 Hello and welcome to Issues and Answers, a production of the Government Information Service and the National Television Network. I am your host, Kendall Eugene, and with me we have two fine gentlemen and we will be discussing issues surrounding youth and the answers that they have for it. Welcome, Mr. George Sainkwa and Mr. Stanley Stevens. Stanley Stevens is the coordinator of the Youth Power Group and of course George Sainkwa, one of the senior members of the YPG. Welcome to the show. Before we get into YPG and what it is all about, let us know a little bit about yourselves, about who Steven is and who Sainkwa is. Basically, my name is Stanley Stevens, a special good morning to all of you watching us right now. Well, before attending the YPG, I was someone who was very rebellious to my mother and I saw my mother, my home, was growing up broken. Everything started within my house and my mother she used to work very hard and like she didn't earn anything and because of that I grew a little anger against her, because I saw my brothers had the best because they knew their father and I myself didn't know my father, his physical appearance and because of that it grew anger inside of me and then it grew with hatred and I hated my mother. And I wish she was there so I can be free to do everything that I want. Because of that I ran away from home three times. I took my clothes, I went by my eldest brother and she came back looking for me and brought me home as what all mothers does. And I was always troubled and I wanted to be around my brothers because we used to fight all the time and this led me to even follow bad company. I started to smoke, I started to drink, I started to stay out and party and I started even walking with knives on the street. I never had the courage to even stab somebody but just for me to have like, you know because I see my friends doing it I want to do it also. So everywhere I go I used to go with the knife I used to follow my friends whatever they do I used to do. It was not just my intention to do it but because of them I used to do it also. So from a young age you basically grew up as a troubled young man. Yes, from the age of 12 years I started doing all this. Okay, so normally when people say tell me about yourself you would hear the stories of you know, I grew up in that community I was with my friends playing but for you it was totally different. Where did you grow up? Well, my family originated from Ansleray but most of my youth age I stayed in Marsha, back at the side. Okay. I know everyone said that this area is a bad area but I don't believe like the area is a bad area. It's the people that is in the area, what they are doing what they put their strength to do and because of that I followed the friends and I end up being in these kinds of things that I didn't want to be in but because I saw my friends doing it and I didn't find the love I thought that was my family I found it with my friends. Alright, George what about you? Well, with me I did not raise up with you know, the violence in terms of knives etc. You know, my story I was a poor growing up it was very difficult because I was the eldest you know, normally when you are the eldest you get the life the hardest you know when you used to go to school I remember going to school with my books that's how bad it was. I remember going to school with the Chinese shoes and when you were in school you were getting a kind of jokes from the children going sometimes with the battered sleeper you know, if people remember this battered sleeper that always had that kind of stench I'm sure there are a few boys right now that have PTSD from the battered sleeper that was the road of punishment for quite a few oh yes through time through that life I could not focus in school because the worst thing is when you are in a classroom and your teacher is trying to teach something and you are hungry you are more focused on where you are going to get something I could not focus in school my grades were always on F if they could give me Z and my paper I would get a Z that's how I perform in school as time passed by I left school from the age of 15 because I wanted to work I wanted to help my mother and at that time I had brothers and sisters that were younger than me and I wanted to see how I can assist my mother I took up the responsibility of being I would say a father role very young I did not basically have a childhood from 15 years I am already going to work trying to bring in the money to pay the bills to make groceries as time passed by I did not even know that I was depressed and what opened up my eyes is when my son was depressed as well and this is okay I keep on holding all of this inside people see me then I started as a performer because for me I was just trying to get myself out to move the focus of the life that I was living even though I started working early but I still did courses to just open up my understanding just for me to have a little knowledge of what is to come and then I started writing to the words I was writing I was feeling inside of me and then I did not even know how I started writing soka music because you remember you have one of the more prolific soka performers of the late 2000s heading into the late 2000s before we jump into that part of your life you said you grew up poor and also you Stanley you said you also had that growing up you grew up poor but you too have totally contrasting childhoods whereas you were unfortunately following the bad company you decided you were going to work and you wanted to bring in income into the house you gave us your reason why because you didn't feel love at home and you were looking for that love but what about you George why did you not follow the bad company what made you choose work following Steven's lead the mother that raised me my friend you would not think about following bad company because back in the days if you said chips to your mother my friend you would get beaten they are not going to beat you because they hate you they are beating you to discipline you the time that I grew up discipline was one of the most important things growing up so if your mother see that you are working with a group of friends that will put you in trouble she will warn you and if you disobey then you will get licks if you reach home you will get licks because they tell you you have 40 minutes to reach home why are you late you jumping in the ring you get the flu my friend you go get licks because do not jump in the ring so with all of this I had that fear of not getting licks because the way we used to get licks my friend whatever that your parents got you are beating with it they get a broomstick they beat with it they get a sleeper they beat with it a friend pun your friends are outside watching they are laughing at you so you do not