Regional Hotelier Urges Education Sectors to Address Youth Deviance and Violence

A leading regional hotelier is urging the private and higher education sectors to play a greater role in tackling youth deviance and violence.

The call has come from veteran hotelier Ralph Taylor who also lauded The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Cave Hill campus for being an agency of change in the region and urged it to explore opportunities to further burnish its legacy of service to the Caribbean Taylor, who was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree for his work in tourism by The UWI, at Cave Hill’s just-held graduation ceremony, was addressing a dinner in honour of himself and three other distinguished regional citizens who were recognised for their outstanding contribution to society.

While he lauded the campus for offering a deeper understanding of the myriad social issues affecting the region since its inception more than 60 years ago, he told the audience there were other areas where it could continue to fulfil its mission to serve the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In this regard, he put forward a proposal for greater investment in three areas: tourism, entrepreneurship, and addressing youth violence, the latter being a growing source of concern for law enforcement and education officials.

Since the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, there have been several incidents of violence in schools, including stabbings at two secondary schools and reports of a primary school student wielding a knife.

Taylor pointed to the devastating effects of increasing youth violence on families and communities across the Caribbean, which he said is often rooted in economic disenfranchisement, social inequality, and lack of opportunities, which threatens the fragile tourism industry.

“Our education system has served us well in developing our youth and better preparing them for the world of decent work. However, there is a need for policies, strategies, plans and practical programmes to help these youth and as much as possible, to pull them back into the mainstream of society, functioning as positive citizens either employed or running their own businesses. I challenge our private sector to come forward and make even more meaningful contributions to assist in resolving the problem of youth crime and violence,” he said.

The Chairman and CEO of Arcadia Hotels & Resorts told the audience that while the work of The UWI’s Institute of Criminal Justice and Security is a step in the right direction, there is a need for further integration with the wider society and community groups.

“I support and encourage further community-based studies to get to the root causes of the growing youth deviance and violence, and to work collaboratively with social partners in finding solutions to the problem,” he stated.

Noting that entrepreneurship has the power to transform Caribbean economies, Taylor congratulated the Cave Hill campus on the expansion of its curriculum to include an entrepreneurship component and advocated for a further broadening of the programme to allow for more significant projects to be considered for assistance.

“….I am proposing a more applied focus on the entrepreneurship programme such that participants could be more centred on developing realistic business projects for assessment as part of the degree programme. These projects can then become part of the entrepreneurial activities of the graduates,” he said.

Acknowledging that funding will be an issue, Taylor contended that any investment in entrepreneurship will yield benefits for the local communities and the university in the areas of economic development, economic diversification, job creation and viable new businesses, as well as enhance the income and prestige of the university.

He also called for greater investment in youth entrepreneurship: “I do not think that we have fully utilised or exploited the youth entrepreneurship ecosystem, and urge the University to lead this process through your entrepreneurship programme and the Cave Hill School of Business and Management.

“It is my opinion that it is only when all these stakeholders are aligned, we will see the practical benefits to the youth, especially the at-risk youth.”

Regarding the campus’s contribution to the development of the tourism and hospitality sector, Taylor, a former chairman of the Barbados Tourism Authority and Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, hailed Cave Hill as a beacon for graduate students seeking certification in that field. He recalled that the former Almond Resort, which he operated, played an integral role in facilitating the practical component of the master’s programme.

Taylor also shared his vision for the campus to take the next step in the development of its tourism programmes, through the establishment of a commercial operation, as part of its financial sustainability model. He suggested it take the form of a four or five-star resort modelled after Cornell University’s Statler Hotel, which is owned by that university and run by students.

“There is tremendous potential that can be developed by such an initiative for the benefit of the region and the University. Academics visiting for conferences, and travellers seeking a different kind of experience would be the key market for this initiative.

“This proposed model can, over time, attract thousands of students from around the world for exposure to our unique type of hospitality, very much like the medical school’s concept,” Taylor stated.

He added that this model would also enhance the competitiveness of Barbados’ tourism product.

“I argue that due to the critical importance of tourism and hospitality globally, we must ensure that we develop, recruit, and deploy our best thinkers and most highly competent at the leadership and managerial levels in tourism. I think this is necessary if we are to be globally competitive and among the leaders in tourism and hospitality worldwide.”

Over the past few decades, Taylor has distinguished himself as a leader in the tourism sector and has been widely recognised by his peers for his contribution to the development of Caribbean tourism.

The three other individuals who were conferred honorary doctorates were Governor General of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dame Susan Dilys Dougan who was awarded a Doctor of Laws (LLD) for the development of Education; Sir Trevor Hassell, who was awarded a Doctor of Science (DSc) for his work in public health; and the Most Honourable Elton Deighton ‘Elombe’ Mottley, who was awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) for his contribution to the development of Arts and Culture in Barbados. (PR)