The Half-Way Tree Transportation Centre was opened one year ago to enable more timely and efficient delivery of the public-transportation service in the Kingston Metropolitan Area. Whereas this might have occurred, the Transport Centre has provided, inadvertently, a place where students congregate and socialise and a setting which highlights the anti-social conduct which has become characteristic of some of our young people.

In a meeting held at the Transport Centre with the stakeholders involved in the operation of the centre and representatives from various schools, the number of fights and other anti-social behaviours, which take place among the students, was discussed with a view to finding solutions to the problem. Clearly, the Transportation Centre does not cause this behaviour; it simply brings together the students whose socialisation does not model for them patterns of how to deal with conflicts and disagreements in a peaceful manner. This has become a serious cause for concern.

We were told that almost every day there was a fight, not only between boys, but also between girls who are fighting over a boy or a man. We were shown pictures of myriads of weapons taken from students by the police who monitor the centre. We understood how serious the situation was when the managers pointed out that during the school holidays, the centre was a peaceful, pleasant place, but when school was in session, the atmosphere became tense and a hub of conflict because of the behaviour of some students.

SAD COMMENTARY

In an effort to ensure that during this time of the Boys and Girls' Championships conflicts did not escalate further, the authorities put a ban on schools taking their flags into the centre. This, in the past, had encouraged, not friendly rivalry, but outright fights. This is a sad commentary on the state of our youth. We need, as a society, to look at how we can help to change this behaviour. At the meeting, various suggestions were put forward. Some of these suggestions were long- to medium-term solutions, others were short-term. These short-term measures require that schools, parents and other mature individuals volunteer to help at the critical periods - in the mornings between 6:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. - to monitor the students at the centre. The Jamaica Constabulary Force needs also to assign police personnel for this period to support the security guards who are stationed there.

A BIGGER ISSUE

This problem speaks to a bigger issue in our society, however, namely, our young people are not seeing conflicts being resolved peacefully by the adults in their homes and communities. What they see is that any disagreement or conflict is often viewed as disrespect, and disrespect in Jamaica has become, for many, a reason to use violence to gain respect. Not to use violence means that 'yuh saaf'; not to use violence means 'yuh a idiaat'. In Jamaica, this has become the greatest insult.

We need to begin in all of our socialisation settings, to teach our young people how to settle their differences peacefully. When I was told by the management that there was an incident where, apparently, a young man had a conflict with a security guard at the centre and in response, his parents drove him into the Transport Centre to attack the security guard with a screwdriver, I understood better how serious a situation we were in. When I heard another story of a mother whose daughter was being teased and harassed by girls from her school and who, when contacted for advice as to what to do, told her daughter "Tek yuh scissors and just stab one a dem inna dem eye", which the child did, we understand that we are in a very serious situation. It is not just the children who need to be socialised properly, but also the parents.

SET AN EXAMPLE

Do we want our children to respect the laws of the land and to respect those around them? Then, as parents and adults, we need to stop breaking the law - breaking the stop lights, bribing officers of the law, using obscenities as a matter of course, cussing and attacking someone who 'diss' us. We need instead to show our youth that we obey the law because it creates a peaceful and civil society.

Socialising our youth cannot just be seen as the responsibility of the school, as many persons of authority in society are now saying. Whereas in the school we teach students one set of values, when they return to many homes and communities they are taught the opposite.

Those who are able to stand up against what is accepted in the communities are those who have strong home support. They have parents or guardians who teach and exhibit to them strong positive morals and values and who seek to monitor them within the community.

More of our artistes need to take responsibility to help to impart positive social and moral values to our youth by creating songs that reflect this. More of our police need to be role models to them in their communities and not to be seen as corrupt oppressors. Our police need to monitor our students in public spaces, but they need to do so while at the same time showing respect to the youth and allowing them to have their dignity. Indeed, it takes a village to raise a child. We make up that village. As adults, we are the ones who need to claim responsibility for what is happening to our youth and seek to make the change.

Esther Tyson is principal of Ardenne High School, St Andrew. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.