contributing factor, I will need to try and get donations for the community, and give them opportunities that can afford them to see there is another way out,” she further posited.

Sophia and Buxton are currently the two main focus areas for the organisation. However, they are currently looking for more volunteers and support, so that they can expand their reach.