Rudolph 'Feather Dread' Davis, 64, is a well-known resident of Allman Town, a central Kingston community rocked year after year by political and gang violence.
It was not the unfortunate fire, in which he lost the majority of his belongings almost two weeks before Hurricane Ivan, that put him in the spotlight, but his community interventions.

COLEY-NICHOLSON... we need a different type of thinking

An activist, yes, but not one that backs any political party, Davis is often seen in many inner-city communities.
He is a peace activist, one who wants to see a peaceful Allman Town in a broader, peaceful Jamaica for the youngsters to inherit.

It was this attitude that brought Davis to Sunday's United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) civic dialogue and personal development workshop at the Jamaica Conference Centre.

WATSON... says the thousands killed in the last seven years is akin to the entire population of Black River

He was one of approximately 140 participants drawn from communities in Central Kingston, Tivoli Gardens and Fletcher's Land.

"In my community I do everything I can, any youth, the old and the blind," he told the Observer. "I want to see a better social environment that would enable people to better sort out their differences. We must be able to solve our problems together, work together as a community."

The all-day workshop was aimed at promoting dialogue between communities, empowering them through personal development, inspiring a different mindset and behaviour change, exploring the challenges that the communities face, and from there, finding solutions for the way forward.

DUNCAN-SCOTT... advises a spiritual approach

Broadcaster Helen Coley-Nicholson, one of the presenters, urged the residents to change how they think if they were keen on ridding their communities of the ills that so often lead to crime and violence.

"In order to solve the problems of downtown, we must begin thinking for a change," she told the participants, adding that communities must also take care in choosing their leaders.

"The good shepherd lay down his life for his sheep," she said, hinting that a good leader is unlikely to seek wealth only for himself.
"The sheep must stand against corruption," she added.

Another presenter, head of the Jamaica Money Market Brokers Donna Duncan-Scott, whose presentation took on a more spiritual tone, urged the participants to "stand up powerfully and take back Jamaica."

Under the theme 'A vision for a new me, a new community, a new Jamaica', she reminded the participants to "remember who we are and the vision we are standing for." And, she urged them to work for peace, prosperity, love, accountability, integrity and honesty for Jamaica.

"We are all born to manifest the glory of God," said Duncan-Scott. "Even the bad men who are blinded don't remember that they are children of God."

But, she added, "As you let your light shine you will open the way for others to do the same."
Executive director of the UNDP's Civic Dialogue project Dr Noel Watson further urged the participants to be productive.

"Change your mindset and tell each other that killing is not the answer; guns are not the answer," he said.
Watson added that the more than 1,000 murders committed in the island this year was a burden on the economy.

"Say there are 1,000 murders with each attracting roughly a cost of $200,000 for burial expenses; that's $200 million," he said. "The persons killed in the last seven years is like the entire population of Black River. This year, there are more killed than American soldiers who die in Iraq, and we are not at war. This is madness!"

Other participants, like Jennifer Wellington, shared Dr Watson's sentiments.

"There has to be a change which has to start from the home," she told the Observer.

"I yearn to see the young boys in schools and not on the street corner; I yearn for the day when they would listen to their elders, because that too could be a solution to a part of the problem," she added.

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