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Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Hon. Stephen Lashley (second right) was assisted by youth of the Silver Hill community during the ground-breaking of the Silver Hill Youth Empowerment Centre. Looking on are (from left) Pastor Winston Cooke, Silver Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church; Mary Brewster, Trustee of The Maria Holder Memorial Trust; and Jane Armstrong, Chief Project Manager of The Maria Holder Memorial Trust.

Silver Hill to get Youth Empowerment Centre for

The community of Silver Hill in Christ Church will very soon boast of a state-of-the-art Youth Empowerment Centre, thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, in collaboration with The Maria Holder Memorial Trust.

The proposed Silver Hill Youth Empowerment Centre (SHYEC) will not only provide a place of leisure, but also a venue where young people can get information and services to meet their needs, address problems, improve life chances and learn the concepts of citizenship.

Yesterday’s ground-breaking ceremony began the process where the existing building on the site will be totally renovated at a total cost of $2.7 million.

“This ground-breaking ceremony to all of us in Silver Hill is really a momentous and historic occasion. It represents the fulfilment of a very important commitment made to the residents of Silver Hill and the immediate environment,” Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Hon. Stephen Lashley stated.

“I believe very much in development and empowerment. This community will become even more empowered by this project and therefore the Ministry is extremely happy to join with The Maria Holder Memorial Trust to execute these types of activities that in our view help to shape the development of our young people in Barbados.”

He observed that the project which gets underway on Monday, March 19th and due for completion on September 18th, 2018 is not the only initiative that the Christ Church West Central constituency would have benefited from in relation to the support of The Maria Holder Memorial Trust, as the charity was also very central to the financial support behind a nursery school in Gall Hill.

Moreover, Lashley highlighted that his Ministry has had a significant interest and input in the Silver Hill and surrounding areas.

“The Ministry’s input totalled over $70,000 per annum for activities including the Silver Hill Road Tennis Competition, as well as community projects and we continue to provide vital assistance to individuals and groups,” he indicated.

“This current project, involving the Silver Hill Youth Empowerment Centre has been rolled out in phases because this is the final component of a project. This first being the refurbishment of the Silver Hill Hard Court funded by EMERA; secondly, the development of the Play Park, and thirdly, the refurbishment of the building.”

The layout of the Silver Hill Youth Empowerment Centre comprises a recreation area, three shop spaces to encourage entrepreneurship in the community, a recording studio, female and male showers and changing facilities, multipurpose room, computer lab and an office for a Welfare Officer and the Christ Church West Central constituency council.

“Once this facility is completed it will see the Youth Division, in particular and its partners, being able to provide services directly to the residents. It will result in the roll out of a number of important programmes for the community which will be facilitated by the Division of Youth Affairs and through the relationships with other public and civic society stakeholders,” the Minister disclosed. (TL)

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