want to be put to shame so you rather hey I would listen and then for you now even if your mother is doing all about you to help you okay not to destroy you so then you would always want to do things to make your mother proud because for me I was seeing how hard my mother was taking it and back in the days sometimes the parents used to let you know what they went through compared to a lot of parents to hide what they went through making the children believe that life is easy but when you raise up and your mother tell you how hard she take it and you are seeing it for yourself you would always want to not put your mother in shame okay and try to raise up having a good name in society Stanley you had the wolf part of it all alright you saw the ills of the gang life I should say what made you want to change okay what brought that change upon well basically my mom brought me to the YPG she brought me I didn't want her to go because I was a youth growing up you know playing football I love football and I was playing for a team and every single Sunday I had a match but that day was murder's day so I said you know let me just go just to please her I will just go because she have been inviting me come let's go so I wanted to know what that YPG is all about she invited me to so when I arrived there you know I see the different stories of like people who came with her life worse than mine and they changed and I say okay so if they can change I can change also and also the activities that the YPG had it called my attention because also I love football and they had football okay that same Sunday I had to go back with my friends to play football but I stayed and play football with them so that already draw my attention so you had different activities that appealed to you at the time and that made you a lot more interested in partaking in the programs the YPG were offering yes apart from the football what else made you stay well also because of the like activities like my talent also they are different groups in the YPG that had their that draw my attention and I end up staying for example I like to dance so they had a culture group so I joined that culture group and you know it motivated me and also as I said the life transformations that I saw I say okay if that person can change if she can change if he can change I also can change so I started to push myself to learn more how can I receive that transformation what can I do for me to be changed to transform because I know I grew up in a house with my mom alone and also with my siblings and it's very hard for her and you know I think with myself then I came to the reason if I am able to change I will be able to help even my mother and my siblings right so I started to see the change day after day I didn't change overnight but I started to continue coming to the YPG hearing the messages that we receive and I started to put to practice and there I saw they change why did your friends take it because that's your biggest influence how did they take you not showing up for practice anymore not playing football with them but you heading to this program religiously yes so it was not easy I received a lot of position because I started to engage myself in something like good I can't say because at that time what I was doing I thought it was good but I from coming to the YPG I found out I was doing something good but my friends they didn't like so they just persecute me and say ah you are this you are that they suddenly call me their names that they send motion news so I myself I say ok they themselves not feeding me I know already my mother already taking it hard they not feeding me so I say you know what it's better I stay where I am and then I continue to engage myself in the activities strong and strong and strong until today I see they change my life any of them follow you yes I have about three of them and they still today in the youth group alright let's take a quick break and when we get back from the break we are going to speak to George Finkwa but we are going to speak to Platinum George ok we are going to chat to Platinum George because like I said before he was one of the more prolific soccer artists in St. Lucia testing to be the monarch at one time alright and then we just saw him disappear ok we found out what happened and of course learn about his transformation this is issues and answers the production of the Government Information Service I'm your host Kenneth Eugene we'll take a quick break and be right back with our two guests from YPG and we'll be right back some moans are not the solution use organic and join excessive agrochemical use additives and genetically modified foods are harmful to health and the environment join the good food revolution grow buy and consume organic a message from Rye St. Lucia and the Ministry of Sustainable Development with funding from the GEF small grants program UNDP welcome back to back to issues and answers the production of the government information service and NTN. I am your host Kendall Eugene with me our guest from the YPG coordinator Stanley Stephen and a senior YPG member George Senkwa. A lot of y'all will see him and be like that's Platinum George. Yes it is that. Do you still call yourself Platinum George? Yeah I still do because there are some places that I go when I say George Senkwa you know I've seen but George Senkwa but it seemed like but to me you have another name your son and I say okay yes Platinum George I said oh okay all right you know that okay where have you been you know so I still was Platinum George you know sometimes you know when I want to probably remind people of okay where I started off you know because the name Platinum it is I mean everybody knows it but they do not know what Platinum George was going through right you know so let's talk about that because we saw Platinum George big hits may I all right the so-called cowboy yes okay daddy yes among others and you also was at a point in time one of the top contenders for the crown yes all right and I think solutions are still angry at that yeah may I the mayor yeah that you did not win the crown if they could have had a riot on the Marsha field that night they would have had it because you were angry Platinum did not get that crown yes so you basically on stardom rule stardom level but then we just did not hear from you anymore what happened throughout my career you know I kept a lot inside of me because I was very unhappy you know I was basically trying to feel happiness by living a life of pretend you know when I got on the stage it was for that brief moment you know I was basically somebody different because you know with with music I you know I always dress up for me just entertainment that's why I put different arm costumes on me you know to make people happy entertain them before I go up on