Youth Wellness

Last Thursday I sat in on a youth forum conducted by one of the commissioners of the Ministry of Social Transformation. It was a very informative discussion to witness. I learned a little bit about how to encourage the participation of the youth in such forums and learned even more about the issues that the St. Lucian youth face day-to-day. The panel was made up of several unemployed youth ages 17 – 28 years old. Youth in St. Lucia is defined as any young person between the ages of 10 and 35. The panelist talked about how they wish the youth had more educational and job opportunities. They talked about how they hope that gun violence among the youth can be reduced and how more recreational activities should become available.

The forum took place in an educational skills development resource center. The center offers free courses to the unemployed in special areas such as culinary arts, computer science, information technology, sewing, homemaking, welding, tour guidance, and cosmetology. St. Lucia has a rising unemployment rate and a problem with “unattached youth” – those youth that don’t go to school, don’t work, and live at home. They tend to be between the ages of 18 and 35. This program is an effort to match up the unemployed with some marketable skills, in hopes that they will stop slumming.

Part of the unemployment problem in St. Lucia is due to the previous structure of the primary and secondary educational system. Not even 10 years ago there were only two secondary schools on the island. Students would take a test at the end of their primary school or pre-secondary school education. This test would determine if they were qualified enough to move onto secondary school education. There were not enough slots as there were children, and it was very competitive to get into secondary school (what we know as high school). If you didn’t make a high enough score on your entrance exams you didn’t get to attend school anymore. Many of these kids would remain without education and without employment. Now, however, St. Lucia offers universal education and there are enough schools to ensure that every child receive a secondary education. Since this system is so new, there are still children in some of the high schools that still cannot read or write.

Another major and dominating factor in St. Lucia that contributes to unemployment in St. Lucia is the lack of educational and job opportunities. Since there are no major universities on the island, most students must travel abroad for higher education. When they come back they often find themselves over qualified for the jobs that are available here. Also, many cannot afford higher education and also find it difficult to find a job.

Finally, I have had a few discussions with some locals about the availability and perception of mental health services on the island. Many people feel there is a major problem with absent fathers, domestic violence (parent to child) and parenting styles. Seeking services is taboo and carries a negative stigmatization. St. Lucia is a small place, a place where everyone knows everyone. People do not want to be “exposed”. Nonetheless, there is one psychiatric facility on the island, one boys home and one day time girls shelter. People feel a need for family counseling services, divorce mediation services, and stronger child protective services. Perhaps some sort of psychological wellness awareness campaign or outreach would be beneficial to St. Lucians by making the discussion of psychological wellness more acceptable. In the psych hospital there are long term and short term patients. The main illnesses seen are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. On the outside psychotherapists most often see people that are seeking help for depression and anxiety. I might try to get more involved in the mental health system here at a later date.

These are just some of the things I have been learning about!