Teams up with PEACE IS Foundation to promote non-violence
St. Maarten Youth Development Program organized violence prevention weeks for students in the preparatory phase of its program.
The program solicited the assistance of the PEACE IS foundation which is a non-profit organization promoting non-violent solutions within the school system. PEACE IS conducted workshops for students where students were exposed to gang related issues, controlling one’s own temper and discussing recent violent incidents occurring in the community to name a few. For the workshops, students from the SBO Maritime and Carpentry courses were also in attendance.
Additionally, PEACE IS provided the program with DVDs entitled "Conflict Resolution for Students" that dealt with issues such as peer conflict and sexual harassment. These were shown and discussed during the students’ Social Skills class and provided students with skills needed to address dilemma-filled situations effectively and in a non-violent manner.
The St. Maarten Youth Development Program and SBO are part of the Education & Youth program project. It is a corporation program between the island government of St Maarten and the Dutch government and funded by USONA. The Youth Development Program is especially for youngsters between the ages of 16 and 24 years who were unable to finish secondary education. With this program youngsters obtain the basic qualifications needed to enter the job market at an assistant’s level or further their studies at the SBO schools. SBO is mainly for PSVE/VSBO graduates who wish to continue their education to achieve professional vocational qualifications however SBO level one is available to youngsters who did not complete secondary education. Both YDP and SBO are executed by the Department of Educational Research, Policy and Innovations (DERPI) of Island Government which forms part of the Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports.
For more information on YDP or SBO, please feel free to call 543-0497 or 543-0498. For more information on PEACE IS foundation, please contact Peta-Gaye Harriot at 542-2739 ext 232 or visit their website www.peaceissxm.org