The Breaking the Cycle: Men and Boys Engage Project to end violence against women meeting hosted by the Samoa Victim Support Group last week ended well for the youth of Samoa.  

The meeting led to the signing of three separate Memorandum of Understandings between SVSG and the three participating organizations, namely the Centro Rural Joven Vida (C.E.R.U.J.O.V.I.) Spain, Emancipator in Netherlands and the Centre for Health and Social Justice in India

The deals will see SVSG Juniors open up to capacity building, sharing of experiences through South-South exchange programmes with its new partners.

The agreements were signed during the farewell function.

Held at the Campus of Hope Tuanaimato, the international delegates were farewelled in style with traditional dancing from the St. Andrews Youth of the Catholic Church Faleula, the Taupou Manaia Dance Group, and the Sisters of Hope; the fire dance from the male residence of the Campus, and the live band by the SVSG Junior.

While new strategies on breaking the cycle of violence against women will see the SVSG Juniors advocating for changing mindsets in men and boys about masculinity, the youth will also continue with its role of being the voice for the voiceless, as per its Buddying up program with child vendors, that was rolled out at the same time as hosting the global meeting.

The SVSG Juniors is Samoa Victim Support Group’s succession plan. Over the years, SVSG has been paving the way to ensure that the youth members under the group will be strong and ready to take up their role as future leaders.

Exciting times are ahead as two representatives from the SVSG Juniors, namely Mr. Franziska Sione, the SVSG Junior Coordinator, and Mr. Mane Su’a, the SVSG Child Protection Officer are preparing for the second round of international gatherings for Breaking the Cycle Project in New Delhi India, in March 2019.