Churches unite to respond to island's gang violence

As Bermudians, we have all been affected by the impact of gangs in Bermuda over the past two years and it is necessary that we work together in order to make a lasting impact on our society.

Each of us, as Bermudians, is aware that the future safety, economy and quality of life of our community are at stake. 

Our country is too small for the outbreak of violence that we have seen this year alone.

We have been so quick to copy our neighbours in our type of entertainment, fashion and values, but clearly that is sometimes to our detriment, as now we appear to be emulating the gang culture. 

For many involved, terrorizing others with fear and intimidation is their means to gain respect and maintain territory.

To see our need to get involved in the solution, it is important that we come to terms with some very important facts.

First of all, we cannot point the finger at our young people, without taking responsibility for our contribution to the present state as adults and parents.

“Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn’t have anything to do with it,” noted Haim Ginott, author of Between Parent and Child.  We need to realize as adults that if our society has derailed to this point, some of this must be our fault.

Assuming this responsibility will actually cause us to initiate and work towards an effective solution. 

Secondly, we need to also admit that the state of a nation is usually a result of the effectiveness of the church.

This is due to the fact that the fundamental reason for the existence of the church is to impact society.

Gone are the days when it was expected that youth would be sent to church by their parents to help to give them a compass of respect and learn the golden rule; now we must ensure that our method is current and relevant to capture their attention, even though the “message” remains the same.  For the most part, we have dropped the ball in this area and sense a great need to pour our resources into our youth.

Hence, if we are part of the problem, then we can certainly be part of the solution.

This is the reason United for Change is meeting next week… not to be judgmental, critical, or to complain, but to see what we can actually “do” to have an impact on our young people.

It is a proven fact that… “At-risk youth and youthful offenders often have limited contact with positive adult role models with whom they can form and sustain meaningful relationships” (Jones-Brown & Henriques, 1997).

When we study this issue it is apparent that many of our male youth do not have a meaningful relationship with a male adult that can speak into their lives. 

However, “Research has demonstrated that adolescents with at least one high-quality supportive relationship with an adult were twice as likely as other youth to be economically self-sufficient, have healthy family and social relationships, and be productively involved in their communities” (Jones-Brown & Henriques, 1997).

We have been so quick to point the finger, but so slow to take the time to invest in our youth in a very real and practical way. 

United for Change will work together to discover what we are already doing in the community to combat Bermuda’s unique problems. 

We would like to dispel the myth the church is not doing anything, because many are, however we do understand that we must and can do so much more. 

As a result we see the need to be more strategic in order to effectively make a huge impact on our country. 

We are asking for all pastors that are part of United for Change, and their leaders to join us as we do our part to see a change in Bermuda. 

We will be meeting at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess at 6:30pm on Thursday, May 19. 

RSVP by emailing [email protected] or call Administrator Lianna Masters at 295-9640.