‘Love Changes Lives’ programme making a positive impact on youths

The power of love is life-changing, and love is what many people crave. Protection stirs up feelings of strength and positivity and it makes children feel safe and secure. But, did you know, when you show children how much you love them, it provides one of the most protective forces in their lives?

The single most important thing we can do as a society is to positively transform the lives of children and prevent social, emotional, and behavioural problems and child maltreatment.

The Stop the Violence – Love Changes Lives (STV-LCL) Programme, administered under the Praise Jamaica Foundation, seeks to increase the knowledge, skills, and confidence of children in Jamaica. The STV-LCL Programme is a faith-based initiative with the purpose of transforming the lives of primary and secondary school children, by addressing values and attitudes which inform thoughts and behaviour.

According to Marcia Ormsby, deputy programme manager, STV-LCL Programme, education is the most powerful tool that every child needs for his intellectual, social, physical and psychological development. It is also the biggest tool children need to become successful adults; they are the future of society.

“The overarching vision of the project is to provide an environment where primary and secondary students will be spiritually awakened, morally strengthened and actively engaged in positive thinking. The intention is that this will lead to pro-social behaviour,” Ormsby said, continuing, “LCL proposes pro-social behaviour as a solution to the problem of anti-social behaviour disrupting schools. The latter includes: bullying, fighting, verbal and physical attacks, theft, extortion, rape, drugs, disorderly conduct, vandalism, robbery, among numerous others interrupting children’s education.”

The school-based programme also aims to utilise the arts – including visual arts, music, drama and dance–as transformational tools to build spiritual awareness and growth, increase life skills, and promote pro-social behaviour among selected students in secondary high schools, deemed by educators to be at a high risk for unfavourable psychosocial outcomes.

Students, she said, will participate in interactive STV-LCL sessions that are facilitated by trained mentors and facilitators from partnering tertiary institutions.

The current project was piloted in 2022 at the Donald Quarrie High School and Haile Selassie High School, respectively. However, the initial phase started with Spring Praise Jamaica in early 2019 in several schools, including St Hugh’s High School, Kingston College, Mona High School and Pembroke Hall High School. In 2019 and 2020, the name of the programme was changed to ‘Love Changes Lives’, as part of the rebranding exercise.

GANG CULTURE

“Jamaica has approximately 400 gangs across the island. Gang culture has been revealed to be a very sophisticated system. School dropouts from Grade 9 and upward are being recruited daily to populate these gangs, and our youth are in crisis. The raging pandemic of violence in Jamaica demands effective conflict resolution and behavioural management skills,” Ormsby said.

“Our objectives are to empower our youth to make better social and fiscal decisions. It will ensure they are financially independent and better equipped to establish families successfully. This will convert to a substantive increase in the investment potential of Jamaica, #Vision 2030. If we ensure our children attend school and maintain their educational path, we can ‘stem di pipeline’ of violence,” she added.

Currently, 120 students from Donald Quarrie High and Haile Selassie High have been identified to participate in the programme and are engaged in the programme activities. Indirect beneficiaries of the programme include staff, parents and the wider student population.

“Based on the testimonials and feedback, there is more social stability in the home and at school. The classes are less disruptive, thus providing a more favourable learning environment for hundreds of students,” Ormsby highlighted. “The students will also be taught financial literacy in the two schools. They will be taught how to earn and manage money successfully, without resorting to scamming and ‘chopping’.

Ormsby indicated that the long-term goals include using moral strengthening, positive thinking and behavioural change strategies to proactively transform children with antisocial behaviours into well-socialised and productive members of society.

“We want to give at-risk children more reasons to live, provide support for their parents, uplift them socially, show improvement in academic performance, and have more youth transitioning successfully into society,” she said.

Persons interested in becoming a part of the programme can provide financial support, volunteer their time, talent, expertise and resources, act as a liaison between LCL and potential funders, supporters (in-kind), volunteers, and assist with fundraising, public relations, counselling, accounting, and administration.

“This is a necessary programme which, with adequate resources, can transform our youth into responsible, productive and caring adults, and will keep them from displaying anti-social behaviour in any environment,” Ormsby concluded.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com