Dressed up with nowhere to go
Published:Saturday | February 25, 2012 | 12:00 AM
PAMPRET, St Thomas:
IT'S ABOUT 2:30 on a Friday afternoon when The Gleaner team enters the Touch of Class pub on the outskirts of Pamphret, St Thomas, having just interviewed a young man next door.
The four women inside are obviously friends, but bartender Christine Barrett is doing no business and perks up at the chance of making a sale.
After chatting with the women for a while, they all seem to be singing from the same hymn book. Nothing is happening for the area in terms of employment. Santana Clarke, who goes to a catering school on Mondays and Wednesdays is relaxing on a day off. Having started the course in January, she has not yet learnt enough to get even a part-time job or to think about doing her own business. Still, she would love the opportunity to earn some money on the off days.
"I could still do something because I only go to school two days," she appealed. "But nuh work nuh really de bout."
Her friend Tanesha Francis is all dressed up with nowhere to go. In addition to the lack of job opportunities, she is also concerned about the paucity of entertainment activities to occupy youngsters like herself. She, however, maintains a mental calendar of all the entertainment activities in neighbouring communities and the attendance at past events.
The fourth person is Jacqueline Thompson, Christine's mother who describes herself as new to the area. A practical nurse by profession, she is between jobs and has opted to spend some time with her daughter. She, too, has been affected by the job drought and admits to having given up on the idea of trying to get a business started in the area.
Number of events
No one comes in to do business in the time we are there, but Christine explains that things are likely to pick up later and usually do. In addition, the boss hosts a number of events, which pull lots of patrons, she explains.
Tanesha and Santana cite bad mind as a major reason for the lack of success when entertainment events are staged in the general area. While bad timing in terms of when the events are staged could account for low turnout, Santana offers another explanation.
"Them people yah just different, them will tell people nuh fi come out and support things. They will call up friends and say they are not coming and tell you not to go either. You just have some bad mind people."