11 Jan

Youths Summer Program

"Heritage Builds Up Our Youths" Summer Program 2016

In Summer 2016, Heritage Bank championed a life skill educational program, an initiative of Eastern Division South headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chester Williams, in order to find a positive alternative for our youths during the summer vacation.

The program catered for 50 in and out of school youths between the ages of 10 to 17 years from Southside Belize City and ran for three cycles during the summer holidays. The first fold of activities, called “Life Tour” gave the youths an appreciation of what one goes through when involved in crime and violence.

The youths were taken to different hot spots within the city then transported to the Police station and taken to the court, the prison and thereafter to the cemetery. The second fold of the program, “Knowing Your Country”, gave the youths an opportunity to visit four corners of our jewel highlighting its history and diversity, an alternative to the crime life. The youths

also had the opportunity to have some of the athletes from Eastern Division South participating with them in order to show that one can opt and rise to a different life- style than what they know. In the North, the youths were taken to Lamanai and Blue Creek. To the West they were introduced to the border, taken to Xunantunich and the Iguana Farm in San Ignacio with a city tour of Belmopan. In the South they saw the Culture Capital, Dangriga, and they visited Placencia & Seine Bight stop- ping at different archaeological sites in the immediate vicinity.

Heritage is pleased to have partnered with the police in sponsoring $5,000 to this initiative, which is part of a wider program, Southside Youth Services Project, aimed at giving at risk youths a pathway to employment or back into formal education.