BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, March 06, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Team Unity Government’s successful Peace Initiative has been hailed by many here in St. Kitts and Nevis, and the wider Caribbean region, as a model programme for the promotion of peace and security.
On Friday, March 03, the Peace Initiative, which actively engages at-risk and marginalized young persons in the Federation in finding productive and meaningful outlets for their creativity and skills, was applauded by the District Governor of Rotary 7030, Mr. Trevor Blake.
“We are heartened to see what is happening in St. Kitts and Nevis of late in terms of stemming that level of youth violence and we want to contribute to that process in our own way whether it be doing mentorship programmes and things like that so that we can help in those regard,” said District Governor Blake.
Mr. Blake was at the time speaking during a courtesy call with Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, at his Government Headquarters office.
Prime Minister Harris, in response, welcomed the commitment by the Rotary District Governor to support this initiative, which has since been commended by various independent agencies such as the British National Crime Agency.
“Anything you can do to support the efforts and to get more of your membership to see the positive and attempt to encourage positive action in young people and give them a second chance, I think that would be helpful. Groups like yours could actively cultivate a constructive role with our Ministry of National Security in this regard. Whether it is through mentorship support or job attachment, all these things would help what we are doing to become a success,” Dr. Harris said.
The honourable prime minister further noted that the efforts of the Peace Initiative cut across societal lines and embody various other programmes such as the touted Explorers Youth Club, which is the largest organized body of young people in the Federation.
He added, “The Explorers group now has just under 900, towering to one thousand, young people organized in a structured way in youthful activities spearheaded by our community policing team. We are now constructing a headquarters and a camp at Phillip’s Estate with the capacity to camp over two hundred students, and it is a significant development at a time when we had seen a decline in the outreach and development of the Boys Brigade and Girls Brigade and the 4H, which were in vogue in our day, and which had done so much to redirect us into positive areas of engagements.”
District Governor Blake was at the time accompanied by President of the Rotary Club of Liamuiga, Ms. Deniece Alleyne and Mr. Rhon Boddie, President of the Rotary Club of St. Kitts.
