THIS year, a new wave of delight, dedication, and community spirit will be brought to Leopold Street. One of the most well-known streets in Georgetown, Leopold Street, has a population of about 400 people and this year, however, the community members are hosting their first-ever Christmas tree light-up. The people behind the initiative say that the event is more than Christmas and tradition; it is about bringing just a bit of the Christmas spirit to the children of Leopold Street.

The Werk-En-Rust Transformational Youth Group
The first of its kind, the event began with the community’s children at its core. The Werk-En-Rust Transformation Project Youth Group started more than four years ago when Malika Boxhill saw the need to develop a programme for the hundreds of children who were suddenly out of school. The Charlotte Street native came to Leopold Street with her husband more than 25 years ago. Malika said she soon fell in love with the community. “I’ve lived on Leopold Street for over 25 years since moving from Charlotte Street. Over the years, I’ve been working with the community and its children. I also run a small business where I cater for weddings, birthdays, and small events,” said Malika.

The past two and a half decades that Malika has spent in the community have made for a rollercoaster of an experience. From hearing rumours about the rough-and-tumble community to learning about the village she would come to love, Malika says that Leopold is a fun-loving and close-knit community. “As every community is doing its part of the challenge, Leopold Street is no different to our challenges, right? We had a period, and we had little ups and downs, you know. So we got this stereotype, that Leopold is a bad place,” Malika stated when talking about her community.

This passion for Leopold Street is what sparked the development of the Werk-En-Rust Transformation Project Youth Group. The initial idea was simple: give the children of the community something to do. Whether it was arts and crafts or maths and phonics, the idea was to teach and occupy the children of the community. As Malika shared, seeing the busy neighbourhood children made her want to do more. “Right, we started when COVID had come and the school was closed. The kids used to be in the community, running on the streets and stuff. And I see it as an initiative that, the kids running in the community, they have nowhere to go, nothing to do, let’s give them something to do,” she said.

Malika’s idea was met with immense support. She met with a few other passionate community members, and a youth group was soon started. “I talked to a friend of mine, and I said, let us do something for the kids in the community and stuff. And he said, well, it’s ok, let’s do it.” Although facing a few challenges in the past, today the Werk-En-Rust Transformational Youth Group sees 50 children learning a variety of skills from a few of Leopold Street’s passionate professionals and teachers, who dedicate their time after school and on weekends. “We have volunteer teachers that come in. We give them a stipend and stuff. And the teacher, we do maths, English, social studies, phonics. On Saturday, we do arts and crafts.” Malika further added, “We have a sewing teacher who works with children. I also work a lot. We have some other ladies that come in and help us out teaching children how to make different crafts.”

Over the past years, the youth group has become a major part of the community, with support for families as well as notable sponsors. As Malika explains, parents, in particular, have been supportive of the initiative, with many mothers knowing it as a safe space where their children can learn something new. “When I told the parents what we were doing, they were very excited, because it gives them an opportunity that the kids would not be on the road playing anymore and running. They would be learning. A lot of children who could not read properly or who could not read or write, they are reading now and they are writing,” said Malika.

Leopold’s first Christmas Tree Light-Up
Christmas in Leopold Street is always a fun, warm, and all-around happy affair. This year, the community is planning to add a little flair to an already fun-filled Christmas with their Christmas tree light-up. As Malika stated, it is something for the children of Leopold Street to look forward to. “On Wednesday, December 18, we will be having this Christmas tree light-up. So if anyone would like to reach out to us on the day or after leading up to Christmas, we are doing a toy drive. So if anybody wants to donate anything to our youth group or our community, you can reach out to me on 675-2240,” she said.

Leopold Street is like any other Guyanese community, with the usual traditional festivities already underway. According to Malika, the season brings an atmosphere of cheer and community togetherness. “Christmas in Leopold Street, all the families come together. We have fun. We normally light our screens. And the children come out. All the children come out, and they just play right here. You know. The fathers. The sons and daughters. And all the different types of people.” Moving forward, Malika and her team hope to reshape and build on the foundation of unity the community has. “Christmas in Leopold Street will be really nice. And I’m looking forward to it, for it to get better as the years go by. And more people could come in and visit. And do a little more for the kids in the community. That’s my heart’s desire.”