150 Persons Being Trained in Youth-Crime and Violence Prevention
By: , February 14, 2023
Photo: Michael Sloley
Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of National Security, Shauna Trowers (left), has the attention of Chief of Party for the United States Agency for International Development USAID/FHI360 Local Partner Development (LPD), Morana Smodlaka Krajnovic (centre), and Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry. Occasion was the opening ceremony for a series of regional workshops for 150 participants engaged in youth crime and violence prevention, at the Spanish Court hotel in Kingston on Monday (February 14).
Photo: Michael Sloley
Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry (right), emphasises a point during discussion with Chief Technical Director at the Ministry of National Security, Shauna Trowers (left) and Chief of Party for the United States Agency for International Development USAID/FHI360 Local Partner Development (LPD), Morana Smodlaka Krajnovic. Occasion was the opening ceremony for series of regional workshops for 150 participants engaged in youth crime and violence prevention at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston on Monday (February 14).The Full Story
One hundred and fifty persons who work with at-risk youth are benefiting from a series of regional workshops geared towards building their knowledge and skills in preventing crime and violence among young people.
The capacity-building training, being held at various locations across the island this week, is being undertaken by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/FHI360 Local Partner Development (LPD).
Participants are drawn from government ministries, departments and agencies, along with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector, which provide interventions for medium-to-high-risk youth in communities and schools.
Director General of the PIOJ, Dr. Wayne Henry, who addressed the opening ceremony at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (February 13), said that the participants will be exposed to training to better understand the factors that place youth at risk of being involved in crime and violence.
Also to be addressed are understanding the emotional and mental issues that youth are facing, administering risk assessments and using results to determine treatment case and referral plans, and exploring best practices and psychological tools and approaches to treat with medium-to-high-risk youth.
“It is expected that at the end of this training, all participants will increase their knowledge, skills and/or abilities required to effectively work with youth at risk who are experiencing social/emotional and behavioural challenges,” the Director General said.
He noted that the PIOJ has a part to play in ensuring that each child has equal opportunity to develop his or her full potential and is empowered to contribute meaningfully to building and strengthening the communities to which they belong.
For her part, Chief of Party for the LPD, Morana Smodlaka Krajnovic, said that the focus is on providing opportunities for young people, and creating “better conditions, and safe communities in this land we love”.
She said that the activities to be undertaken as part of the training will serve to build evidence of what works “as we learn and make decisions together”.