Shahad Ali
Senior Press Pass Correspondent
University of the West Indies
"Love the children, listen to them and find hope in all situations." These were the words of Marcus Kissoon, a youngster who is constantly involved in enriching and enhancing the lives of others.
Kissoon recently received the 2012 National Youth Award for Volunteerism. He was given the award based on the tremendous amount of work that he gave to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
In an interview with gieMAGAZINE he stated that he is "very glad that the elder leaders of the country recognised the efforts of young people", adding, "The appreciation was welcomed and very encouraging."
The National Youth awardee is also a past student of Hillview College, and was the only graduate of his year to get involved in social issues. He has been involved with Families in Action, Mariama's Children Centre and the
Network of Non-Governmental Organizations of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women.
For the past two years, the 25-year-old has also been on the Board of Directors for the Rape Crisis Centre. It was here that Kissoon declared himself a 'Social Worker' and has since been actively dealing with issues of rape in
Trinidad and Tobago. The committed young man has attained his position on the board through hard work as a volunteer. Kissoon revealed during our interview that stories of rape in Trinidad and Tobago easily rank as 10 on a scale of 1-10.
The passion with which Kissoon has for what he does is clearly evident. However, when it came to children's rights, his enthusiasm was off the scale. "I learnt the importance of a child's innocence and healthy parental care,"
Kissoon expressed. He then went on to insist that, "Children who do not a have safe and stable parenting system, need to be placed in foster care." Nevertheless, the youngster bemoaned the lack of resources in Trinidad and
Tobago's foster care programme. "We do not have trained matrons or professionals within the homes that take care of these children. We take them from one unhealthy environment and place them in another.
This actually does more harm than good in a child's rehabilitation. These are the things that our country needs to improve on."
Describing himself as cautiously carefree and open minded, Kissoon insisted that making time for one's self is important despite having a hectic schedule.
He is a movie buff at heart, and needs to be at the movies at least once a week. If this does not happen he swears that he would be quite frantic.
He also loves to bake and describes Betty Crocker as his best friend. (He boasted to gieMAGAZINE that his icing is always made from scratch, though.)
What is his ultimate goal? "To continue having the passion that I currently have for the rest of my life." Kissoon has big plans for the future and hopes to venture into the medical field.
It's quite interesting to note that Kissoon is also currently helping others enhance their physical state of mind, and in the future would look to assist people with the physical makeup of their bodies.
Always giving back seems to be the mantra for this youth. Ever humble, Kissoon wished to thank his support network, his friends from Hillview College and those from the University of the Southern Caribbean.
He also extends thanks to his family members as well as the countless organisations that he has had the opportunity to work with. Special thanks also went to the Rape Crisis Centre.
"This organization was responsible for moulding me and making me the hard worker in civil society today. I will always be grateful for that."
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY: Marcus Kissoon