News Releases

UWI Youth Project Fills in Ryan Report Gaps

For Release Upon Receipt - April 24, 2013

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – School crime and violence have become national development, national security and, arguably, national health care imperatives.  There is thus a need for such problems to be addressed cooperatively by all government sectors, businesses, teachers and parents.  

The Trinidad and Tobago Youth Project (TTYP) targeting at risk youth, funded by The University of West Indies (UWI) is one such research project.  Dr. Sandra Celestine, the project’s principal investigator, emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach that must include multiple academic disciplines and national sectors, including the business community, in order to correct the problems of youth misbehaviour, crime and violence plaguing our schools.  Dr. Celestine also highlights the need for an at-risk youth statistical database, collected and analysed based on international standards. She states that this dataset would not only enable more effective programme design and social/public policy decision making, but would also create a wealth of opportunities for collaboration with international organisations and governments experiencing similar youth behaviour problems. 

The newly released Ryan Report pays particular attention to known environmental causes of youth crime and violence, such as drug trafficking, gangs, police operations, teacher preparedness and family structure. A review of the Ryan Report has revealed that it is a suitable starting point for addressing local problems with youth violence, and has boldly approached political, social and educational analysis/recommendations to combat youth violence in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr. Celestine notes that the project is a 2-year pilot currently funded for one year by UWI and fully expects funding by UWI to complete the project.  She stated that the project is currently approved by the Ministry of Education to provide services in five schools. 

The TTYP will present a White Paper in June 2013, detailing recommendations to the government to address youth misbehaviour, crime and violence in our schools.

End

 

Notes to the Editor

More about the TTYP:

An important feature of the TTYP is that it endeavours to work with, and gather ideas and input from competing government Ministries, the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce, NGO’s, the TTUTA teachers union, parents and students. The project only accepts children who have been suspended or who are about to be suspended for breaking any of the school rules set by the Ministry of Education.

The Trinidad and Tobago Youth Project complements the Ryan Report because it specifically examines areas highlighted by the Ryan Report as gaps in need of further research.  Specifically, the TTYP is researching the impact of depression and hopelessness on youth behaviour. The TTYP is also examining the use of music to positively change youth behaviour. The project also aims to look at the correlation between youth misbehaviour and suicidal behaviour/suicidal attempts among at-risk school youth. Preliminary results indicate that the environmental factors present in so-called hot spot areas contribute to hopelessness and depression, which in turn manifest themselves in physical and mental health problems. 

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About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with 45 physical site locations across the region, serving 16 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Food & Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

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