Students chat with (from left) Warren Newby, parliamentary secretary, Natalie Peterson, president of Beacons of Peace and Achievement and Japanese Ambassador Masahiro Obata, at the Beacons of Peace and Achievement grant signing at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston on Thursday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

As Jamaica's crime wave continues, Japanese Ambassador Masahiro Obata has hailed the efforts of the Jamaica chapter of the Beacons of Peace and Achievement (BPA), praising the group for attempting to better the lives of disenfranchised young people.

He said youth crime was an international challenge, noting that in Japan, efforts were being made to address and pay close attention to the needs of young people.

"We are faced with a constant issue, a dark cloud that threatens to destroy this beautiful country - crime and violence ... Young people between the ages of 15-24 years are the main perpetrators and victims of criminal activities in Jamaica. Seventy per cent of violent crimes are committed by this cohort," said Ambassador Obata.

According to the ambassador, it was important to recognise that these problems existed and to take the necessary social-intervention steps to stem the increase in crime. "The Government and civil society must deliver these activities," he said.

Ambassador Obata was delivering the keynote address at the official signing of a $5.3 million (US$74,000) grant contract between the Embassy of Japan and the BPA, an organisation of young leaders, through an initiative of the Metropolitan (Met) Black Police Association in London, England.

The grant will assist the BPA to facilitate the engagement of young people in schools and inner-city communities across the country through the School and Community Safety and Security project.

Khalil Gordon of Mountain View Preparatory has a few bad habits he would like to change. He is among hundreds of students who are set to benefit from this project. Other schools that will be assisted include the Denham Town Primary, Richmond Park Preparatory and Mona High School.

"I will have to identify and change some of my attitudes now, so that I can make a positive influence later and have a successful future," said Gordon.

Since its inception in 2004, the BPA's membership has swelled to more than 500 youth advocates across Jamaica whose goal is to create a peaceful society through building the capacity of young leaders in schools and communities.

President of BPA, Natalie Peterson, in expressing the organisation's gratitude and commitment to the development of the disenfranchised youths, indicated that it was part of the group's mandate to help youngsters make good decisions using peaceful methods.

"We want our youth to explore the different changes that they would like to see in their schools and communities. We want them to be leaders in their own right," Peterson said.

The project, she said, was ongoing and members of the organisation have been visiting schools and introducing peace similar to the way courses are taught.

"As we expand, we will be visiting more schools islandwide to teach about making decisions, peace and leadership. We would also like to start engaging the parents of the students who are being targeted by the peace initiative," she said.

The BPA's list of achievements includes the training of over 200 youth from 26 schools on behalf of the Ministry of Education in 2007; the ongoing capacity-building programme, which reaches 300 young leaders through international video-conferencing links, which started in 2004; and collaboration with the ministries of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports; and National Security on the Safe Schools Task Force programme and the Inner-City High School Improvement project.