KINGSTON, Jamaica – Activity books promoting positive interpersonal relationships among students in schools will soon be in the hands of children, courtesy of the Ministry of National Security.

The brainchild of portfolio Minister Dr Horace Chang, the books were created as part of the ministry’s anti-violence campaign ‘Liv Gud’ and were designed and printed by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).

Dr Chang said the concept of “living good” is a Jamaican term that speaks to “being your brother’s keeper”.

He explained that by placing this sentiment in a book for students, the ministry is hopeful that the message will permeate the society.

“We want to get the kids repeating this kind of activity by using their activity book. It is a mechanism to reinforce the concept of living good with each other, to use non-violent approaches to solve problems. The graphics are excellent and we are looking forward to them being circulated,” Chang said.

He noted that the activity book is meant to reach the younger generation and, hopefully, set a positive tone in the communities.

“Believe it or not, our children reflect what they see happening in their communities [in all areas], be it social, political and even in conflicts,” he said.

It is anticipated the books will be distributed in schools during the current term, after consultations with the relevant stakeholders.

Dr Chang stated that the initial distribution of the books will be done in the 35 school zones in which the Ministry currently operates, in partnership with the Ministries of Education and Youth, and Health and Wellness under an inter-ministerial framework.

“Hopefully, this Liv Gud activity book will demonstrate proof of concept that, with this type of collaborative approach in challenged communities, we can, in fact, execute effective behaviour change,” he stated.

Explaining the Ministry’s decision to develop the activity book, the Minister stated that the aim is to engage the students in a more interactive way.

“Having a child sit for long hours in class… can be demanding, so the book allows them to be more involved,” he said.

“With the activity book they do their own drawing, they do their own colouring, and are also able to convey their emotions more quickly and effectively. For example, you may ask them to do a particular diagram… . The colour they use will tell you what they are thinking based on what they have seen,” Minister Chang pointed out.

He explained that some of the children who are exposed to violence in their communities are inclined to use the colour red to convey their message.

“The activity book is a good way of bringing out the challenges that a child faces. We are also educating them and ourselves, and you effect behaviour change in the child as well as get material for further work by our technical teams,” the Minister further pointed out.

Dr Chang said the Liv Gud books are “part of a wider effort for change, which the Ministry believes is necessary as the Government tackles crime and violence in the society”.

He said the publications will help to strengthen the inter-ministerial partnership to effect transformation at the community level.

“We have this transformative inter-ministerial programme where we seek to intensify our social programmes and add new social initiatives. We are hoping to build on that partnership with our ministry and other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), so we can go out into a wider field to effect social transformation across our country,” the minister said.

He noted that the inter-ministerial approach is not meant to take over the role of social work but notes the effectiveness of the approach.

“We are spearheading taking social services into certain communities that are challenged, especially those that are under Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs). The use of the Liv Gud books is part of a wider effort for change, which the ministry believes is necessary as the Government tackles crime and violence in the society,” Chang said.

“We’ll add things to it – the music, sports; there are a number of things we’re trying to get into some of our most difficult communities. Under the ZOSO, we want this to effect genuine behaviour change, so the activity book is the best way to get the attention of children in the communities we are trying to target,” the minister added.

-JIS