One hundred and one students are better able to deal with life’s difficulties, thanks to a Better Me, Better You programme.
The programme which is coordinated by Dominican Dr. Peter K.B. St. Jean, a criminologist based in the United States and Gloria Walsh, is in its third year and targets young adults from vulnerable communities.
The programme aims at building skills and improving the quality of life of these young people.
“Over my last 20 working in high crime neighborhoods around the world and talking to people who get involved in violence and those who don’t, we see that violence is not [necessarily] an event it’s also a process.“So we believe that the best investment is the earliest,” he said. “If [the young people] have those skill and we teach the parents as well, there is a better likelihood that they will be able to lean more towards peaceful lives.”
The young people are excited to be part of the programme.
Tina Toussaint testified, “It helped me to define who I am and how to treat others. It has also taught me a lot of valuable things which I needed to learn like solving problems without conflict, how to speak to others respectfully and manage my money.”
Travis Conner shared, “We learnt about self-awareness and things that make others happy, sad, mad and glad and how to deal with that. We learnt how to deal with particular situations; it doesn’t always work but through practice, we will get there.
“Even now, when I get made, I think back on what we did and determine the best way to solve my problems without getting into more problems.”
The programme ends this week.
“Over my last 20 working in high crime neighborhoods around the world and talking to people who get involved in violence and those”
One question I have for you!
How come in your last “20 working in high crime neighborhoods around the world,” and I in particular have never heard of you, nor any organization you represents until this day. Los Angeles have plenty of high crime neighborhoods, so too is London, and Toronto, Japan, as well as Germany, where in Lebanon you worked; name one city in America where work to eliminate high crime!
I am curious and want to know; another piece of sweet soundings words, trying to impress who!
Francisco, If you have not heard about him until this day, you have not been listening or paying attention. This brother has been in the spotlight, about what he does, both in Dominica and abroad for quite a while.
If you say he has been in the spotlight, all I ask is that either you or him to disclose where in the world he went: all of the countries I named do have high crime neighborhood; i .e. Los Angeles, if he is based in the United States, at least he would have visited, the end of my block down there on Western.
Boy, you people a so easily fooled its not funny!
If he is a criminologists; criminology is a science which teaches people how to solve crimes, and not ask people what caused them to commit crimes. Criminologist are people who are supposed to assists in the solving of crimes, they go to a crime scene, or view a murdered body, and based on the evidence found at the scean they can developed a profile of the criminal, even down to the age of the person who may have committed the crime. But, as usual anything a Dominican is involved in is different.
I listened attentively to this program hosted on Kairi today and left with nothing. While Mr. Peter St. Jean is claiming to do a great service in helping to better our youths in Dominica, I did not get his genuiness. A male caller called the program and stated his views after listening to Peter mentioning the many times he contacted, reached out to the PM (mark you, addressing him by his first name only) with no response and was met with hostility likewise from Peter, after stating his point.
The caller was somewhat annoyed (I was) because Peter was not fully taking the real person, the ‘Parents, to task for whatever is going on in their children lives’ and supported the caller.
Only an intelligent person with a clear understanding of Peters tone of discussion would understand the caller. Kairi, this could have been a great discussion to bring out the key people who could weigh in on this topic.
I’ll tell you what that is all about; he is trying to justify his employment when Skerrit hands it to him on a silver platter. Our people are the most disgusting lairs to walk the face of the earth would pay him to state one single place in America where he did his research, if that is his contention!
All he is doing is looking for recognition, and as usual Dominica is always the stage!