PALS encourages children to ‘be the peace’ - Violence in schools angers initiative’s general manager

With a surge in violence seeping into classrooms across the island, General Manager of Peace and Love in Society (PALS), Janilee Abrikian, is hoping this year's theme for Peace Day will resonate with students in shaping a peaceful society for the future.

Peace Day, which is observed on the first Tuesday of March, is being celebrated under the theme 'Be the Peace', which Abrikian stressed is an exaltation, a calling for persons to take a stance and "be the peace".

"We live in a very violent society, and we want children to know that at school, at the supermarket, they can show others that they can be the peace," Abrikian told THE STAR. Peace Day will be celebrated tomorrow.

Abrikian shared that upon seeing viral videos of schoolchildren fighting, specifically the incident involving the Denham Town High School student who was being beaten by his peers, she was angered.

"It breaks my heart and I get angry. My anger was directed at persons who don't understand the situation, that there is a wholesale need for violence prevention in schools," she said.

Abrikian opined that there was a greater need for funding of the facilitation of intervention programmes to stem the ongoing crisis in schools.

She added that Peace Day was still relevant in 2023, as it "motivates us to think about the need of peace".

Peace Day celebrations are expected to commence with a concert at Calabar Infant and Primary School in Kingston, which will be headlined by the Fab 5 band.