Yaksta motivates young men

Yaksta, also known as Bushlawd, may be invested in becoming a globally recognised artiste, but that does not stop the entertainer from getting his hands dirty as he believes in agriculture's contribution to the economy.

Last week, he was invited by the D&G Foundation and Dragon to participate in the Windsor Farm training programme as part of its 'Be The One' skills training campaign. He spoke about what it means for at-risk youth to make an effort and what helped him to beat the odds against him.

"Not many look on the fruit tree until it bears; we look on it when it is ready to reap, but you have to continue to sow the soil until it is at that stage. When you start out, nobody will see you for who you are but when you reach, you get the ratings, it's the same for most things," Yaksta explained to the group of men between the ages of 20 and 45, who showed up at the Twickenham Park Training Centre in St Catherine for the session last week.

The fast-rising entertainer expressed that he was impressed with the number of participants and their receptiveness. He wanted to leave them not only with an unforgettable message that resonated like his hit singles Ambition and Assets, but also to listen to their business plans and offer advice.

"We all been through the good, been through the bad, but push forward and still build a fowl coop. Nuff a unuh grow up in the gun violence. I'm no better than any man here. Unuh nuh need nuh distraction, suh nuh badda breed too much ooman, because me ah tell unuh, it tek too much money, lots of expenses," said Yaksta, who explained that as a father, it can be demanding on his time and pocket.

"Mek me give unuh some ideas, cause see when a youth ah mek ah effort fi push forward fi better, me haffi commend unuh. Invest, because invest a di only interest right now. So, right as the farming starts reaping rewards, reap more. Stocks are the way to go, Jamaica is the way to go, ask Dragon," he continued in his reasoning with the group.

Joel Wilson, 32, one of the participants who hails from the Windsor Park community in St Catherine, said that Yaksta's advice was relevant. He is a barber and small farmer who plants sweet and hot peppers, okra, carrot and pumpkin.

"I'm trying to improve on both businesses and to hear Yaksta share his story as an artiste, farmer and father, helped in some ways. The Bushlawd's reasoning wasn't far off from what our entire training was about, was pretty decent. He picked up on what each of us was asking about," Wilson said.