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ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, January 23, 2014 – GIS: The 4th Annual “Youth Against Violence” School Tour was launched at the Ministry of Education Conference Room earlier today, where organizers Kellon “Luni–Spark” Ogiste and Kelson “Electrify” Ogiste held a press conference to discuss this year’s theme: “Your mind… Your choice… YOU CHOOSE!”
The purpose of the School Tour is to promote better decision making skills among young people. The former Soca Monarch Kings realized the direct influence that music has on the youth and put motions in place to design a programme for schools that challenges violence among young persons.
Older brother in the duo, Kellon “Luni–Spark” Ogiste, commented on the positive feedback that the programme has received and the rationale behind this year’s theme.
“My brother and I took this initiative to start a school tour five years ago and, up to this day, we’ve been getting good reports from schools, even the Ministry [of Education], that the programme is in some way helping nurture Grenada’s youth and guide them accordingly,” Kellon said.
“This year we are operating under the theme “Your mind, your choice, you choose” and we are basically telling youths, it’s your mind, so you choose wisely. [You] may be faced with different decisions to make but at the end of the day we want you to choose wisely, think positively and make the right choice.”
Kelson “Electrify” Ogiste built on his brother’s words and added “confidence” and “belief in self” as determining factors in success.
“You have a mind of your own. We are asking [the children] to choose wisely, be smart and believe in yourself. We always tell them about confidence, we preach this in schools because a lot of young persons today lack the confidence within themselves,” Kelson said.
“At the end of the day we’ve been through the school, just like them, with the same tie and the same pants. We went through the same precedence; we kept the faith, believed in ourselves, mastered our craft and told ourselves we can do it.”
Through the “Youth Against Violence” Programme, the brothers have seen the struggles that many parents face to send their children to school. This need has sparked the “Change your Life Foundation”, a new initiative that Kellon and Kelson Ogiste hope will change the lives of many Grenadian families.
The School Tour plans to visit 23 Secondary Schools in total throughout the Tri-island State; four schools have already been visited.
