By JANELLE DE SOUZA Saturday, April 9 2011

CONTACT time between teachers and students must be considered as positive and valuable experiences which will serve children in good stead in the future, whether in the classroom or outside the school walls, stated Roy Augustus, Special Advisor to the Ministry of National Security.

Augustus was responding on Thursday to Education Minister Tim Gopeesingh’s demand that extra curricular activities, during school hours, cease and any such activity be first sanctioned by the Education Ministry.

Augustus made his feelings known while speaking at the official opening of the GAYAP Violence Prevention Peace and Love Movement three-day workshop at the Auditorium of the Church on the Rock in Morvant entitled “Parents! Why Gangs? Protect Your Children”,

“I’m just asking that we take an impassive look at the main situation. In education, contact time between teacher and child is extremely important,” said Augustus.

“Whether contact time is only possible in the school room is something we have to look at. Whether activity that is not academic could be considered extra-curricular or in fact isn’t, it is co-curricular, which is a different term entirely...we have to examine these issues.”

Augustus noted that Minister of National Security John Sandy previously emphasised a three- pronged approach to crime, lawlessness and violence – suppression, prevention and intervention – but has focussed on prevention and intervention while suppression is being managed.

Augustus also responded to an accusation by GAYAP member Karen Bart-Alexander that the Anti-Gang Legislation gave police “too much power” which could then be abused. He said police interaction with the community has to be the business of management of the police, allowing them to interpret the environment and manage the response to said environment. However, he said police have to understand that they are working with people and not in battle against them.

“What we have is a large percentage of citizens living in some kind of fear emanating from a small group of misguided young people who are terrorising areas,” Augustus said. He also noted that, in any attempt to institute programmes, it is necessary to go into these areas and work with other Ministries to provide proper roads, grounds, facilities, etc for youngsters.

Trinidad-born Dr Ulric Johnson, Director and founder of Teens against Gang Violence noted there are five types of gangs including entertainment gangs (sports teams, music bands etc), containment gangs (the military), violent/criminal gangs, peace and justice/liberation gangs and social gangs.

Johnson said it is easy to label a group of people, dehumanise them and then kill them, thinking that will solve the problems. Instead, he said, people need to remember that these are sons and daughters, misguided children who have, most likely, been influenced by their environment.

Johnson also said several of the reasons young persons join gangs is to be loved and to love, to gain a sense of worth, a sense of control and the opportunity to have fun. Therefore, he said, if one adult would take the time and energy to listen, be open to, be vulnerable with and empathise with these youths, there would be a considerable reduction in things such as gangs and teen pregnancy.