stage I would I would drink I would smoke this will get a little high you know but after leaving the stage I would get back to reality that I am still unhappy you know I am not happy with the way that my life is going you know financially that I wanted to be somewhere different and what took a lot of people by surprise I did not like the attention I did not like the fame you know and it took people like how you mean you don't know I tell them like it was through the depression that I felt there are times I just want to be alone I don't want I don't want to have people calling me you know and what really was hard and it sometimes when you go especially when you famous you go to a certain place and somebody see you my friend everybody's are calling you on to come and sign autograph and like for me I just did not like it and it all went back when the way that I grew up you know with all of this anger with all of this pain that I kept in me and I said moving from different relationships thinking that okay I would find probably love will change me but in the relationship it was sometimes even worse because sometimes end up in a relationship where the parents the family don't like you you understand and that make the depression even worse fighting for I respect I would say from the family fighting from love from that spouse you know fighting to to be seen but it was just not happening the way that I wanted it okay so when did you realize it was actually depression you were going through when I entered into the YPG because for me it was for me there's something not you know today I'm just not in my mood you know like how many people say today I just don't know why to trouble me or today I'm not in my mood today to talk to nobody or that lock myself in the room but when I entered the YPG and as I'm just even said hearing what people were going through you know and actually letting the youth know explaining the symptoms of depression made me realize that throughout these years I was facing depression and it's like I'm saying but but how can a grown man like me I mean for me this is life this is what life is there are times that it will be good there are times it will be bad you know they have that is what I fought you know and then it really hit me when my son sat in the press too and I did not even know I believe that I was doing the best to raise my son giving him everything that he needs you know and when my son gave his testimony that he was trying to commit suicide that's when I got to so you had no idea that he was even going through no because for me he was my son was basically like me calm quiet like me you know so obviously like father like son that's how people people say it so for me it was not I did not see a problem because he he did not need anything he eats what he want so if today that he wants let's say my son wants KFC or Domino's and I am not there my sister will get it for him my brothers will get it for him my mother they like there's always somebody if I am not there at the time to get whatever that he needs my son will wake up in the in the middle of the night probably eight nine in the night go to the kitchen open the fridge and eat but what happens when he said that at that time he was walking in the house when we fought was food was gonna look for he was planning to kill himself wow and nobody knew how did you feel when you heard that when I heard that I was standing next to my son and I just got cold you know and I'm saying but he's saying it but I am just going back in time you know actually remembering fortune that I noticed that he was going back and forth in the house but I thought he was wrong for food you know and then my sister called me once and that they got a message on his phone that he sent to a friend saying that he wants to kill himself so I'm like imagine I stand up there I'm saying really you know I'm saying I I don't even know how to approach my son from that day from the time my son gave that testimony I never asked him any questions I never said a word to him like you know after you know like we know we go in a corner we go home I was so surprised that up to a day like today I never said a word to him because I do not want I do not want him to feel that you know that I'm gonna pressure him or I'm trying to be hard on him right because okay if your parents will be your child try to kill themselves the first thing you do in all the panic you will try to be rough with them rough them up right why you trying to do them kind of things and you never tell me about this and to them again to know about this so at that point I did not say anything I'd not say a word to him because I noticed that through the YPG he opened up he didn't open up to me but he found someone in there that he could have opened up to and when you open up to them it made him feel more comfortable with himself to speak about it now so the YPG is like a family yes okay and a place where you basically have a safe avenue to come and speak out right do you all take it out of the building for example going and minister in schools in different youth groups etc yes we do we go through um whatever something school permits us to come we come you know and as we say we do not come to the schools to come and make you like all religious and so you know most importantly is what the child is going through okay and sometimes you have you have counselors who try the best but sometimes they still cannot break the ice with that student and what we do is find what that child loves to do okay and a lot of mistakes that a lot of people make if the child confides in you about something they go and tell somebody else so now the trust that that child already put in you you have already lost it right so now what we do we make we build a relationship with the students that even if that you say something to us if it's well let's see if that is something that is very serious that we have to speak to your parents we will mm-hmm but for us now to find out get to the root of the problem we have to find a way to make you feel comfortable I got some footage from our our PIO and she told me you need to show this while you do the interview with the two gentlemen so we're going to try to get that creep right now it's with the two of you it probably I'm just coming from ministering or going to minister so we'd like to show that creep right now if we have it already just take a look at that one and after you will tell me what went on and how will you receive by the individuals okay hello everyone we just finished speaking to the students but not just speak we show this morning Mr. Jordan and some other testimonies and if you like us to join you at your school you can just leave at the bottom of this video the name of your school and we are going to be in contact with your principal in order to