SCORES of student leaders from Corporate Area high schools have benefited from training in conflict resolution and gender-based violence (GBV).

The session, held recently at Haile Selassie High School, aimed to sensitise the young people about the core concepts of GBV, including how to recognise, distinguish, and respond appropriately to its different forms and to empower them to be agents of change in their schools and communities.

It was staged by the British High Commission in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information and the Ministry of National Security and Peace.

National Coordinator, School Safety and Security Branch in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Richard Troupe, said that the training and sensitisation session was in keeping with the ministry’s commitment to addressing the issue of violence in schools, particularly GBV, noting that there is a lot of silence in communities surrounding the issue.

“We want to make sure that we are participating in a process, we are leading a process, we’re guiding a process to build the awareness of our students, our educators, our communities,” he said.

Troupe noted that parents were invited to participate in the session “because sometimes, what is demonstrated in our schools, is the lived experiences of our children”.

“Until we do some things differently within our homes and our community, then what is manifested in our schools is seen as normal, natural behaviour,” he contended.

Troupe said that the Government was pleased to have been invited to partner with the British High Commission in the training of the student leaders.

Principal, Haile Selassie High School, Anniona Jones, said that the institution welcomed the opportunity to host the session and participate in “any conversation that advances the lifestyle of young people”.

“Gender-based violence is quite topical, and, in a school like ours, this is the reality for many of our students. They’re going to be in relationships and they have to understand their roles as males and females, and how to interact with each other and deal with conflict,” she pointed out.

Jones said that the training will equip the student leaders with the skills required to intervene in any conflict among their peers and to help resolve the issues before they lead to violence.

“Under the theme ‘Champions of Safety: Building Student Leaders Who Stand Against GBV’, the training session was part of activities under the UK-Jamaica Violence Prevention Partnership Programme.

The six-year initiative, being undertaken through a £15-million grant, aims to support Jamaica in addressing the root causes of violence.

The training was also in keeping with the Citizen Security Plan and the Inter-Ministerial School Support Strategy, and reinforces the Government of Jamaica’s commitment to fostering safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments across the education system.

It further aligned with the national observance of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which ended December 10.