A YOUTH MOMENT WITH JUSTICE VUI

​Before the 4-member team of the SVSG (Junior) departs for Sri Lanka in the coming week, the youths sought an audience with the Group’s Advisor, Justice Vui Clarence Nelson.
 
Mr. Franziska Finafinau, Ms. Petronilla Molio’o, Ms. Christine Tiupita and Mr. Mane Su’a will represent SVSG to the fourth component of the “Breaking the Cycle: Men and Boys Engage Project to End Violence Against Women”, hosted by the Foundation for Innovative Social Development in Sri Lanka, 3 – 11 September 2019.
 
The meeting with Justice Vui Clarence Nelson at his office is a rare opportunity for the youths and they were inspired.  Because according to Justice Vui, “you all have to fully utilize this opportunity to learn new strategies to engage men and boys to break the cycle of violence; and that when you return, the knowledge and learnings will help with the epidemic that family violence is now causing our community.”  Such words of wisdom, spoken by His Honor to the travelling youth, will challenge the team as they set out for the Training of Trainers program in Sri Lanka.
 
The ERASMUS+ project ‘Breaking the Cycle: Engaging men and boys for promoting gender equality and ending violence against women’is implemented by organizations from six countries with extensive experience in the field including:Center for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ) India, Centro Rural Joven Vids (CERUJIVI), Spain, Emancipator, Netherlands, Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD), Sri Lanka, Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG), Samoa and Youth First, Madagascar.
 
So while Franziska and Mane continues on from the New Delhi Seminar in March and the Netherlands Study Tour in May, Petronilla and Christine will be on their first trip for the Breaking the Cycle project. The young women are very excited. 
 
And we are glad that these youths feel excited about taking on the responsibility to change social norms on masculinity, and to break the cycle of violence by engaging men and boys in the conversation.  It is all about building our youths to be accountable to their responsibilities, when one day, they will become leaders of our families and communities.