Smith promises ‘BVI Youth Trust’ if elected
Amid recurring reports of violence and indiscipline in local schools, Territorial At-Large candidate in the upcoming General Elections, Lorna Smith is promising to establish what she described as a BVI Youth Trust if elected.
Smith, a former First Lady of the Virgin Islands, said this would be one of her first acts. She said the Trust would be governed by a fully independent board and have branches in each electoral district.
“The Trust will step in where schools or the college currently cannot,” Smith stated during a recent statement declaring her candidacy. “It will fund youth counsellors who can work in the schools and support after-school activities. It will create further education, training and mentorship opportunities so that our children stay on the right track, can access the support they and their parents need and find the inspiration to live their best lives possible.”
The political hopeful further said her vision for the programme would be to finance it through a public-private partnership.
She said the idea would be to secure funding from the local private sector to finance the extracurricular activities, allowing the government to then focus on education and “direct the work for the young as well as for the people”.
“The private sector can also provide more than just money,” Smith added. It can provide highly skilled mentorship, and vocational training and we as a government can ensure that our people can climb the ladder to professional and financial excellence themselves. We must empower them to be strong, proud citizens creating a bright future for themselves and our country.”
Smith also said there is a need for the government to work with the proprietors of early childhood education centres to ensure that the territory’s children get their start in life with proper oversight and policies, driven by our education professionals.
The former First Lady said the present-day challenges facing youth in the BVI are “greater than ever before” and said it is pivotal that students are provided with “the very best education at both elementary and high school levels”.
Just last month, Education Minister Sharie de Castro painted a dire picture of the state of affairs at the territory’s secondary schools as she confirmed that there have been threats from students to the lives of their peers, school officials, security officers, and even threats to destroy property.
Local students with drugs, weapons threaten lives — Education Minister
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This is effectively an admission that the public service cannot be trusted to do its job, and another level of bureaucracy (an opportunity for corruption) will be introduced. I suspect the trusts would also fund certain politicians traveling overseas (1st class flights and 5 star hotels) for no particular reason.
You are not giving it before elected so what makes them think you will give it after elected???
1. You don’t like motor scooter riders.
2. You don’t come to our events.
3. You never spoke about us before.
4. You never made a little contribution to any youth organization in the territory, not even in the rotary clubs we are in.
And I can go on and on to the break of dawn!
We want real people in legislation.
Even your pana Walwyn turn his back on youth fue Walwyn and now trying to unseat Alvara in the 6 just for power.
We see straight through you Mrs Smith and Walwyn in no better.
A man charge and still running for office show no respect for the judicial system but the law will put a spoke in his wheel.
You wake up hot today I see. Cool down cool down.
I agree with the Walwyn part but Ms Lorna was always there for the youths. She just silent with it but she support the children even if it is just during election time. Give her a chance so they can tell their parents that she will fight for them in the UK.
Some people just have no shame. A corn man or corn woman will always want to be in the corn field.
Ayo vote out the man when he was doing good work for the youths, danced when he left, then then ppl you voted in spent 4 years doing nothing and now blaming the man you abandoned for abandoning you.
if that aint b-we-i luw, i dont know what is.
We do not trust this woman especially after that eight-million-dollar plane heist. Also, clearly the NDP and others have no confidence in Marlon as a leader and so should we. Lorna launched as an independent candidate and that spoke volumes of her lack of respect and confidence in the NDP leader. Now they got her to switch and join NDP, but we all know this is a marriage of connivence to try to save face with a month before elections. Also, Marlon cannot field a full slate which demonstrates his lack of ability to lead as Kedrick also started independent but now switched and joined NDP. Pearline started independent and now Marlon is trying to get her to switch and trying to make us believe that even if she doesn’t, they are working together. Marlon is also telling the people in the 1st District that the independent candidate Chad is with the NDP so vote for him. The guy has loss it. It is clear that Marlon is a weak leader and needs to take a break from politics. One thing for sure, is that if he and others happen to win, they will not allow him to be premier and they shouldn’t. This is a power struggle from the start among themselves.
Wally doing good work you say? Walwyn was allegedly busy channeling public funds to … you will hear when the ball drop shortly. Breach of trust yah say? POP CORN!!!
Another gravy train board?
Lorna’s career as a politician and Rotarian has help this country her record speaks for itself there should be no doubt that she can and will perform.
Had three terms already. Gave us the imaginary planes, pier park, and whole heap of nothing after Irma
I hope we can get a unity Govt with PVIM and NDP. We need Lorna and Ronnie in the next Govt..Maturity, experience, stability and have no interest in greed.
Respect of some kind or sort to you Lorns, ms Smith ,sorry,but with all the Perks you have been given and all the accolades, please be thankful to both God and Man.Time and people change. But dont let people or country determine when enough is enough.
Just like a car depreciates and brukdown and start calling for replacement parts ,it happens to us after sometime. There is no human wreckers so we use ambulances.Please takeThis life serious and not forgranted.usher yourself out considering you did well rather than going out tasteless.
“And now the End is near, and so i’ll face the final Curtain, my Friends i’ll state it clear, i’ve had my fill my share of doing to think i did all that now may i leave politics and go my way.for all you see that i have done, i did it my way.”BUT THINGS CHANGE.
You can’t even trust her to say good morning or afternoon. She pass you straight. Now you saying bout you care. Please stop trying to sham us.
Grassroots organizations can’t solve the physical decay of our school facilities. Community involvment won’t put food on teacher’s tables or supplies in student’s hands.
The NDP led lassiez-faire ‘free market’ economics under which our infrastructure was allowed to crumble employed Ms Smith as BVI finance director during their terms.
It’s going to take a hefty financial commitment from our government to turn this mess around and “make (education) better than ever before”. Asking trust companies to buy sports uniforms won’t cut it. Our kids deserve a commitment to their future, not vague promises to ‘organize’.
Fighting to keep the registers closed so her dirty secrets are not uncovered. None of them have clean hands, none!