The Christian Youth Foundation hopes to make a significant impact in the quality of life of our nation by networking with faith-based organisations in order to tackle the serious issues facing the youth in T&T. The Christian Youth Foundation aims to be a nexus between Christian youth organisations so that improved efficiency and economies of scale can be achieved.
Our nation is in crisis and our youth, in particular, are crying out for help, but not enough is being done to liberate them. With the recent murder of 20-year-old Shannon Banfield, the collective hearts of our nation has been wounded by the wickedness of the criminal element.
According to the National Youth Policy document for 2012-2017, there are approximately 450,556 young persons between the ages of 12 and 29 in T&T. The youth make up a substantial proportion of our population but are plagued with many ills.
According to the World Bank Guns and Crime Report, a case study on Trinidad and Tobago, more than half (59 per cent) of the victims of fatal firearm assaults were males aged 15–34 years. The youth also face human rights abuses in the form of child marriage laws that the Government has yet to amend.
The recent news story of a 26-year-old pastor allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl also highlights the vulnerability of young people to those in positions of authority. Those young people who are abused by the religious elite must be given a voice and protected from a hypocritical culture that desires to turn a blind eye to the failings of church leadership.
We at the Christian Youth Foundation believe that the church has a vital role to play in solving these problems. There is ample research showing a link between high levels of religiosity in a community and reduced delinquency as seen in studies by Larson, DB, and BR Johnson (1998). There is therefore, an evidential basis for the argument that initiatives of faith-based organisations can reduce delinquency and crime at the community level.
However, there must be a reformation to destroy the falsehoods being taught in the place of biblical Christianity and a revival to bring lukewarm Christians back to their first love, Christ Jesus.
We sincerely believe that youth leadership will be key in reforming and reviving the church so that our nation may be saved from the tide of darkness that seeks to destroy it.
The greatest titans of church history were young when God used them. Martin Luther was 34 when he sparked the Protestant Reformation that turned Europe upside down. Jesus Christ himself was about 33 when he died at Calvary as an atoning sacrifice.
The Christian Youth Foundation resolves to bring about the required change in our society and welcomes partnerships with any like-minded individuals or organisations for the purpose of saving our nation.
Jonathan Bhagan
LLB (HONS)