King Isenia in the UK in one of his many class sessions.
PHILIPSBURG–K1 Britannia Foundation has worked with and to support vulnerable youth on the island, since its establishment in 2014. Hurricane Irma brought a lot of challenges to the island, one of them being high unemployment. This means that K1’s target group of youth has become much more vulnerable.
K1 is creating training programmes in partnership with other organisations on the island to give teenagers the opportunity to get jobs in the boatbuilding and construction fields, two very relevant job markets during the upcoming years of rebuilding.
One of K1’s long-term goals is to create training opportunities abroad for vulnerable youth on the island who do not have the opportunity to benefit from such training on their own. One of the foundation’s pilot programmes is a 47-week complete boatbuilding apprenticeship programme at IBTC Lowestoft in the United Kingdom in collaboration with K1 Britannia Trust, the Foundation’s sister charity.
Eighteen-year-old King Isenia is one of the recipients who was given the opportunity to complete this course which, besides boatbuilding skills, will also cover other skills relevant to gaining employment in the marine industry.
“We are very proud of King and with our experience working with him over the last two years, we felt he was the best candidate for this programme and also someone who has worked in the maritime industry in St. Maarten and has a desire to continue to do so. This is both an incredible opportunity for this youth as well as the island, as King will return with specialised skills that are not currently taught in St. Maarten,” said K1 co-founder Priya Thirumur.
The hope is to expand this programme further and to be able to send youth abroad, near or far, for similar apprenticeships. “We are very thankful to those who have helped make King’s journey so far, one of them being the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta who helped to pay the initial part of King’s school fees,” added K1 Project Manager Iris Hakkens.
The K1 Second Chance Programme gives more than 30 vulnerable youth on the island educational and job training opportunities as well as mentors and workshops to guide them to become productive members of society.
The journey has just begun for Isenia, who needs the support of individuals and the business community to help him complete his certification. Persons interested in learning more and how they can support King and other vulnerable youth on the island are encouraged to contact the foundation by sending an email to
foundation@k1britannia.org , visiting its website
www.k1britanniafoundation.org or its Facebook page at
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/76497-second-chance-programme-sends-youngster-to-uk
View comments
Hide comments