Youth taught about positive choices
A former American “junkie”, turned pastor, and Pollsmoor prison inmate, turned author, were among the speakers at a youth crime prevention programme in Eastridge last week.
Reverend Steven Craft, a chaplain from Massachusetts in America, said he was a “junkie” in the Bronx in the 1960s and received his Harvard degree in the 1990s. He asked the youth at the Eastrige Community Centre whether poverty caused crime or whether crime caused poverty.
The youth, who were invited to the programme, on Friday July 5, gave varying answers. Those arguing that poverty caused crime said people had no money and places to live so they turned to gangsterism. Others said people made choices, and their decision to become criminals held their community hostage.
“They don’t have an outlet,” said Ishmael Baradien, former prison inmate and author of The Ugly American. “They affect the economic growth of the community.”
Mr Craft said arguments could be made for and against but ultimately individuals had to make choice.
“You can make bad choices which could lead to death and destruction or you can learn, when you are young to make good choices which will make your great,“ he said. ”I had to learn to make choices.“
The youth also watched a video about a woman’s fight to overcome substance abuse and rape. She was imprisoned and could not break free from her pain and anger, which affected her decisions.
Lewies Davids, manager of spiritual care at Pollsmoor Prison, said the video showed that hurt people, hurt other people.
“You can choose forgiveness. The choice is yours,” he said, adding that the memory of what happens to a person should determine their future.
“Use this as a toolkit to make the right decision. You can be set free and determine the rest of your life,” he said.
The programme was part of a restorative justice youth-at-risk school holiday crime prevention initiative. Partners included the Mitchell’s Plain SAPS, the City of Cape Town’s Subcouncil 12, the City’s health department, a men’s health non-profit organisation (NPO) Anova, Amandla Development youth development agency, Epic, an NPO for youth rights and advocacy, Mitchell’s Plain Community Police Forum (CPF), Department of Correctional Services and Pollsmoor Prison.
