PHILIPSBURG:--- On May 19th, 2023, the Voice of the Youth SXM Foundation (VOTY) held its 10th Rank Promotion Ceremony for its program, the St. Maarten Youth Brigade. Alongside Youth Brigadiers, Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM) and VKS marched to recognize the organization's value amongst the community and celebrate promoting members within the program. The founder, Mrs. Zulayka Peterson, unveiled the acquisition of a bus through the R4CR grant Round 5. This bus was showcased at the promotional ceremony to the public. The importance of the project was explained to all who were gathered on this momentous occasion.
For the past ten years that VOTY has been serving the youth of St. Maarten, one of the organization's struggles was providing adequate transportation for the members of the St. Maarten Youth Brigade. Through the R4CR funding, VOTY was able to secure a bus.
The St. Maarten Youth Brigade is a paramilitary organization for youth between the ages of 12 and 21. It aims to instill discipline, leadership through military training, and overall life skills. As part of our commitment to providing accessible and inclusive programs for the youth, we will be operating a bus that serves mobility to and from educational & recreational activities, mentoring opportunities, and physical fitness military programs to young individuals within the program.
This program would not be possible without our supporting partners: SMDF, SFC, Ministry of ECYS, R4CR, Law Enforcement Entities, and all other stakeholders.
"The R4CR program is financed by the Government of the Netherlands via the Sint Maarten Trust Fund. The latter is administered by the World Bank and implemented by the NRPB (National Recovery Program Bureau). The R4CR program is locally managed by the VNGI (International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities) in close cooperation with 4C Foundation and other local partners."
We are currently recruiting new members until June 16th. For more information about the St. Maarten Youth Brigade, check out our socials: Facebook: SYBSXM, Instagram: VOTYSXM, or LinkedIn.