Home Community Organizations Rotary Sunrise Kicks Off Peace Initiative with UVI’s Mills and DeGannes

Rotary Sunrise Kicks Off Peace Initiative with UVI’s Mills and DeGannes

0

Drs. Frank Mills and Asha DeGannes from the University of the Virgin Islands Eastern Caribbean Center kicked off the Rotary Club of St Thomas Sunrise’s 2013-14 Peace Initiative earlier this week.

Mills and DeGannes are the point people for the university’s Anti-Violence and Peace Initiative, an ongoing UVI effort that resurfaced recently after a murder on the St. Croix campus rocked the community.

Mills described the victim as a recent UVI graduate who, upon receiving his degree after an unusual amount of time, had embraced UVI President Dr. David Hall in a gesture of joy and gratitude.

“One month later he was dead,” Mills said. The shocking loss reenergized the university, which hosted several seminars this spring to address the issues surrounding the violence and to come up with solutions.

Mills, whose particular skills include statistics and demographics, has worked for years gathering information and publishing the results. He cited some of the factors that play into the culture of violence: dysfunctional family patterns; a parent demonstrating violence towards a spouse, partner or child; drinking among school children; gangs; and a lack of truancy policies.

He reminded the audience that young men growing up among these circumstances are seven times more likely to turn to a life of crime and violence.

After conducting a series of town hall meetings last October, a university advisory panel identified various areas of focus which now require a collaborative effort from the university and various agencies, health institutions and community organizations that deal with one of more of the factors that contribute to the culture of violence.

Sunrise Rotary is joining the thousands of Rotary clubs throughout the world that are committed to focusing on the epidemic of violence that consumes neighborhoods, communities and, in some cases, entire countries. The absence of community peace is the most critical issue for the territory, according to a recent poll done by The Source.

Peace and conflict resolution is one of Rotary International’s six areas of service and will be the core focus for Rotary Sunrise during its 2013-14 Rotary year.

Mills and DeGannes were the first of many speakers. With “Engage Rotary, Change Lives” as the 2013-14 Rotary International Theme and call to action, Rotary Sunrise President Shaun A. Pennington sees the local Rotary community as the very group to best bring Rotary’s influence and resources to bear in beginning to turn the tide of the serious violence that is tearing the community apart.

“Rotary can best serve this university initiative by acting as the catalyst to bring the community together,” Pennington said. “The initiative is ‘community peace’ not simply our youth,” she continued.
Rotary’s 107th birthday is Feb 21, also known as World Understanding and Peace Day, and is being targeted as the kick-off date for a major peace summit. Leading up to the events to take place early next year, Rotary Sunrise has scheduled a number of guest speakers at their meetings whose work is focused within those areas affected by violence, as well as individuals who hold the keys to solutions, Pennington said.

For more information on these speakers or how you can support this community effort, contact Shaun A. Pennington at 340-777-8144.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here