New Opportunity Corps
Mission
The New Opportunity Corps currently has 5 male students and thirty-eight (38) staff members comprising both pensionable and temporary/contractual basis. Its outlook in keeping with the Juvenile Justice Act 2018 is to;
- To provide youths with technical, vocational, entrepreneurial and life skills for personal and national development in a disciplined environment.
- Social rehabilitation of juveniles committed to custodial sentences for personal development in life.
- To provide a place for the juvenile in the facility that contains the level of custody identified by the Court.
Historical Overview
Onderneeming a former Dutch oriented village, is located in Region 2, Essequibo and presently accommodates a learning Institution consistent with the name; New Opportunity Corps, established on August 01, 1979 which arose out of a state paper of the Guyana National Service in 1973.
The historic site was occupied by the Dutch invaders in 1620 and by 1640 a Simi fort was built on the Sandy reef to oversee the western entrance of the Essequibo River between the Island of Hamburg and the main land so as to counter attack the incoming pirates from Britain, France, Spain and Portugal.
Circumstantial evidence and existing massive Dutch Architect would indicate that one particular building; originally had a two story structure would have overlooked the landscape across the river. A massive clay brick base foundation is very decorative and sustaining huge four feet square and twelve feet high pillars and exhibits little sign of decay of its more than 400 years of occupancy. It presently houses the Information Technology Lab at the top flat while the medical centre is at the bottom flat.
At present; one huge two storey building presently the Administrative Centre is also located on a massive Dutch pillars and oversee the Essequibo River. Additionally, a training block with adequate space for sport facilities, inclusive of a Medical flat, a Stores Building, Kitchen and Laundry, Farmlands which includes crops and livestock, Information Technology Lab, A confinement Flat Building, Male and Female Dormitories separated apart from each other, Administrator residence, Guard Huts and a Guest House for visitors all adorned on the compound of the New Opportunity Corps. Outside of the complex are the Staff and Family Quarters and a Staff Recreational Club (Canteen).
The primary areas of skills training are: garment Construction, Agriculture Science, Catering and Home Management, Carpentry and Joinery, Welding and Sheet Metal and Electrical Installation Correcting deficiencies in literacy and numeracy imitated remedial English and mathematics which in turn supports the training done in the technical- vocational skills area.
