Schools urged to apply anti-violence measures amid crime surge

The education system must take action to prevent the current wave of violent incidents from spilling into schools when they reopen in September, a youth counsellor has warned.

Shawn Clarke, head of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development, told Barbados TODAY that although recent homicides and gun crimes may not directly involve school-aged children, there is a real risk that reprisal acts could affect schools if preventative measures are not taken.

“The reality is that the school is part of the community,” Clarke said. “We have young people going to the same schools from rival communities. With that said, it means it is very possible that we could see some heightened level of violence within our schools.”

Clarke emphasised the need for proactive measures, stating, “It says to me obviously that we need to become more proactive, and that as a society we need to stop with all the dry talk, and put our resources where they are most needed.”

While commending increased focus on mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic, Clarke stressed the importance of prioritising lessons in morals and life skills within the school system. He argued that the root cause of youth violence is not necessarily mental health issues, but rather a failure to effectively teach young people crucial life skills such as conflict resolution and anger management.

“We have to seriously look at implementing a national programme [addressing it],” Clarke urged.

The call for action comes as the island grapples with a surge in violent crime. So far this year, there have been 30 homicides, with Attorney General Dale Marshall recently revealing that over 250 firearm cases are awaiting trial.

Clarke proposed incorporating structured anger management training into national sporting events and youth activities.

 “Maybe we need to add a life skills element to those,” he suggested, advocating for mandatory conflict resolution and anger management sessions for participants in such events.

As Barbados faces declining traditional societal values, Clarke’s proposals aim to use sports and community activities as “teachable moments” to instil crucial life skills in the nation’s youth, potentially curbing the rising tide of violence before it reaches the classroom.

“At the end of the day, we are using sport as a teachable moment to get the message over to our young people,” said Clarke. 

(SB)