Federation’s youth share solutions on crime and gang violence
By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Right~~BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DOZENS of students from secondary schools and sixth forms across St. Kitts and Nevis consulted with each other and came up with proposals they would like to see implemented so that future generations would not be aggrieved by the current spate of crime and violence.
The students made the proposals at the National Crime Consultation held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino on Friday, December 12.
Stakeholders were classified into groups according to their area of expertise or age, and for the purposes of the Consultation, Group Number Three comprised of the youth in attendance at the national event.
The youth group identified several causes of criminal behaviour in young persons, which included peer pressure, lack of discipline, and a lack of love and affection in the lives of troubled youth.
To remedy this, they suggested that a juvenile hall should be constructed so that youth could have a place of refuge.
“It should be a place where delinquents can go and rehabilitate themselves and have a chance of improving their behaviour and thoughts,” said group representative Desi Brown.
The group also suggested the implementation of a mentoring programme for primary school children that would be facilitated by high school and sixth form students.
The group further suggested that secondary schools should implement a system whereby students could create a personal time schedule.
“They can then fill that schedule with extracurricular activities, youth group meetings, going to church, etcetera. Once they learn proper time management skills and they find something that is significant to them, then they can encourage others to participate in activities that are meaningful to them instead of whiling away their time lazily,” Brown said.
Another proposal was a simulation of consequences activity through which misguided youth could visualise the consequences of their criminal actions and be deterred from continuing to misbehave.
The group also lobbied for harsher punishment, such as an increased use of corporal punishment in schools and the operation of a house arrest system to punish youth who had violated the law or disobeyed the rules of an institution.
They concluded by urging their peers to lead positive lives in the way they behave, dress and interact with others.
