A recent video from filmmaker Stephan Cotterell shows how one youth in the Cayman Islands is coping with life on the islands. It’s an expressive short story told over clips of a youth skateboarding, backed by haunting music.

One poignant moment occurs early on, when the youth says, “This has become normal” while guns and drugs flash in the background. He explains that he’s turned to skateboarding as relief from the everyday life in the Cayman Islands. However, he says, “The worst thing about having an escape is coming out of it and going back into reality.”

The youth points out that young people in the Cayman Islands are considered to be part of the problem. He says that being young is a “shameful badge”, and that young people are often stereotyped as troublesome. He explains, “It’s words we hear everyday, things we see all the time. It’s a lifestyle we’ve settled for, a stereotype we’ve become.”

However, the youth points out that waiting for the government to change things may not help. He says that in order to make changes, young people in the Cayman Islands need to stop being a product of their environment. He says, “If we succeed in always blaming others for their faults, we will surely fail in recognizing our own.” He wraps up the piece by saying, “I can hopelessly wait for the government and guidelines, or I can start with myself today.”

The short film was shot by Stephan Cotterell, an award-winning musician and filmmaker based in the Cayman Islands. Though he’s only 25, Cotterell has an impressive resume. He won first place in the Vybzing video challenge sponsored by the Caribbean Development Bank and has been nominated for two International Soca Music Awards. His single "Tonight" rose to #2 on Japan USEN International Music Chart, and he has been featured on VH1's "Basketball Wives". When he’s not busy winning awards, Cotterell has written and produced music for ThE iZ, Machel Montano and Christina Aguilera. View the original video.