Chrysalis Project for life-skills

For the past four months, a small group of parents and children have met twice a week to develop their life-skills, such as academics, cookery, drama and technology in a project that Edwards would like to see rolled out to other communities in TT.

“It is possible to reduce criminality by 90 percent over three years, but we (TT) only invest in crime suppression, but should instead invest in social programmes. I’m tired seeing good money spent behind bad ideas.” He said his group, Steven Edwards Productions, will gladly partner with other NGOs and the country’s police youth clubs.

“We are now developing a handbook.

The secret tour success is that we are very serious about what we do.” Edwards said the project has so far been run on just a quarter of its due allocation.

SE P’s Rebecca Mahabir said every session of the project had a component of motivation, explaining, “We must first think of ourselves as successful”.

She said an expected outcome of the project is the drafting of a storyline for a film, “Life in the ghetto”, to be entered in the TT Film Festival 2017.

A video of the project showed participants preparing food, utilising technology and performing dance and drama.

Barry Bristman of the Canadian High Commission hailed SE P for helping participants to rise above their limitations, so as to develop themselves personally and professionally.

Inspector Ian Charles of the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) vowed to continue assisting the programme in any way possible, such as the provision of security and transport. “A lot of people here have talent but we need to get the talent out,” he encouraged.

“These little things can lead to bigger things. The University of the West Indies offers scholarships in drama. Kids, take your training further, and one day I hope to see you doing plays in the Little Carib Theatre