Roxborough Police Youth Club building communities for 34 years

THE Roxborough Police Youth Club (RPYC) will celebrate its 34th anniversary on November 23 with activities for everyone to enjoy.

Krystle Bascombe, PRO and chaperone for several RPYC programmes, told Newsday there will be a thanksgiving service and awards ceremony at the Roxborough Seventh-day Adventist Church and a get-together later that evening for members.

“Because our members have different religious beliefs, every year we try to go to the place of worship of a different religion to accommodate all our members.”

There will also be an open day on November 21 and 22 at the RPYC recreational grounds from 11 am-4 pm, when the organisation will open its doors to the public and to schools, so people could see some of the work that is being done and has been done over the years.

There will be tours of the facility, live music, including vocal and steelpan performances, and food on sale.

This year’s theme is: By faith we have come thus far… still far from finished.

Bascombe said, “The theme was chosen because it speaks of the resilience of the club throughout the years and for our aspirations for the future.”

She said there were more than 150 members, usually between the ages of eight and 35, from across Tobago, but there were a few as young as five whom they did not want to turn away.

Bascombe herself has been part of the organisation for 32 years and has seen it progress from one office into a compound, encompassing the Roxborough Early Childhood Centre, an elderly activity centre, a pan room, a dance room, a conference room, a gym and a football field.

Activities include pan, drum, dance and speech band, and include programmes such as the Youth Exchange Programme, in which members visit the US as youth cultural ambassadors.

“They see a different place, different cultures, they meet people and make new friends. All the while they are able to showcase their talent on an international stage.”

In addition, there was a recycling facility where people could leave their plastic bottles to be remade into benches, footpaths and flowerpots; and a greenhouse where hydroponics is used to grow herbs, seasoning, lettuce and other plants.

“We would have seen some of our members who moved on to various fields like mass communications, politics and sports. And some of them have gotten those roots right here in our youth club, where they were given the opportunities to participate.”

Bascombe was president for two consecutive terms, and, she said, through workshops aimed at helping executives build themselves and their organisations, she gained confidence and broke out of her shell of shyness.

She believed the youth club was also an important proactive agent to build the young people in the communities.

“Youth club was founded through the initiatives of police officers, teachers and community leaders in 1990. The club’s mantra was to foster discipline amongst members, as well as fostering them in educational, socio-cultural, religious and sporting activities, aimed at using their leisure time wisely rather than falling to the social ills within their communities.”

She said as an NGO, funding was always an issue and it was challenging to keep coming up with creative projects. But she said trying to operate during the emergency phase of the pandemic was the most challenging experience for the youth club in years, as it had to keep the members together during a time of social distancing and to engage them online.

She thanked the executives and staff for their hard work.

“I want to say, ‘Happy anniversary’ to our members. We would have worked hard. It was a hard year, but we got a lot covered, and I am thankful for their growth and support.

“I wish us all the best going forward, and let us continue to be that shining star that we are.”

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