Despite Mavado's anticipated participation in the One Love Music Festival scheduled for December 30 in St Croix, the founder of US Virgin Islands-based Stop the Bleeding foundation says he is not affiliated with her organisation.

In yesterday's WEEKEND STAR, it was said that Mavado would be leading an anti-gun and non-violence campaign when he headlines the One Love Music Festival as part of Stop the Bleeding. He is scheduled to perform alongside other artistes like Ras Attitude, Cruz Rock, Da General, Sabbatical Ahdah, Junior P, 103.5 The Reef DJ's Dave Martinez, DJ Karl and Selecta Kuff, DJ Big Kat and Supa Trax Sounds.

"I am very happy to be a part of this anti-violence movement," said Mavado in a release that was published yesterday. "We are often criticised for our influence over the youths but a campaign like this shows the potential to use dancehall acts such as myself to motivate and uplift young people."

However, the founder of Stop the Bleeding, Cheryl Francis, wife of the Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis, says her organisation is no longer part of the One Love Music Festival and by extension Mavado is not working with it. On November 3, a decision was made that Stop the Bleeding would not be part of the concert due to unmitigating circumstances.

Nonetheless, she says she "appreciates Mavado's enthusiasm to join a positive movement that helps our young people to understand the need to stop the violence and put away the gun."

She continued, "I am thankful we have made an impact on Mavado and he is willing to spread the word of peace to all who listens to his music, and we hope many other artistes will join this movement and promote the positive messages to our children."

Francis founded Stop the Bleeding Inc. in 2007, and it stands for non-violence and is actively involved in reducing gun violence and youth crime in the USVI and the Caribbean region.

With music being an important tool in reaching the youth, Stop the Bleeding has teamed up with a group of artistes who collaborated on a track called Believe and also released a music video for it. It features acts like Pressure, Verse Simmonds, Elijah Vegas, Rena Faith, TSR and Mada Nile.