ST. GEORGE’S Grenada: Young people in the Caribbean will soon be introduced to a new programme aimed at bringing about a positive change in their lifestyle. This new initiative is called X-Change. The idea for X-Change was first conceived by Machel Montano, an entertainer with the Band Xtatic out of Trinidad & Tobago, and Derrick Lewis, Creative Director of Island People. The programme, which was introduced to the media on Monday, has been created with the objective of creating safe and protective environments (free from violence) for children in the home, school and community, where they can live and grow to reach their full potential. Founder Machel Montano said that X-Change can be seen as a movement and not just a programme. This movement, he said, will involve young people, well-known musicians, artistes, sportsmen and women and other creative individuals committed to the development of a new positive lifestyle that nurtures life satisfaction and positive well-being, for and with children and young people, which would lead to a reduction in incidences of violence against children. The methodology of the programme is to use music, art, sport, drama and other cultural expressions as entry points to reach people with information. Grenada is the first country in the Eastern Caribbean to implement the programme that would carry with it a wide range of opportunities. Communications Officer, UNICEF Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Lisa Trotman said the X-Change was developed out of concerns for youth development in the Caribbean and, more specifically, because of the rising levels of violence perpetrated by and against children in the Caribbean. The programme will be coordinated in Grenada by the Grenada National Coalition on the Rights of the Child - GNCRC which is being Co-ordinated by Linda Straker. GNCRC along with the Department Youth Development will be hosting a number of programmes which includes Kung Fu self-defence and training for the job market among others. It was said that X-Change as an intervention strategy will be piloted in communities in seven countries in the Caribbean region: Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Trinidad, Haiti and Jamaica. In Grenada, X-Change will be officially launched on July 8 at the Tanteen Recreational Ground with a free concert featuring the likes of Machel Motano, Grenada’s Calypso Monarch Ajamu, Ijeal Joseph and much more. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com