Scott Bradley says from the beginning, young men came to "knock on our door." Publicity for My Brother’s Workshop— a Christian Outreach program that puts disadvantaged young men to work, learning skills and applying them in the workplace—is strictly word of mouth.
Bradley says, "We have only scratched the surface. There are hundreds of young men on St. Thomas alone that are in desperate need of help and guidance. They are standing at a crossroads of right and wrong." |
That road got a little brighter Tuesday morning with donation of $5,000 from Rotary Club of St. Thomas Sunrise presented by club president Kathrynne Green.
Three of those young men accompanied Bradley Tuesday morning, and, with a little urging, Orel Destin, 19, Kyle Bussue, 18, and Chavane White, 19, spoke about themselves, while the early morning audience paid attention.
Though the young men were shy, they were firm on what the program gives. "Kyle told me about the program last year," said Destin. "I’m learning lots of good things, on the job and making friends." White and Bussue agreed they were having what they called "lots of good learning experiences, and making new friends."
While the young men were talking, Bradley, with a smile, urged them "to ask if anyone is hiring."
Actually, Rotarian Kevin Quick, a contractor is doing just that. Though he was modest about his efforts, he allowed it was easy for him to relate, because of his own high school experiences.
The youngsters are but three of the 22 enrolled in the program now. The $5,000 will be a shot in the arm for the struggling program, which Bradley put in motion three years ago.
"I could see the trend, with kids on the corner, not having anything to do," says Bradley. "I’ve spent a lot of time in the inner cities on the East coast, and I could see what was happening. I’m retired, and I was in a position to do something."
That something has given hope and a future to about 48 young men between the ages of 16 and 24. Bradley wishes it were more. "There’s hundreds of kids on the island. We’re only scratching the surface," he says.
The program, run through the St. Thomas Reformed Church, provides young men who have dropped out of school with hands-on vocational training in a simulated work environment.
"They have trouble trusting anyone," Bradley says. "The ones we choose are exposed to violent crime and drugs on a regular basis. Each of them wants a future they can be proud of, but they have no idea of how to get there."
The workshop is staffed by retired professionals, volunteer tradesman from the community. The bulk of the funding, 90 percent, comes from paid work projects, completed by the young men, and 10 percent from donations and grants.
Bradley stresses the need for volunteers, of which the program has only four right now. "We need more people to show interest in these kids," Bradley says. "I think a lot of people are shy of these kinds of kids, they get such a bad rap. We’ve never had a problem with any of the kids we’ve worked with. They’re use to being pushed aside. It doesn’t take much to turn them around, showing them that you care."
He says, "We need people to talk to them, about anger management, conflict resolution.
Like the three young men who came to Tuesday’s meeting, who said they’d heard of it from each other, it’s all word of mouth. "Our waiting list is overwhelming."
Bradley lamented, "Some of those young men who were killed in the recent violence, were on our waiting list."
He says it takes a "good nine months to a year of training, doing work projects we tie to the teaching, before they youngsters are employable."
The program works with several local agencies and is part of YouthNet and Youth Council.
Bradley can be reached at 514-8303 or mybrothersworkshop.com
For a detailed description of the program, see link below.
