Approximately 500 young men and boys are set to benefit from a regional boys’ camp organised by the Men on Mission.
This was disclosed during a press conference on Wednesday at Base Camp Ayanganna, Thomas Lands.
The camp, set to open in August, will see the young men being engaged in a number of instructional sessions, and group activities over a one-week period. It is designed to encourage the healthy growth and proper development of boys into men.
Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force and Chairperson of the Men on Mission Committee, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, said, “The camp is open to all boys in the country. The intent is to train at least 100 per week, and we are hoping to do at least 5 of those sessions,”
Additionally, in an effort to cut down repeat offences, a camp will be established for young men who have passed through the criminal justice system.
This area will also see the implementation of a series of sessions called ‘Stages of Hope’. These sessions will see various influential personalities in fields such as sports, entertainment, academia, and medicine, offering guidance to men and boys in the communities, on how to meander life’s difficulties, conflict resolution, and provide career guidance.
The camp forms part of the Men on Mission’s 2023 work programme, which is intended to strengthen the partnership between the joint services, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, and the private sector.
Meanwhile, another aspect of the Men on Mission agenda for upliftment and transformation will see the launching of a beautification exercise dubbed the ‘Colour of Life’.
“This exercise is aimed at supporting homeowners along Guyana’s premier corridors to fix their fences, paint their buildings and fences, and to plan flowering and colourful plants,” Brigadier Bess, explained.
The first corridor earmarked for this exercise is the first few miles of road from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri.
The 2023 programme of activities will see the group honing in on five focus areas, namely male behavioural change through character building, men’s health, environmental transformation, capacity building for emergency relief efforts, and rehabilitation.
