The Minister of Social Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Ms. Marcella Liburd argues that “It is clear that the traditional socialization institutions – home, church, community and school – are failing to inculcate values in the youths … and their role is fast being usurped by new media technologies.

It is her view that parents and other socialization agents did not fully understand the implications of the shift in role models as socialization agents and were really out of step with what’s happening in this global society.

Liburd cautioned that as a country, “We all need to get back into step.”

The Minister was at the time addressing more than sixty stakeholders at the national consultation in St. Kitts, organized to pave the way for the implementation of a pilot project on Youth Gangs and Gang violence in the federation.

 Ms. Liburd called for “traditional shapers of society” to reassert their role in order to mitigate the culture of youth gangs and violence which has pervaded the society.

According to the Minister, “What was needed to curtail violence, was a two pronged approach, including tradition law enforcement and social interventions for crime prevention.

The consultation is the third in a series organized to assess the needs of four countries – Belize, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago – involved in a pilot project- “The Youth Gangs and Gang violence pilot project”, which forms part of the first component of the CARICOM Social Development initiative.

It is being funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).