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Corey Lane (left), Founder and Ranch Chief of the Nature Fun Ranch speaking to the media. Looking on are (second from left) Chairman of the Barbados Cultural Organisation, Cedric Lynch; Colvin King, Public Relations Officer of the Barbados Cultural Organisation and Janice King, Assistant Public Relations Officer. 

Donation going to worthy projects

A cash donation made to the Nature Fun Ranch is going to benefit three initiatives being undertaken by the charity, including an initiative aimed at reducing the country’s murder rate.

Corey Lane, founder and ranch chief of the Nature Fun Ranch (NFR) made the disclosure on Friday after accepting the donation of approximately $17 500, from the United Kingdom-based Barbados Cultural Organisation. He indicated that the Direct Intervention Programme (DIP), is geared at achieving a dip in the murder rate and will be reaching out directly to feuding gangs, to encourage them not to resort to violence or seek revenge which will likely results in a loss of life.

“We are not going to put ourselves in harm’s way, but any murder that we can prevent directly, we are now recognising that we do have the skills set to reach out to these persons. A number of persons in the programme that are not reformed, that are now leaders, were once on these very blocks and know these very guys. They went to school with them, they were expelled with them and they are helping us now to reach these guys directly,” he explained.

The ranch chief added, “One of the things these guys don’t do – I recognised this from prison – is think about the consequences and the after. I work with a lot of them in prison who say ‘I should’ve, I could’ve, but they can’t because they are incarcerated or their life has gone down the drain. So what we want to do, is start to show them these consequences, bring them up to the ranch, which is therapeutic in itself.”

He added that with some persons estimating that the number of murders will reach 60 by the end of the year, he said NFR is going to do its utmost to ensure it does not get past 45.

“We may not have total control of that, but we are going to get directly involved. We are going to use some of this funding to provide specific training to some of these ex-gang members on how to get out there and reach the guys, with conflict resolution, and creating peace between the feuding gangs. It is a programme that I am very excited about, anything that speaks to action and direct intervention, outside of talk and discussion and consultations and so on, I am all down for,” he stated.

Lane spoke also of the work the Ranch has been doing with the APEX Intervention Programme, which targets young people suspended or expelled from school. Referring to a study which showed that 89 per cent of the persons involved in serious criminal activity, including murder had been expelled or dropped out of school, he said that programme is quite important to address the problem such persons experience.

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