Our history tells our story.  

Who we are now is built on who we were and how we lived in the past.  Our earliest schools were church missions designed to educate the children of slaves, and it may be that at that time there was no difference between boys and girls in attendance.  
 
But after Emancipation the wealth of the country was in agricultural and sea faring pursuits, for which eventually boys’ labour was needed.  

It may be that this is why from earliest memory, boys left schooling earlier than girls and why girls predominated from the beginning of Secondary Education in the Territory.

For maintenance of land, crops and cattle, and boat building and sailing, family survival required the labour of sons which was seen to be more manly than sitting quietly in a classroom.
 
The issue for us is that, still, the percentage of young men vs young women in schools is concerning even when adjustments are made for the increased numbers of females versus males in the population.
 
Men’s presence is falling in boardrooms and around conference tables; They are frequently absent as viable partners in families; And they are not assuming their rightful places at all levels of the economic life of the community.
 
Unfortunately, we see a number of young men engaged in reckless antics on motorbikes that they mainly ride without the proper protective gear.  

They are hurting themselves, sometimes in ways that render them unable to look after their own physiological needs.  That requires their family or established institutions to care for them as they relapse, early, to the dependency of the childhood phase.
 
It is always said, ‘once a man, twice a child,’ and the daring add, ‘three times a dog,’ but the senseless accidents are rendering our young men, “always a child.”
 
That takes its toll on families, relationships, caregivers, the treasury.
 
And then, there is the issue of crime. If the police reports are to be relied upon, the modern day BVI criminal is primarily male and getting younger as the years go by.
 
They have little to lose so are fearless, even of death, although they have not yet matured sufficiently to imagine themselves as mortal. 

And yet, they are in possession of the types of firearms that should no longer shock anyone.  

As long as the USA holds to its second amendment rights without guidelines, guns designed for mortal combat will populate Caribbean streets.
 
The question for us is how guns are regulated, detected, and removed without becoming a part of the underground trade.  But that is a job for the National Security Minister and those in his employ.  

We trust them to protect us.  Yes, they have their own challenges, but we are heartened by their commitment and training, in general.
 
Our neighbours to the West have been complaining that their gang warfare and gun crimes are putting a strain on their hospital resources.  The medical bills are not being paid, leaving the hospital short of revenue to procure supplies.
 
That means the majority of citizens/residents who are law abiding, are in danger of not being well attended in hospital when they need medical care.
 
Crime is a disservice to all of us and we should not get comfortable with its rising statistics.
 
So, if we extrapolate, it means that the economic and emotional impact of our young men falling behind is exorbitant.
 
So, it makes absolute sense that the Premier, with the support of the National Security Council, is, tonight, having an anti-crime summit.  It should be one of many.
 
As the flyer says, “we deserve better.”  We feel that the National Security Minister is not as aggressive in fulfilling this aspect of his portfolio as he can be.
 
We need to encourage him.
 
So, where are the young men of the community?
 
They are, increasingly, on street corners, in gambling dens, riding unprotected on motorbikes, relaxing under trees, in hospitals, in prison:
 
Their stories begin long before secondary school but its manifestation there is pronounced.  The fights; The disrespect to teachers; Gross misconduct with their peers; Flirting with controlled substances; The list is long.
 
The global community failed us in their policies on discipline of children and the mother country doubled down.  We even saw cases where parents were reported to the Authorities by children for attempting to discipline.
 
We disregarded the Wise Man’s advice to “don’t spare the rod and spoil the child.”
 
 So, our children have been growing with scant discipline, little supervision in some cases.  And we are reaping rewards that our parents did not because they took the Wise Man a little too seriously.
 
Of course, we were annoyed but we look back and we are glad.  Nevertheless, we should have known something was wrong.  After all, nature gives us multiple examples daily of the need for discipline.
 
But Jaron summed it up best and I can never report it in the completeness of his synopsis.
 
In the garden, the plants that we love, we constantly prune, we fertilize, we transplant, we water, we graft.  And then, we glory in their growth.
 
Only the weeds are left unattended to their own devices, to grow as they see fit, unless they threaten the plants we love.  Then, they are uprooted, discarded and often burnt.  

He posits that we may have allowed our children to be raised by too much TV and VCR entertainment and now, internet, cell phone, and social media.  These bridge the gap between parents being available to practice parenting as their parents did.

Times are hard, and parents too, must ‘hustle’ to make ends meet. But in all these substitute activities our culture and ancestry teachings that guided in the past are lost. And our children, weed-like, grow unconstrained.

He suggests that the restless ones on bikes may mostly be looking for attention, for engaging, purposeful activities, and for peer respect more than entertainment.

Of course, some are making good on a dare.

Even the standard youth community basketball programme has now grown furiously unconstrained by a new ‘play for pay’ mentality when funds are needed to further develop and maintain more activities and social services.  

And we have already seen the corrupting influence of money in every aspect of community life.  It is now on par with fire; A good slave but a bad master.

So, how are we managing our children?  Like cherished plants, for the cultivated beauty they develop under our care? Or as weeds?  And are we really surprised by the results?

We have a ‘country’ to build.  Let us maintain focus.  Fridays will help where it can.
 
Happy Friday!