GREAT BAY--Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling says the St. Maarten Youth Brigade represents far more than drills, ranks and formations, describing the program as essential nation-building work that strengthens discipline, develops grit and helps prevent young people from reaching critical crossroads without guidance.
Minister Tackling delivered the message during the St. Maarten Youth Brigade Promotional Ranking Ceremony held last weekend, where members were recognized for earning new ranks. She said the ceremony was not simply about promotion, but about acknowledging the discipline, consistency and perseverance that brought the young members to that moment.
The Minister centered her remarks on the importance of grit, drawing on the research of Dr. Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania, who studied what separates people who succeed from those who do not. Tackling said the research shows that success is not determined by intelligence or natural talent alone, but by grit, which she described as passion and perseverance toward long-term goals.
She explained that talent, without effort, is not enough. Referencing Duckworth’s formula, Tackling noted that talent multiplied by effort produces skill, while skill multiplied by effort produces achievement. The key message, she said, is that effort counts twice.
Tackling also shared personal reflections from her own life, including her years playing competitive tennis. She said that at a high level, tennis becomes one of the most psychologically demanding sports because once players reach a certain technical standard, the difference is often mental. It is about composure under pressure, the ability to lose a point and return to the line without carrying that loss, and the decision not to quit when a match is slipping away.
The Minister said competitive tennis taught her that no coach and no amount of talent can make the crucial decision for a player in those difficult moments. Only the habit of not quitting, built over time, carries a person through.
She also referred to marathon rowing, saying it quickly teaches that grit is not the absence of discomfort, but the decision to continue when the mind is telling the body to stop.
Tackling said that while she is an attorney and holds an advanced degree, what she is most proud of is not her credentials, but the grit behind them. She said the quality was formed through years of pressure, loss, discipline and the unglamorous work of becoming someone who does not fold when things become difficult.
The Minister drew a distinction between discipline and grit. Discipline, she said, is the daily practice of showing up, training when tired, choosing accountability when avoidance would be easier and holding oneself to a standard even when no one is watching. Grit, she explained, is what keeps discipline alive when things become hard.
According to Tackling, anyone can be disciplined on a good day, but grit is what sustains discipline on a bad day. She described grit as discipline with a backbone.
The Minister told the young members that life will test them repeatedly. They will work toward goals and sometimes fall short. They will put in effort that does not immediately produce visible results. They may be compared to others who appear to advance with less struggle. In those moments, she said, talent and intelligence will not be enough. Grit will be what carries them through.
Tackling said this is why programs such as the St. Maarten Youth Brigade matter deeply, and why the Ministry of Justice takes its relationship with the program seriously. Grit, she said, does not develop on its own and does not grow in environments of chaos, neglect or low expectations. It grows where there is structure, mentorship, challenge and support.
She said the Youth Brigade provides exactly that kind of environment. It creates rules, honor, discipline, respect and the experience of overcoming challenges. Repeated over time, those experiences help build young people who understand that they can handle hard things.
The Minister described the work of the Youth Brigade as preventive work and some of the most important work being done on the island. She said crime prevention is often discussed as if it begins only after something has gone wrong, when true prevention starts much earlier.
Tackling said real prevention begins with mentorship, structure and creating environments where young people feel seen, guided, challenged and supported long before they reach a crossroads.
She noted that over the past weeks, she and her team met with the Youth Brigade to discuss the Crime Prevention Fund proposal and the future direction of the program. She said the goal is not only to sustain what already exists, but to position the Youth Brigade for long-term growth and long-term impact, particularly in youth development and early intervention.
The Minister said she is excited about the direction of that work and the role the Ministry of Justice will play in supporting it moving forward.
At the same time, Tackling stressed that the responsibility cannot rest with one ministry alone. She said the success of St. Maarten’s youth is connected to every part of government and society. Youth development, she said, is not isolated work, it is national work.
The Minister said that if St. Maarten wants safer communities tomorrow, the country must collectively invest in and support young people today.
She said the country needs young people who understand responsibility, can think critically, lead with integrity and understand that discipline is not punishment, but preparation. She said young people must also understand that grit is what keeps them standing when things become difficult.
Tackling said this requires coordination, consistency and leadership. Most importantly, she said, St. Maarten must stop treating youth programs as optional and start recognizing them as essential parts of national development.
Addressing the members who received new ranks, the Minister urged them to take real pride in what they had earned. She said their achievement likely came after days when they wanted to stop, when progress felt invisible, when the work felt thankless or when the distance between where they were and where they wanted to be felt too wide to cross.
She told them that the fact they stood there receiving recognition meant they did not stop. They kept showing up, kept choosing the harder option and demonstrated grit. She said that quality is more important than any rank or certificate, because it will carry them through whatever comes next.
Tackling encouraged the newly ranked members to carry their rank with humility and responsibility. She said leadership is not only about what a person has achieved, but about the example that person sets for others, especially younger or newer members who are watching.
The Minister also addressed members still working toward their next milestone. She told them not to underestimate the growth taking place, even when it is not visible. She said grit is not always a dramatic moment of heroism, but often a quiet series of decisions: choosing consistency over distraction, accountability over excuses and effort over comfort.
Over time, she said, those small decisions build something no one can take away.
Tackling also recognized the board members, project leader, coaches, mentors, social workers, volunteers, parents and all those who continue to invest time, energy and belief in the young people of the Youth Brigade.
She said grit is partly innate, but it is also partly taught. Young people learn it by watching adults persist through difficulty with dignity. The Minister said the work of those supporting the Youth Brigade may not always receive the recognition it deserves, but its impact is visible in every young person standing in the program.
In closing, Tackling addressed colleagues across government and officials present at the ceremony, emphasizing that programs such as the Youth Brigade extend well beyond the responsibility of one ministry.
She said St. Maarten cannot ask young people to develop grit while the institutions around them give up when results are slow, funding becomes inconvenient or attention shifts elsewhere. Long-term investment in youth, she said, is itself an act of institutional grit.
The Minister said that if St. Maarten is serious about prevention, stronger communities and a safer future, support for initiatives such as the Youth Brigade must go beyond words. It must be reflected in partnership, resources, visibility and sustained commitment over time.
Tackling said disciplined and gritty young people do not become trusted leaders on their own. They become trusted leaders because their country consistently and deliberately chooses to invest in them.
She congratulated all Youth Brigade members who were promoted and called on all stakeholders to continue building a stronger St. Maarten together.
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