77.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesBoot Camp Helps to Save At-Risk Youth

Boot Camp Helps to Save At-Risk Youth

Aug. 27, 2005 – "You are here because someone cared about your welfare," Brig. Gen. Eddy Charles told the group of 107 Boys to Men boot camp attendees, adding, "You cared enough to complete the program and you gave it your all." Charles was speaking to the boys, ages 11 to 17, who were lined up military style in the National Guard Armory in Estate Bethlehem in Frederiksted.
The boys were recruited from St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix to be a part of the first boot camp organized by Boys to Men, a youth-mentoring program of the Speak the Word Ministries. They were housed at the National Guard facility for five days. Speakers from the community and the National Guard held counseling sessions on respect for authority, attitudes and values, personality types, goal setting, career direction, drug prevention and team building.
Charles said many of the boys experienced a "transformation that was not anticipated," during the boot camp.
Lt. Col. David C. Canegata III said the experience was "amazing." "Some of these boys were headed to incarceration; they have been turned around," Canegata said.
Judith Lewis-Figueroa was one of the many parents and friends who came to see their boys on the last day of the boot camp. Her three boys: Kurt, Bernard and Jélani, ages 16,14 and 10, participated in the camp. "I only have three sons and I don't want to lose them," Lewis-Figueroa said. The family lives in the John F. Kennedy housing community in Christiansted. Lewis-Figueroa says she "struggles hard" to keep her sons away from bad influences by enrolling them in sports and after-school activities.
Boys to Men Director Jermaine Dennis said the boys would be added to the program's database and follow-up phone calls will be made to check on their progress. The program has been involved in the community for almost five years and hosts weekly seminars and counseling sessions with troubled teens and their frustrated parents.
Speak the Word Ministries Pastor Dexter Skepple was pleased at the results of the camp. "It was not an easy week, it was a hard week," he said, adding, "It's not the end, it’s the beginning." Skepple spoke to the parents, advising them, "Don't be negative, give your boys an opportunity to grow. You have brand new young men, forget the past and look forward to the future."
Sen. Pedro Encarnacion is a member of Men of Honor, the group that oversees the Boys to Men program. "By accepting your children as our children we have become a family," Encarnacion said. He pledged his continued support to the graduates and their parents.
Ian Heath, an 11-year-old who attends 6th grade at the A to Z Academy in St. Croix, said the experience was good. "I learned the value of teamwork."
Several of the boys commented they now have a better respect for authority, and the program changed the way they think about their lives.
The group is planning an advanced boot camp in September. For more information call Boys to Men at 778-1575 or 692-PREP.
Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.