THE Grace Temple Assembly of God Church, in New Amsterdam, will, on February 6, launch a ‘Boys to Men’ project to equip young men with the requisite tools for a successful adulthood.
The project, which targets the 13 to 25 years age group, will support the educational development of the participants by providing them with psychological support and positive role models.
Their social and leadership skills will also be strengthened. The project’s coordinator, Odessa Shakom, revealed that during 2021, four one-day Leadership and Empowerment seminars will be held for males in New Amsterdam, Berbice, and surrounding communities. “The initiative was conceptualized as a means of assisting young men at our local church, whom I regard as my little brothers. However, the project was later extended to young men in the wider New Amsterdam area,” she explained.

The project was developed in response to the observed challenges of young men, many of whom are willing but lack the social and psychological tools to overcome the intrinsic challenges of adolescence and early adulthood. There was also an observed absence of strong positive male role-models inside and outside of the home to support young males.
The seminars will address issues important to the academic and social development of males such as choosing careers, hygiene, conflict resolution, drug abuse, developing leadership and communication skills, goal setting and understanding male reproduction. Without the necessary financial and psychological support from strong role models in and outside their homes, many youths are unable to skilfully navigate adolescence and transition to adulthood. For males, this is reflected in high drop-out rates, drug abuse, perpetuation of criminal activities, and teenage fatherhood.

In New Amsterdam and adjacent communities, there is a high number of school drop outs and unemployed youth. This is believed to be contributing factors to increased drug trafficking and criminal activities among young males in the township.
The first seminar is scheduled for February 6 at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School from 8:30 am. The speakers will include Reverend Dr. Marcel Hutson, Chief Education Officer and Dr. Darren Shako, a consultant. Other participants at the seminar will include representatives of the University of Guyana and the GuySuCo training centre.
The seminars are being funded in part by the U.S. Embassy Guyana.