Melbourne Absolam, founder of I-ACT, chats with a few of the residents in Rose Town. - FRANCINE BLACK
THERE ARE SOME residents in Rose Town, St. Andrew, who are trying to revolutionise their community and change the image of their surrounding area. However, a lack of funds has significantly hampered this plan.
Melbourne Absolam is the founder of Information Affairs and Crisis Task force (I-ACT) which was created two years ago to target inner-city youths between 7 and 18 years old.
The programme currently teaches young people, especially young men, by providing parenting skills, reading and writing classes, counselling, C.X.C. evening classes, and an adoption and support programme for at-risk young men.
STRUGGLING
But, the programme is having difficulties. There have been problems implementing the programmes because of a shortage of money and other key resources. "We are struggling to materialise as we are in desperate need for computers, printers, photocopy machines, fax machines, office desks, chairs, filing cabinets," Absolam said.
The group also needs money to pay rent and Internet service. These are the things that will be needed by the group to make its programmes viable and ensure their longevity.
Absolam said they have also identified a building which they would want to purchase to transform into a shelter for orphaned children in the community and house their projects. He said a section could be outfitted into a salon and rented to women in the community who often do hair and nails on the streets of downtown to set up more legitimate businesses.
Terrence Daneigan, a young man who has benefited from one of the peer counselling programmes sponsored by I-ACT, believes the programme developed for his community can help to bring peace and prosperity for the area. "If we are properly trained then we'll have less crime, teenage pregnancy and so on," Daneigan said.
"I've been in this community for 26 years and when you mention that you live in Rose Town, people look down on you. It is difficult for young people to get jobs when they give their address," Daneigan said. "If they only know the intelligence in the community. There are gifted people in Rose Town students who get 11 subjects with diploma and Government scholarships. There are people excelling in the community."
Nadine Gordon, a parent and a key person in the programme, says the training she receives has been helpful and can help uplift her area. She too says she wants to be a part of the group that will be working to change the face of Rose Town.
Absolam says he hopes the public will listen to their pleas and assist because the residents need to see one of the many promises finally come true. "A lot of high-society people come and promise them stuff and they wait five years and nothing happens. The people don't want to be criminals down here or just sit down on the corner, but we can't take them off the corner unless we give them something else to do," Absolam said.
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