By Wilbert Mason
I recently returned home to North Leeward, spending much of my time in Rose Hall. What I witnessed was deeply troubling.
Each morning, young men gather along the roadside, some drinking rum and smoking weed before 9 a.m., others wandering like lost souls. One young man told me quietly, “Weed and rum are my escape from the struggles around me.”
His words reveal a painful truth: too many of our youth are trapped in cycles of despair, using substances to numb the weight of daily life.
This is not merely a social problem; it is a mental health emergency. Depression, addiction, and hopelessness are taking root in our communities, yet the response has been silence. Families are suffering in plain sight, and our young people are being left behind.
Now, as election day approaches on Nov. 27, politicians and their village representatives are walking through our villages, encouraging these same young men to register and vote. But I urge every political leader: look beyond the numbers. Don’t see these young men as votes to be won, see them as lives that need saving.
We must ask our candidates directly: What is your plan to address the mental health crisis in North Leeward? What programmes will you put in place to support our youth, provide counselling, create opportunities, and restore hope?
Rose Hall and the wider North Leeward community can no longer wait. If our leaders truly care about the people they seek to represent, they must act now with compassion, urgency, and vision. The future of our youth depends on it.
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We know who is at fault, don’t we? For 25 years we have same crew, who have the keys to our vaults’ so we know who is at fault..