Men of integrity being sought to train as mentors

(SKNIS): A programme being launched by Dr. Neals Chitan, Crime Reduction Specialist, will aim to keep gangs in St. Kitts and Nevis at bay through the use of community mentors. The programme is meant to operate in tandem with the Anti-Gang Task Force of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) that is currently working to disrupt and dismantle gangs.

Dr. Chitan hopes that some 200 men will register to participate in special training sessions to become mentors who operate in their various neighborhoods. The programme is being called the “Men of Integrity Movement” or “I’m MOI”; moi also being French for ‘me’.

“It is really meant to get to the heart of gang activity [by] looking at some of the social dysfunctions that may have bred gang activity,” Dr. Chitan said at a press conference hosted by the RSCNPF High Command on August 24. He explained that the focus is on men because most of the gang activities involved men.

“And so this particular programme is really meant to get into the heart of men, show them how we think, how we’re wired, the importance of the leadership role of men and why it is that they gravitate toward gangs by the way. So we’re looking at the root causes of gang and gang sub-culture,” Dr. Chitan said. “So really and truly when the gangs are displaced by the police, of course, we wanna go in there and make sure it doesn’t rise again by looking at the root causes,” he added.

A launch will be held in 12 communities around the federation where training sessions are expected to take place. The first launch is scheduled for Sunday, September 3, at 6:30pm, at the Joshua Obadiah Williams Primary School in Molineux and interested men can sign up at each launch. The initiative is sponsored by the Ministry of National Security.