Empowering young people for positive living

The Anglican Commission on Advocacy and Social Justice has issued the following statement as it launches its project “Empowering our Young People for Positive Living“.

It says the project is aimed at tackling increasing youth violence in the society.

The pilot is being launched on Sunday.

Full Statement

As part of its response to increasing violence in Barbados, the Anglican Church, through its Commission on Advocacy and Social Justice, will launch a pilot project, entitled “Empowering our Young People for Positive Living” on Sunday, June 23, 2019.

Ten parishes are involved in the pilot and include:

St Lucy, Holy Innocents, St Augustine, St George, St Leonard, St Paul, St Barnabas, Christ Church, St Mark and St Catherine.

The objectives of the programme are;

• To strengthen the relationship between the Anglican parishes and primary and secondary schools.
• To solicit the help of principals and Guidance Counsellors, where relevant, in identifying a minimum of three(3) students for the purpose of allowing parishes to work with families of those students to help address the challenges which affect their well being and impact their quality of life.
• To work with PAREDOS to provide training in basic parenting skills for parents/grandparents/ other caregivers in the communities served by the parishes.
• To organise other activities the Commission and individual parishes consider useful for furthering the aim of empowering youth to combat negative influences and to live positively.

A second phase of the project will see PAREDOS and students of the University of the West Indies Masters degree Counselling programme teaching parenting skills to prospective parents and parents in pre and post natal clinics.

John Goddard – Chairman, Anglican Commission on Advocacy and Social Justice