THE VISIT PROVIDED THE BOYS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH A PUBLIC FIGURE WHO HAS OVERCOME ADVERSITY.

The Minister for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, Hon. Joachim Henry, has endorsed a heartening initiative that brought Trinidadian recording artist Akhenaton Lewis, popularly known as Yung Bredda, to the residents of the Boys Training Centre (BTC) during the 2025 Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival season. The visit was made possible through a partnership between the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) and the President of the Senate, Hon. Alvina Reynolds.

As part of the Ministry’s continued effort to positively influence and empower young men in rehabilitation, the visit provided the boys with an opportunity to connect with a figure who has walked a challenging path but risen above adversity.

Yung Bredda, known for his energetic performances and authentic storytelling through music, shared his own life experiences and journey with the boys. In an open and honest conversation, he reflected on his upbringing, the hurdles he overcame, and the choices that shaped his future.

“You want people to respect you, you must respect yourself. You want people to love you. You must love yourself. You want people to see you as a man, you must do manly things and be a man. So if all of you disrespect your parents, or you don't listen to your parents, listen to your parents, because let me show you this. I have a daughter now. I’m twenty-five, and the same thing my mother used to tell me is the same thing I got to tell her, because they were here before us. As much as we think we know things, and it might be advancing, it's the same thing as a long time ago, it just has a different name, a new technology, and a new way to do it. As they say, many roads to Zion, you understand? Some people walk this way, some people walk this way, but it's one destination. So, listen to your parents. They know what they're saying. They’ve seen things before you, you understand?”

Manager of the Boys Training Centre, Leanna Wallace, expressed thanks to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority and the President of the Senate for recognizing the importance of inclusive outreach during national events. She explained that initiatives like this highlight how Saint Lucia’s celebrated arts and culture can also catalyze social empowerment and personal growth.

“Do not give up. Do not worry about the past because we cannot do anything about it. We can't do anything about it. We are not here to judge. It's about the future. Daily, I keep on telling them it is you who must push yourself and strive to become what you want to become. I tell them that you don't have to worry about other people. Keep on pressing because I know what it is to have a hard life. He also knows what life is for. The president of the Senate, the speaker of the House, and most of us here. It's not about ill-treating them; it's about trying the very best. That's why I tell the media to stop calling my boys ‘the wards of the state’, call the residents, and call them the boys because that's the only way we're going to move from one place to the other. So, I want to thank you for that.”

The Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, under whose portfolio the Boys Training Centre falls, underscores that such collaborations are not just events, but investments in the nation’s future and a meaningful example of what public-private collaboration can achieve in social rehabilitation.