Each one, teach one

MINISTER of National Security Edmund Dillon yesterday encouraged the 749 Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) students who graduated yesterday at the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force Headquarters in Aranguez, to teach people in their homes, neighbourhoods and villages the lessons they learned at their six month career at the CCC.

“If each one of you can influence ten people in your communities based on the programme that you enjoyed at CCC then you will have 7490 people you would have reached,” Dillon said.

He congratulated the students on completing the programme and boasted that 77 percent of the students which registered have completed the programme.

“Today I want to give you the assurance that the Ministry of national security and by extension the Government will continue its support of youth centered programmes so that our young people could move away from the possibility of engaging in criminal activities, and develop and utilise their skills to serve their country in a positive and productive manner,” Dillon promised.

Yesterday the students of the CCC in the six zones in Trinidad gathered to celebrate the completion of the course and to recognise the students which showed the most improvement from the time they came into the programme to its end.

The most outstanding pupil for this batch, a North West zone student named Isiah St Hillaire encouraged students still in the programme, to stay the course and not give up on the programme because it would be a great benefit to them in the end.

“Some of my peers in my neighbourhood made fun of me and my uniform, and said that it was “outta timing”. It made me think do I really want to change? However the lectures were interesting and the operations of the programme got my attention and it had me so in tune and focused that I slowly and surely began to change my hardware. this programme has really made a great impact on my life. It has taught me what it is to be a disciplined person, respect others, how to improve my self esteem and become a better citizen,” said St Hillaire.

The CCC programme opened its doors first in 1993, but was discontinued in 1999. In 2002 Cabinet revitalised the programme and was overseen by the Ministry of National Security.

Along with social skills and self-esteem modules, the CCC teaches several courses including Adult Literacy, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Culinary Arts and Electrical Installation.