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  • 10 months ago
Zebapique Mas is intent on removing the barriers in East Port of Spain which exist due to gang activities. It is being done through the children's involvement in Carnival.
The Mas Camp held a Meet and Greet event, U.S Ambassador Candace Bond, whose tenure is coming to an end, was among those honoured.
Alicia Boucher has the details.
Transcript
00:00It's 20 years since Zeba Peak Mass Camp, headed by brothers Andrew and Anthony Alling, decided
00:06to give back to the country, joining the Hearts and Minds Initiative under the Interagency
00:10Task Force.
00:12It's an anti-crime project enabling children from the communities of Laventille, East Port
00:17of Spain and Environs, to play mass free of charge, facilitated through volunteerism pertaining
00:23to costume making and sponsorship.
00:26Band leader Andrew Alling says 24 areas in Laventille were represented at a meet and
00:31greet held on Saturday, which allowed children and adults in attendance to mingle.
00:37The two things that will change crime in Trinidad is sports and culture.
00:42We don't need no guns, we don't need no cars, all we need is sports and culture.
00:50It brings the communities together in a competitive way, they enjoy themselves and they have fun.
00:56And that fun is freedom to those who would normally be barred from associating with each
01:01other because of boundaries set by warring gangs.
01:04So we have 24 areas, and on the road only one child or two children from that area will
01:10be in a section, so they have to get to know 24 different areas.
01:14We remove the borders, there are no borders.
01:17The person who lives on the other street is not the enemy, he's your friend.
01:20And when it starts at the children, we can change it.
01:23United States Ambassador to TNT Candace Bond has been a supporter of the initiative for
01:28the past two years.
01:29She underscores the importance of culture in a message to the children as she prepares
01:34to the meet office soon.
01:36And when you go back to your communities, remember that you are an ambassador and that
01:41you are going to keep the beating heart of your country and your culture alive and well.
01:47So I'm just, this is my last event of my term here over two years.
01:52I couldn't think of a better place to be.
01:55Bond was presented with a plaque in recognition of her support for the project during her
01:59tenure.
02:00Wife of Prime Minister Rowley, Sharon Clark Rowley, is one of the patrons of the initiative.
02:06She praises the parents for their devotion, saying there would be no Zabapik without them.
02:12They captured Junior Large Band of the Year in 2023, and she believes they can capture
02:18the title again this year.
02:19For the past 20 years, they have been moving relentlessly between East Border Spain and
02:28these premises here, building costumes and making the children of these areas part of
02:36our culture.
02:37They understand, and that I mean the adults, understand that the future of our culture
02:44lies in the hands of our children.
02:46Republic Bank has been part of the project for the past six years, and at this time it
02:51sponsors 300 children, while the National Security Ministry sponsors 100 children.
02:57Managing Director and President of RBL, Nigel Batiste, says he never had the opportunity
03:03to play mass as a child.
03:06My parents couldn't afford it, you know, where we lived, it was just not convenient.
03:11So when that opportunity came for Republic Bank to be able to facilitate others doing
03:15it, it was something that we just couldn't resist.
03:19Batiste signals the bank's intentions to stay connected to the initiative.
03:24The IETF is also pledging its continued support for as long as the project remains running.
03:30Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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