More than a decade after returning from the United States, a group of Trinidad and Tobago nationals remains committed to empowering young people in South Trinidad.
Through their Non-Governmental Organisation, No Youth Left Behind, the group recently celebrated its 13th anniversary, highlighting years of transformative work in youth development.
‘No Youth Left Behind’ was founded in 2012 by Quincy Joseph, who marked the occasion on December 19th – the date of his release from a United States federal prison.
“I had just come home to try to be a mentor. I didn’t even know what a mentor was at the time. I just knew that I wanted to come home and balance the scale and let the youths know, ‘Yes, it has champagne popping in this thing, you know.'”
Mr. Joseph explained what motivated him to start the group, create an eco-park, and mentor dozens of young men and women, adding that his commitment was rooted in a personal promise.
“I didn’t say, because remember I didn’t have no formal training. I just had a desire. I just knew I made a promise to Jah Jah, and you can’t play with Jah Jah. That is just my personal constitution. I am not religious. I am not going to say I am holy. I barely go to church. The pastor is a pastor. I seek a personal relationship with the Creator and based on that covenant, I have to do something. And it just shows ghetto youths, all youths, even the youths who are doing good, once you are willing, God, the universe, will send the tools that you need.”
Operator of the Tar Pit, a restaurant at the Pitch Lake in La Brea, Theo Williams, praised the initiative. He noted that its impact extends beyond mentorship.
“We work together with No Youth Left Behind because they more or less help to develop the tourism park, which is needed in the community. It’s creating an avenue for them, for education, to meet other groups, other children, you know, that networking. So it takes them from idleness so they have something to do. They’re learning different skills, cooking, painting, the nurturing of plants and all of that.”
Area resident Barry Regis also commended the group’s efforts.
“What you’re seeing taking place here is yeoman service this group is doing. So I say hats off to them, especially when you could get the youths involved. We are talking about taking youths off the street and keeping them from being idle and showing them what it is to be a patriot.”
No Youth Left Behind also maintains an active branch of the organisation in Tobago, extending its mission to empower young people beyond the southwestern peninsula.