Love, compassion and understanding are the three main elements the Couva Police Youth Club (CPYC) throws into the mix in their drive to make T&T a better nation for tomorrow’s generation. Cpl Peter Cumberbatch, one of the leaders of the NGC-sponsored CPYC, shared some of the strategies the CPYC uses to deal with “challenged” children.
Sitting in a small room that houses the office of the Community Police at the Couva Police Station, Cpl Cumberbatch was very welcoming, He said when a child enters the CPYC they are treated equally and are not marked as troublemakers or bullies and many of them receive some level of mentorship from police officers.
Cumberbatch said the CPYC treats challenged children with the attention and love they deserve since many children come from homes where parental involvement in their lives are minimal.
He said the club is for children who excel but who face challenges in their lives. Cumberbatch said the club has 168 members who are well disciplined despite some having entered with challenges
He said when dealing with bullies all parties are called in to find out how best the CPYC can work with parents and the child to remedy and problems before it escalates. Said Cumberbatch: “Bullying comes in several ways, physical, emotional and psychological. We concentrate on the psychological aspect and we recognise sometimes that the bully is sometimes the victim.”
Cumberbatch added that children are also faced with the problem of using narcotics and getting associated with wrong company. He said this comes about because of the absence of proper parental supervision. He said a lack of parental supervision has contributed immensely to the rise of delinquent behavior among young people. He said some parents even go as far as refusing to take part in their children lives and the child feels a sense of neglect.
Cumberbatch said in some cases the child may associate with the wrong company and could possibly end up in a gang. To combat this the CPYC is reaching out to communities and having rapport with parents on their role and the consequences should they neglect their parental duties.
The CPYC was founded in 1989 by Acting ACP Central and North Patsy Joseph and is co-led by Cpl Ruben Commissiong.
The youths participate in a variety of cultural, academic and sporting activities that would occupy their time in a constructive manner.
