October 12, 2011, Columbus Day; why is it celebrated?
If you ask the youth that attended the GFCAC 3rd Annual Youth Peace Conference, they would tell you it is just a day to sleep late. Those who were dedicated to transformative mediation went against what their peers were doing and got themselves over to the Greenwood Church. Although weeks and weeks of outreach were done, it got to a very slow start. But the planners knew what they had to do. The purpose of this conference was to enable people to identify what steps were necessary to combat escalated arguments.
The conference brought closure to the community concerns of two years ago, when sporadic shootings around our neighborhood brought back a sense of fear too close to home. The youth that have been involved with the GFCAC transformative mediation (peacekeeping) for the last three years had been preparing for this. Around 10:45Am, the microphone was handed to Mr. Edwin Pabon, a man who had designed his own dance company around teaching cross cultural mediation to inner-city youths for years through the arts of professional salsa dancing.
His approach to the audience was just the type of jolt needed to get people abuzz. He, and three of his dancers, clad in full dancing attire, got the attendees up and at it. “Uno, dos, tres, and turn”- ; these were his commands. Before you knew it, people were dancing. Pabon made sure everyone interacted. Sunshine, a highly reputed radio personality in Boston and media socialite, MC’d the event. Her bright smile and nature gave the few young people in attendance just the push they needed to enjoy themselves. She and Winston Bennett, one of GFCAC’s peacekeepers, opened up the crowd with a question and answer dialogue about what peace means to them.
This was followed with an introduction to motivational speaker Darrin Howell, who gave a touching, graphic depiction of his trials and tribulations while going through the ups and downs of trying to leave the fast life behind. He laid out what steps he took to become one of Boston’s most decorated community citizens. Darrin held nothing back, speaking in volumes to how he was met with hardship after hardship just going through the rites of passage to shake off the temptations of crime and fast money.
The young people in attendance were very interested by his testimony. Darrin showed them that it could be done through dedication and self-belief. He spoke highly of the importance of having the right mentors to guide him. Counselor Charles Yancey praised the youth for their courage to attend the conference on a day off. “You guy’s here are the real “peace keepers”. He spoke to the youth about the importance of staying focused and making acquaintances which were positive and not being intimidated by peers who did not follow the same path.
