This Sunday I am off to Spain for a much needed vacation. Next week, during the Anguilla Summer Festival, the staff of The Anguillian will also be taking a break to enjoy the festivities. We will all use this opportunity to reflect and gather energy so that we can continue to report the news to the best of our ability.

As mentioned in previous articles, the children of Anguilla have so many opportunities to learn new things and get involved. Most countries that are fully developed have problems of their own with youth development, but on the other end of the spectrum. There are so many children and so few programs that there tends to be a long waiting list or simply no room to accommodate new students and therefore many children are left to choose something they do not like or become turned off to the idea of doing anything except play Xbox or Playstation all day.

It is my intention, throughout my travels over the next month, to bring to the readers a different view of youth development from other places in the world so that we can be proud of what we are doing here at home. Although Anguilla is referred to quite often as a developing country, I believe that some of our programs and initiatives are groundbreaking and should be used as examples to the rest of the world.
Yet, currently there is a more pressing issue. In light of the recent gang violence in Anguilla, it is imperative that parents, teachers, and members of the community continue to encourage youth to get involved in positive activities. One of the worst things we can do as adults is point the finger and start labelling children. Young people do not respond well to accusations, name calling, or threats. They respond well to people who demonstrate that they care and have respect. By no means am I saying that disciplinary action should not be taken as it is as equally important to show young people where the line is, as well as implement consequences when it is crossed. It is important to let the police do their job of crime prevention, but we as citizens also need to do crime prevention as well by encouraging the way people to do positive things. People in Anguilla need to be active instead of complacent. With all of these marches on Government and active dialogue about the constitution, it is obvious that people are willing to stand up. Now it is time to stand up for the children.

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