Mr. Speaker, I rise today with pride, gratitude, and hopefulness, to share with this Honourable House and the wider Bermuda community the profound and inspiring event held earlier this month on June 10th, titled “Truth Be Told: Youth Rise Against the Violence.”
Mr. Speaker, this spectacular and moving event featured teams from five (5) schools across Bermuda who have been working for the last several weeks on anti-violence messages; work that culminated in those teenagers making powerful presentations to a large audience at Pier 6 on Front Street. This event was attended by some of my Cabinet colleagues, Permanent Secretaries, school teachers, students and a throng of parents. The positive energy throughout the building was palpable and captivating, particularly because of the authenticity and profoundness of the teenage presenters.
Mr. Speaker, this event, hosted by the Ministry of National Security, was not merely an assembly or ceremony. It was a moment of truth, courage, and transformation. It marked a major inflection point in our national conversation about violence, one led convincingly by our young people.
Mr. Speaker, "Truth Be Told" forms part of our Government's broader National Violence Reduction Strategy, and specifically, our Stop the Violence Campaign, which aims to confront the root causes of violence through awareness, education, and direct community engagement.
Mr. Speaker, the event’s purpose was clear: to create a meaningful platform for Bermuda’s youth to express their voices authentically on the harsh realities they encounter. It posed a challenging question to our society: what happens when we stop speaking for our youth and instead listen intently to their voices and hear their stories? On that night, Mr. Speaker, we witnessed a compelling and inspiring answer.
Mr. Speaker¸ over the past several months, students from CedarBridge Academy, Bermuda Institute, Mount Saint Agnes Academy, The Berkeley Institute, and Success Academy boldly chose to be part of the solution to the violence affecting their lives and communities, becoming active participants and leaders in this critical conversation.
Mr. Speaker, each of these five (5) schools created original, student-led media campaigns that explored some of Bermuda’s most challenging social issues. With boldness, creativity, and remarkably disarming honesty, they addressed:
- Snitch Culture – Bermuda Institute’s campaign, "Unlocked," bravely tackled the harmful silence that allows gang violence to persist, emphasizing that real strength lies in protecting one's community through speaking out when they know something related to a violent incident. They poignantly told the audience that “we can’t heal unless people tell the truth” and that “silence has not made us safer.”
- Mental Health – CedarBridge Academy’s "The War Within," explored the profound connection between violence and mental and emotional trauma, highlighting the necessity of acknowledging pain and promoting emotional healing and well-being. They told us to “talk before it turns toxic” and that “violence is a scream for help.”
- Youth Stabbings – Berkeley Institute's "One Knife, One Moment, One Chance," exposed the brutal consequences of carrying weapons, urging young people to choose life-affirming paths over impulsive actions. These students told the audience that they had “seen things they should not have had to see” and asked the profound and provocative question “what does the future look like if we do nothing?” Part of their slogan was “a Sharp Choice of Peace”, a fitting pun for knife-related violence in our community.
- The Ripple Effect of Violence – Mount Saint Agnes Academy’s campaign, "The Aftershock,” passionately portrayed how acts of violence deeply impact and hurt families, schools, and entire communities, calling on everyone to help break the cycle. They refreshingly and honestly affirmed that violence was not just a public-school problem and that it is indeed an “everybody” problem; and stated that violence in our community is not the Bermuda they deserve.
- Gang Recruitment – Success Academy, through their campaign, "Still I Rise," explored why young people feel drawn toward gang affiliation, urging understanding and systemic change to effectively address the root causes of this problem. During this presentation, we were told that the “youth do not just speak, they carry voices” and that our youth need “more consistent father figures.”
Mr. Speaker, these campaigns, created alongside Bermuda’s talented videographers and artists, including Ra’ees Tankard, Dion Greene, Marq Rodriguez, Kyle Hamilton, and Jayde Gibbons, were raw, moving, and unforgettable. They offered a mirror to our society, challenging us to reflect deeply on the state of our community and our collective responsibility for change.
Each of these presentations, Mr. Speaker, merits celebration and recognition. Each student who took part demonstrated immense courage and leadership by being a part of this project. They turned their pain into power, their experiences into messages, and their voices into catalysts for lasting change.
Mr. Speaker, allow me now to recognize and celebrate the remarkable students who were honoured on Tuesday night for their outstanding contributions to this powerful movement.
The “Voice of Change Award” celebrated students who bravely and authentically raised their voices to address difficult truths about community violence. Their honesty, valor, and ability to speak forcefully yet vulnerably helped spark meaningful reflections and deeper understanding in our community.
Recipients of the Voice of Change Award were:
- Giana Romeo of Mount Saint Agnes Academy
- Jayden Belboda-Ravenau of The Berkeley Institute
- Ceszinee Cox of The Berkeley Institute
Mr. Speaker, the “Creative Vision Award” recognized students who showed exceptional creativity, originality, and artistic leadership. These students played key roles in visually expressing their campaign messages, demonstrating strong design direction, symbolic storytelling, and an imaginative approach that captured the depth and seriousness of their messages.
Recipients of the Creative Vision Award were:
- Jayce Fough of The Berkeley Institute
- Kamaya Lynch-Wade of Mount Saint Agnes Academy
- Kacia Barnett of The Bermuda Institute