I skip the chocolate because I don't need to be eating it, LOL! I do appreciate their entrepreneurial skills.
I skip the chocolate because I don't need to be eating it, LOL! I do appreciate their entrepreneurial skills.
Bnewb- that's really great that you are offering support and guidance to some of the challenging children you describe. Your first post didn't read like your second one. Thanks for the clarification.
It very often takes just one person caring and believing in a child to help change their life around, so I applaud your efforts.
I know Negril really well too, so felt I needed to advocate for the children who might be given a negative cover story on a public forum. Bad stuff always grows and multiplies often without merit.
goldilocks - I sometimes give in to temptation and eat the chocolate lol.
"I nearly always buy off the children, as even if I've only helped one out of ten children that day eat a meal, then I'm happy with that."Originally Posted by Westenders
I contribute to the soup kitchen as I feel it promotes a healthier regime and doesn't encourage begging rather promotes schooling. The groups of children I encountered on the beach on a school day weren't interested in selling. One group of 3 had between them 2 Rasta bracelets that were definitely tattered and recycled. It was just a cover to beg?
Thanks Westenders...but no need to applaud my personal efforts...it's a community effort by all of us that live here!
Maybe it was the second portion of my post that was confusing as I was not referring only to children in that post...but as I said...all age groups.
And don't worry Westenders, both Rob and I advocate for more than just the children here...always fighting to keep the bad stuff from being exaggerated unfairly or out right lies being spread...the truth stands on it's own.
Bnewb- thanks for the reply. Good to know.
Dash - don't you get it? Look at what you said with some empathy, could these children have been desperate? Not all children go to school in JA if their parents can't afford to send them. They were trying to sell something, even if it was tatty. They didn't straight ask you for money, that in my view would be begging. We don't know what these individual kids are experiencing. The beggar label just reinforces stereotypical thinking.
Brill that you donate to st. Anthony,s but they have limited capacity and can't help everyone unfortunately.
yes they r pushy but we agree too that its good they r learning how buisness works and the reward you get from doing it right, we like to buy from them but we also give a good lesson, if they get pushy we walk away . and yes you will get some rude comments then , but they also have learned a lesson.
West, I get it. The scam is to use the tattered bracelet as an approach to beg. As few would buy these items the kids demand money. They are not subtle and don't give up. If more people gave to St Anthony's instead of beggars, more could be done. As you suggested you may have helped only one out of ten children. St Anthony's batting percentage is much much better. This is not stereotypical. The great majority of Jamaican children do not beg. I had not seen this behaviour from kids on the beach before and certainly not in groups.
Two kids were walking down the beach with a aloe leaf for sale for 2 bucks,,,I said I would give them 1 dollar as a nice gesture,,,the kid took the dollar and broke the leaf in half ???? I thought it was sad.
The old guy on the beach that sells the fake Blue Mountain coffee with the beautiful daughter dressed in the pretty dress has her "scamming" and I give her stuff then she asks for more or tries to get close to your wifes purse or money on the bar.
I give to those who don't ask.
Obviously we have all had different experiences of this and have different view points. Fair enough. The ones that ask me are always polite and ask.
Dash, what i meant was that I pretty much buy off all the children that approach me, I'm not asked every day, so across the time I'm there if I give to ten children, and say only one was genuine, then I'm happy with that.
Westender,
We all care about the children, and of course the vast majority of children are polite and never beg. Most attend school. But this problem has been happening since late 2012, when the youthful chocolate vendors became much more aggressive in their sales techniques. It was even spoken about directly in a thread in December 2012:
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...andy-Bar-Mafia
This nickname has been around along time for this particular group of kids and was well earned.
But as Bnewb has pointed out, we are helping these children when we can to learn how and how not to sell their wares. There is one particular older one (about 12) who listens to our suggestions and does what he can to pass them on to the rest. And each time we talk with him, we always emphasize the fact he should be in school instead. He was really proud to show us the new bike he had bought, so the money he earns does not go for food or school. He looks at himself as a businessman.
They were relentless but they have reduced their swarm tactics as that has proved to be counter-productive to their sales. The older one has helped to teach the younger ones. But there are more now than there was back in 2012. They were pretty much a West End issue then, but they have taken their trade to the beach.
As a suggestion, for each person who feels compelled to buy chocolate from any of these children, please do so but remind them that they can earn much more money in the future if they would attend school. If they hear it from enough people, some may take the advice to heart. They are, for the most part, very sweet children who have been caught up early in a tourist based economy.
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
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