A delegation of eight persons is to arrive on the island today to examine best practices in the Change From Within project (CFW) at the University of the West Indies.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Barbados office, has for some time been working on the management of positive behaviour change as one means of addressing violence in schools.

Before rolling out a programme for secondary schools in the Eastern Caribbean, they wish to learn more about the strategies and results of the CFW project.

To this end, a delegation of eight persons, comprising representatives from UNICEF Barbados, school principals and other education personnel from Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia, will visit Jamaica from today through to Friday.

A programme of activities designed and led by Change From Within Project Manager, Pauletta Chevannes, of the Department of Educational Studies include a series of meetings with school principals and student leaders involved in the Mona programme and visits to one urban secondary and one rural primary school.

Courtesy calls

The delegation will pay courtesy calls on the deputy principal of Mona, Joseph Pereira; the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, Dr Swithin Wilmot; School of Education Director Professor Zellyne Jennings-Craig; and head of the Department of Educational Studies, Dr Beverley Bryan.

The CFW project was conceptualised and spearheaded in 1992 by the late Sir Philip Sherlock, a founding father of the University of the West Indies.

The project began with an exploration of the causes of violence and other antisocial behaviours which had begun to manifest themselves within schools.

The conclusion then was that many students involved in these antisocial behaviours had little or no opportunity to feel good about themselves, therefore the focus was on building self-esteem by tapping into the creativity within the students themselves.

The university identified four schools which were employing this methodology, offered guidance and assistance to the process and the project come into being.

Today, the process continues in 30 primary and secondary schools and two teachers' colleges.