Sr. Francisca Nama, MFIC talks about addressing Youth Issues.

"Make them feel they have dignity and expect the best out of them every time and they will pull through."

Trying to address various issues with a group of people like the youth can be very pressurizing, but it takes patience, dedication and understanding to come to a solution.

The life of a youth can be seen as having nothing to do. Occupying ones time doing things in the night rather than during the daytime. No job opportunity to keep them busy during the day. Some of them tried to improve while others found it difficult. They stole from their parents and others, causing them to retaliate and as a result making them (youth) worse. Even though they are only trying to get some parental love from their parents but the parents usually don't understand or are not concerned enough to try to understand.

In the camps this is the situation. Ther is nothing to do, so they go and steal, drink and smoke marijuana, mainly just to cover up the poverty in them. They turn to stealing from gardens, such as the sister's convent. They form little peer groups, which are used for both big and small-scale robberies. Parents don't often admit that their sons have been involved i such crimes. They hide them, shelter them and feed them to continue to do these illegal activities. Em wanpela problem we yumi mas lukluk long em, those who are just hanging around aimlessly and motivating the youth to be involved in such activities should be sent back home to their villages, because they are just wasting their time in town causing more problems. If we don't take a stand to address this, our campus will get worse and law and order in Aitape will soon collapse.

Usually there is not enough food, no job opportunity and so they cause trouble to grab attention. They hang around the market places all day.

As for the Youth Office, so far nothing much has been seen to generate. It really goes back to the families. It has to start from the base, which is the family show love to their children, from the family it moves out to other areas or departments.

Inogat ol ektivitis we ikamap we iken helpim ol (for example: town cleaning, filling up potholes). Make them feel that they have dignity.

Some are just lazy and need to be given work to suit their way of doing things. Therefore, this is a calling to the Youth Coordinator to be active and get the youths involved more in activities such as sports, etc. It is also a calling upon both the government and mission/ diocese to involve them in work to help them live a better life.

"I'm always expecting the best out of them. Even though through tough times, they will pull through."

This issue is affecting the three (3) deaneries within the diocese. And I try to help where I can by giving them HIP courses, but they need more, like rehabilitation courses on drugs.

Another obstacle is gathering the youths together. Long taun ihat long bungim ol yut tasol long bus em i isi. The youth in town usually have a lazy mentality of always expecting that they will be given and they don't make an effort to work hard for it. That's the difference between the two group kinds. It's a big task but if we start small, we'll be able to do something good.

I call mainly upon the government because they are capable of arranging for some good work for these young people to do. For example, Department of Works office can involve them in maintaining the roads instead of waiting for Fr. Greg to do it every time. But we are too weak to put the young people on track.

Ol wanwan kem insait long Aitape nau igat pinis ol haus bilong mekim hom bru. Dispela em i responsibiliti bilong kauntri lida na papa, mama long lukluk. Ol pikinini i wok long bihainim dipslea ol kain wok na planti isave gut tru long ol kainkain hom bru resepi. I luk tu olsem ol papa, mama ino save gat gutpela tingting (concern) long ol pikinini bilong ol. Ol i larim ol i wokim dispela kain ol samting. There has to be some kind of regulations or laws enforced for the people living in the camps and settlements to restrict such activities.

Police have to be stricter. However, unfortunately this is not the case because even some in the police force are joining the youth in these activities.

I suggest trying out the method of community policing within the camps might help. But more so, it will be very helpful if each community leader, parents and police work together to stop these little crimes.

So what are we going to do, if we want to change Aitape?