Changing the Culture of Violence in Fiji

Virtues Project Fiji has been engaging youth for social action in the service of others to create positive change.  This has been a community outreach program for youth in the community where social action is seen as an important mechanism for young people to develop and express their character. One practical aspect of this outreach program has involved the youth in participating with other stakeholders in assisting them after the cyclone in December by visiting communities and gathering information needed for stakeholder’s.  These youth demonstrated a broad range of virtues through social action.

These virtues trained youth have been travelling to places in Fiji conducting their own research and using the Five Virtues strategies as their tools to educate their peers as well as with parents helping them to understand more about their role. Even though travelling was restricted to certain parts of Fiji last year it did not disturb the spirit of these youth who continued to carry out their own task silently in their respective communities. 

A great deal of spiritual companion was carried out in the community last year because they were a vast number of people who had lost their jobs due to the economic consequences created with the downturn in tourism industry because of the global pandemic.  One of the main topics that was discuss with communities visited was what are other things that can be done to sustain themselves apart from relying on their pay. 

Some of the stories gathered from people in the communities told of how there was not enough family time prior to the pandemic but now they are doing things together as a family and most importantly there is more quality time with their children. These were some of the positive changes happening in some families in Fiji. 

One of major issues that these youth are addressing in the communities is an increase in the consumption of alcohol and drugs brought about by the loss of work. People feel that the only way to release their stress and burden is by making homebrew and taking drugs.  One of Virtues Fiji key components is for our peer educators to have a transformative effect on young people’s character.  They share their stories on how they use the virtues strategies to overcome the challenges they face.

20 settlements were visited over the past three months: eight in the central division, and twelve in the west with a total of two hundred people reached.  There were forty men, fifty women, fifty children and sixty youth.

With the youth there were forty male and twenty female. 20 people with disabilities attended virtues training in either one of the two respective divisions. 

• Men_and_Women_at_the_outreach_program.docx (DOCX)