In an endeavour to empower the youth of Anguilla, and thereby effectively combat delinquent behaviour, Youth Crime Watch of Anguilla has developed MY Saturday.

Members of MY Saturday

MY Saturday (Massive Youth Saturday) is a blend of games, competitions, values sessions and educational forums, and will be held on the second Saturday of every month, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

The skip rope (Pepper Steppers) team of ALHCS, martial arts clubs, remote gas car races, bicycle stunts, X Box and marble competitions, boat and kite building contests, art & craft, reformed gang members from the USA/ Jamaica to address the youth, brief and dynamic Anguillian history and culture presentations, table tennis, and table games are all part of the mix.

By this we hope to attract and mold the most at risk youth, especially boys, and create an exciting and positive alternative for teenagers. A key objective of MY Saturday is to ensure that the variety of activities provide the opportunity for every challenged boy or girl to shine in his or her area of giftedness.

One of the youth performs on his bicycle

Saturday, March 8th, was the exciting inauguration of this monthly event. About one hundred and fifteen young people participated in three hours of talent, games, laughter and bonding. And let’s not forget the parents who enthusiastically supported the whole thing! The Pepper Steppers, under the leadership of Mrs. Anita Ruan, captivated the crowd with skip rope performances that exhibited skill, athleticism and physical strength. How many push-ups can you do in sixty seconds? Well the guys went at it with gusto, and Floyd emerged the champion with fifty-five push-ups in fifty-six seconds.

But maybe the most emotional, the most moving thing, was to see teenage boys become the centre of attention as they performed bicycle stunts. Instead of being unnoticed, ignored or criticized, they were being admired and praised. They were being told, “We believe in you.” And that is the fundamental message of MY Saturday, and, even more so, of Youth Crime Watch of Anguilla (YCWA).

Youth Crime Watch of Anguilla is a branch/chapter of Youth Crime Watch of America (YCWA), and was introduced to our island during a youth conference in February, 2007, led by Pastor Elliot Harrigan. YCWA is “a youth-led movement to make our schools and communities safer and better places to live and learn.” Among its nine components are mentoring, conflict resolution training, peer mediation, action projects, and crime, violence & drug prevention education. Krystie Webster is the president of YCWA.

Refreshments were free, thanks to the courtesy of the National Bank of Anguilla. Youth Crime Watch of Anguilla is seriously seeking the support of the Anguillian community in this venture. Parent, you can help by ensuring that your childen from ages ten to eighteen attend MY Saturday and have a massive time of excitement, laughter, learning and bonding (it’s even better if you come along for an hour or so!!). You can also have your children become actively involved in YCWA. A good time to register is at MY Saturday. Individuals can also contribute financially so that we can offer meaningful prizes (pizzas, sporting equipment, trophies, etc.) and improve in the variety of activities and the quality of guest speakers and media presentations.

YCWA can be reached through the following numbers: 476 1156, 476 3465. You can gain full information by accessing www.ycwa.org.

Special thanks must be expressed to the National Bank of Anguilla for financing the refreshments, the Royal Anguilla Police Force for monitoring the area, and to the Education Department, Corner Bar Pizza, Kels’ Candy & Ice Cream, and Dedric Webster’s Bicycle Store for their contributions to this event.

Not one of us has got it all together, but all of us together have it all. Let’s work together to heal and guide our youths. They will then make us proud and make Anguilla great.

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