BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS:  Stop the Violence Campaign to be held on New Year’s Day. Youth in Focus committee will be holding the “Stop the Violence Campaign” on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2008 at the Road Town Festival Grounds starting at 3:00 p.m. “Admission, drinks and food is for free; you only pay your respect by being there to support the youths of our territory,” the committee says. Full article

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: Frederick Pickering Memorial Lecture to Discuss Role of Caribbean Women. The 20th Annual Frederick Pickering Memorial Lecture will discuss the Role of Women in the Developing Caribbean, and will be delivered by Leader of Government in the Netherlands Antillean Parliament, Commissioner Sarah Wescot Williams. Full article

CAYMAN ISLANDS: Holidays can bring domestic violence. While for many the holidays are a time of celebration and sharing, they can also be an incredibly stressful period. According to Anne Hodge, executive director of the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, that stress can cause tensions to escalate, sometimes poring over into domestic violence. Full article

DOMINICA: Austrie: 800 new jobs created in government's housing revolution. Housing Minister Reginald Austrie is reporting that over 480 homes have been repaired under government’s “housing revolution” which has resulted in the creation of some 800 new jobs. Full article

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Amount of Haitians students in Dominican Republic increases. Education Minister Alejandrina German says ministry records show 20,767 Haitian nationals are enrolled in Dominican schools. Full article

JAMAICA:  Natty Morgan's penchant for criminality emerges at age 7. This series of articles is not intended to lionise or glorify the acts of criminals but to put a historical perspective on criminality in Jamaica, with the hope of shedding light on why the country is now teetering on the edge of lawlessness.Of significant note, as well, is the fact that the subjects of these stories die violently and very young. Full article

JAMAICA: Teenager killed in St Elizabeth. One teenager is dead, another is on the run and his family home set ablaze following a stabbing incident in Mitcham District, Goshen St Elizabeth early Thursday morning, police say. Full article

JAMAICA: Use more preventative approaches to crime, drugs - World Bank study. A joint report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Latin America and Caribbean Region of the World Bank on Crime, entitled 'Violence and Development in the Caribbean' has said that violence and crime reduction in the region can be achieved through preventive approaches and not just those focused on criminal justice. Full article

JAMAICA: Not enough women being employed, says gender expert. Women's Media Watch official Hilary Nicholson has bemoaned what she said was a high level of unemployment among women despite the fact that they do well in terms of acquiring higher education. Full article

JAMAICA: Observer rewards schools for high Study Centre sales. The Jamaica Observer on December 14 rewarded schools for high sales of the newspaper's Study Centre and awarded the top prizes to Aabuthnott Gallimore High and Naggo Head Primary which recorded combined sales in excess of 23,000 copies per annum. Full article

STA LUCIA: CYP help with youth development plan. Te Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre (CYPCC) is assisting the Division of Youth and Sport of St Lucia with a situational analysis with a view to supporting them in the development of a Strategic Plan for Youth Development. Full article

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Teen's murder pushes toll to 383. With just one day before the start of a new year, the murder toll continued to climb yesterday, following the shooting of a St Joseph teenager. Full article

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Young cricketers receive equipment. PROMISING young cricketers Khaleel Vance Ragbiesingh and his friend Noah Nathan Christian both received cricket equipment to jump start their career in the sport recently. Full article

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: ...'Killing gang-related'. The killing of expelled Jamaat-al-Muslimeen member Salim "Small Salim" Rasheed has now pushed the murder toll to 382 for the year-11 more than last year's official figure and four shy of the 2005 toll. Full article

US VIRGIN ISLANDS: 'Sickalous' wins Teen Idol title. He wrote his own music, performed it with style and in the end, the audience rewarded him for his effort. C'Keem "Sickalous" Lewis was named the first Teen Idol on Saturday night during a neck-and-neck competition at Charlotte Amalie High School. Full article

US VIRGIN ISLANDS: Vetoed bills include technical school for St. Thomas, government offices for St. Croix.  Gov. John deJongh Jr. on Saturday vetoed a bill that would have set up a public-private partnership to establish a post-secondary technical school in the territory. Full article

US VIRGIN ISLANDS: Artists teaching youth to make crafts of recyclable materials. Give children the material and knowledge to inspire their imagination, and watch their creativity come to life. Full article