show you how it is possible for me to change and be a better youth of this country of solution right see you guys help schools tell us about that initiative basically we help all the students and this help project as you can see on our shirts it says we will help but don't judge and we have been seeing a lot of situations occurring in school even before this year as we have been hearing a lot of things happening this even before this year we have already started this work in the school because we know how it's important with the youth because the youth today they are strong and they have efforts to do anything and that is why we are targeting the schools because we want to help the students and as you can see the clip we just showed a while ago we were in the current secondary school the students receive us very well even the principal also Mr. Andrew he received us very well and we shared even Mr. George he he shared his testimony his story of how everything started and how we end up changing also we are another member of the YPG I don't know if you know him his past name was Matt Ely oh yeah yeah Matt Ely is another one I keep saying Matt Ely you another artist that we all knew and love and he went the way of the church we're not mad at Matt Ely for that basically he was there on that day also sharing his life so because he grew up in a gang also and we showed to the students we didn't just go and talk to them because a lot of people have been speaking to the youth and they themselves have not given us but they want to see how they can change and this is what the YPG they help project we do we show to the youth how they are able to change how they are able to be transformed a better youth in their school the home in the community and above all for St. Lucia we find that you have a lot of young people very rebelling against anything to do with change especially when it comes in the form of a church group but it seems different with YPG quickly tell us how it is different and what you can now do for other communities so basically the difference that the youth power group has I know that other youth group has also we they have the activities they engage the youth in in sports and this kind of thing but above all it has to be based on the spiritual level also because they change starts within the person because you can say okay I'll change my dressing and it's not determined that you are changed you are changing the outside but first they change need to come inside of this person because a clean mind brings forth a clean action so if this youth have a mentality of cleanliness or this youth put their mind to do something cleanly they are going to see the actions day after day started to be real okay the change will be the change will start okay actually through the inside and then it shows on the outside George what about you before we close off yes I'm obviously we the way that we approach the youth we also let them know that even if that you are not finding the love that you are seeking but God loves you all right and you can do everything with his guidance just like me you know I did not know what love is or how to love somebody even love myself when I understood how much God loves me you know and this is what we teach youth as I'm just even said the change has to come from inside of you because you could get a lot of people who pretend that they change okay I was getting jokes because my I used to put them kind of shoes I start being this shoes disclose but yet still I am still behaving the same way but if you do not change your mentality and not only for the youth also for we who are helping the youth if we do not change our mentality we cannot help them it make no sense pressure in a child and then that child is saying you are pressuring me about something but you are worse than me yeah so the change also has to come from us as well excellent how can individuals learn more about the help schools project that is currently ongoing and of course the youth power group yeah so basically the youth power group we have different platforms we have the Facebook platform we have YouTube we have tiktok everything that the youth like so we engage the youth in things that they love and throughout the year 2023 and even in the beginning of 2024 we have come up with a lot of activities so that the youth can engage themselves in so that they can be occupied because if the youth are there and have nothing to do of course they will find something to do which is bad yeah ideal hands ideal hands so we with the ypg we we work with the activity so that we can get the youth involved from there we already what we already you know help them spiritually also but above all for them to have a clean mindset on what they need to do in order to be a better you that's why we did last year we had the savor youth event I don't know if they got the picture but we send some of the material we had a savor youth event that event was massive was great it had a great turnout whether you've got it we had the football competition and we saw a lot of boys boys that I even see before the ending yeah boys and even see before I saw they will add that event okay that's savor youth event excellent so if we want to become members now just before we close off how can we become a member of ypg where do I have to go what do I have to do well basically our office is located 25 brothers street our number is 730 4040 I'll say it again whoever watching us 730 4040 you can send me a text message I will be answering send me a text message or you can call straight or you can call on whatsapp we are going to be attending this person that is interested to join the youth power group or to be part of it or maybe they don't want to be part of the Europe but they need help they can gain contact with us and for sure we are going to be helping this youth no matter who you are if you are from another religion no matter we are going to be there to help them well George Stanley I want to say thank you very much for joining us anything else you want to add George before we say goodbye also we we send in an email to all the schools as well where we do a prayer at 10 to 7 with all the youth okay so they just press the link we do a prayer for them before they leave their home you know so I feel most of these schools are already on board if you are interested in taking part in this you could even contact us and we would send you the link for for your schools excellent thank you very much George thank you our senior member of ypg and Stanley Steven a coordinator of the youth power group I want to say thank you for joining issues and answers today and good luck in your future endeavors folks this has been issues and answers the production of the government information service your host Kendall Eugene thank you for viewing bye bye now