Joshua Hercules' battle to save youths from life of crime

A HERO was sometimes depicted as someone whose identity remained a secret, as he ran around in a cape doing good deeds.

However, today a real hero is often an individual admired for their courage, selflessness and noble qualities. Someone who is willing to take risks or make sacrifices to help others, while achieving a noble goal.

Our heroes of today live in our communities, and some of them we may know personally, but there are those who we have probably just heard about.

So in the coming weeks we will highlight several U-Reporters, young people who are a part of Unicef's flagship digital platform raising their voices on issues affecting them, who are heroes in their own right and have been doing exceptional things in their communities toward amplifying the voice of the youth of Trinidad and Tobago through their varied areas of speciality.

This week, Newsday features motivational speaker Joshua Hercules.

JUST as he was saved from a life of crime and drugs that would have probably given him an early trip to the grave, Joshua Hercules is fighting to save those youngsters who might be walking the path of destruction – a route he previously walked.

"I do not sugar coat the realities of life on the streets. I can relate to young people since I am young myself. I realise now more than ever that they require the daring, unapologetic truth about life on the streets," Hercules told Newsday.

The 24-year-old motivational speaker from Corinth in San Fernando is the CEO and founder of the NGO Reach Them Before We Lose Them Foundation.

Hercules has taken on the Herculean task of instilling positive changes for those heading down the wrong path.

He urges people to uplift young people, adding that is easier to bend the tree when it is still young because as the tree ages, it loses its ability to bend.

But this young man was not always this determined. He grew up in Carlton Lane, San Fernando, an area where the police frequently respond to crimes, and at an early age, life was tough.

He grew up with his mother, who has a psychiatric disorder, and siblings. Many times, especially on memorable days like Christmas and Mother's Day, he would be in the hospital to visit her.

Her condition has improved with new medications and she is proud of his achievements. He is proud, too, of her efforts as a single mother and her personal challenges. "She always provided for us. She never left us hungry. When it came to schoolwork, she made sure we did it."

His deceased father was a cocaine addict and the two did not have a relationship.

Hercules recalled adapting quickly to survive at an early age. He knows first-hand about juvenile delinquency and peer pressure.

He was expelled from St Benedict's College in form three after being suspended several times. The last straw was a fight between a student and the student's mother.

"I spent about five months at home, as many schools did not accept me.

"I realised I lost a big opportunity. I wanted to do something different, like staying out of trouble.

"Ste Madeleine Secondary School decided to give me a second chance. The change in environment made me see it was not worth it."

He believes the real change came on Old Year's night in 2015, when he was saved "in the nick of time."

He and some friends were preparing to ring in the new year of 2016.

An unknown man, who was not from the area, walked past about 15 men and up the stairs to speak directly to him about attending a church service.

Somehow, he agreed and went to the church that night instead of liming with his friends. The lime switched location, but Hercules did not go.

"He walked straight to me, saying he came to speak the gospel. I was 15 and in form five. The guys were about to approach him and I told them to leave him.

"I believe the spirit led him to me. It had to be. He was brave," Hercules said.

Hercules said somehow, he felt the man's courage was a sign he should make a change.

The man was part of a new church, Shepherd House International Church in San Fernando, that was looking for members.

In hindsight, Hercules was using his leadership skills for evil and wrong to distress people and instil fear in others.

As his eyes opened, he said, he felt more compelled to do better.

"I have caused so much pain in people's lives. I began to realise that I could take the negative energy and turn it into positive energy."

In 2017, he was at a church camp when the NGO's name popped into his head. Then, he was a student at MIC Institute of Technology (formerly Metal Industries Co Ltd) studying food preparation and culinary arts. in a two-year programme.

"I wanted to reach youth like me, knowing their peer pressure. I am able to get them out to see a better way. Some youths might be secretly influenced to join gangs or get involved in criminal activities.

"I go out there believing that my purpose is to save youths. God has put me in place to say what parents cannot say to their children. The words a parent might not speak, I can speak.

"I have been in the children's position. Had I not changed my life, who knows what would have happened to me."

Recently, he held intense motivational sessions with about 1,000 students from the Civilian Conservation Corps Programme.

"We spoke about everything, real and raw," he said.

Hercules said some of his friends had been murdered and others were behind bars for serious offences. Some are drug addicts and street dwellers.

He visits schools to share his story and to show youngsters there is a way out. He has also spoken at business forums, graduations, and other events, sharing positive messages, like encouraging people to live and enjoy today and fully use their present.

He said many people died with the future in mind, but never really enjoyed the present.

The NGO and Shepherd House International Church, which he continued to attend, have hosted several outreach programmes.

"Doing this, changing life, is not for fame. It is because of my personal encounters."

Hercules works at the South-West Regional Health Authority, as a nutrition and dietetic aide. He also has a master’s degree in business administration from the School of Higher Education Ltd.

He chuckled as he added that while many see his successes, they do not know about his struggles.

He is also involved in agriculture, saying sustainability is the way forward. He plants crops including tomatoes and lettuce in a vacant area in his community.He recalled that the land had been overgrown for years and was cleaned once every few years.

Many people from the area were robbed there. He started maintaining the land in December with the help of other residents.

He encourages people to visit his social media pages to learn more about his NGO.