Dear Editor,
Reference is made to your Editorial, “1,000 men”, 19 October. President Irfaan Ali’s announcement on Sunday about the launch or imminent launch of a programme dubbed “1,000 men,” the objective of which, he confidently stated, is reversing the challenges faced by young men in Guyana. I wish to share with you five things in order for this programme to be successful from my personal experience. Had I been a teenager living in Guyana, I would have needed such a programme. Having grown up in one of the most violent villages (Albouystown), without a father, with a single mother of eight children, a school dropout, a “dunce” no direction in life, no will to live, feeling hopeless, powerless, helpless, no mentor, no teacher, no love and no hope. Like many of the men that will sign up for the programme, I grew up with the mindset to: get rich or die trying. Editor, the five things that change the trajectory of my life are: Going to America, Becoming a born again Christian, Going back to school to finish my education, joining the American’s military and having mentors to guide me through life.
Let me explain to you how each of these things led me to become a law abiding citizen and successful in life. I was just 17 when I left Guyana. I wasn’t able to read or write. I had a learning disability. This disability led me to have low self-esteem, self-confidence and violent. I was going down a dangerous and dark road, a road of no return, no turning back, paved with drugs and alcohol abuse. On that road, I was destined to go to jail, a mental institution or an early death. Then, I received the good news. My family was going to America. Shortly after arriving in America, l became a born again Christian, and I was encouraged to return to school to get an education. It was then I found out why I was doing so poorly in school and that I wasn’t a “dunce” as I was told by teachers and students. I had a learning disability. This news shattered my already low self-esteem, but I pressed on. My new faith in God encouraged me to press on. Consequently, I went to school 16 consecutive years until I finished my master’s degree. Growing up without a father and in an unstable home, I was lacking discipline. So I joined the military to help me to learn discipline.
After three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, I retired from the military and moved to Guyana and have been mentoring. Mentors have helped me tremendously in life, and I am giving back by being a mentor. Editor, it’s my humble opinion for the president’s programme to work, the things that I mentioned before must be done, or otherwise the programme would not succeed. If it worked for me, I believe it would work for the men in the programme. I’m willing to help if I’m called upon.
Sincerely,
Anthony Pantlitz
