Transforming Lives and Communities

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames urged Bahamian students on Friday to "say no to violence” after a recent survey revealed that 17 percent of the students surveyed say they were in a fight at school within the last 30 days. The survey, facilitated by the Citizen Security and Justice Programme in partnership with the Ministry of Education, also found that 63 percent of young people felt there is justification for someone to hit a child or physically hurt a child who misbehaved. The findings were made known at an inter-school rally at Marathon Mall, where officials spoke on the importance...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 18th, 2019 Hundreds of Community Residents Get Trained On Anti-Violence Curriculum To Make A Change ~First Cohort of Trainers make their rounds officially as Community Leaders, offering advice on how to tackle challenges. NASSAU, Bahamas­ – Hundreds of New Providence residents, over the last several weeks, have been sharpening their skills in mediating challenges involving gender based violence, sexual assault, conflict resolution and parenting. In an effort to equip more Bahamians with the tools to tackle social ills facing their communities, nearly 400 new community members have been certified during multiple-day workshops conducted around town by...

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 8th, 2019 CSJP Job Training Opens For Enrollment ~Eligible young Bahamians are urged to sign up online, at the Department of Labour or during a Community registration drive NASSAU, Bahamas­ – The Citizens Security and Justice Programmehas officiallybegun enrollment to its Job Corps training initiative that offers free courses for young Bahamians in up to four disciplines. With the sessions set to begin in Q1 of 2020, the CSJP is encouraging anyone eligible to register for the courses, which include Soft Skills training, Technical Trades, Hospitality and Retail and Numeracy and Literacy. “Under our CSJP...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 31st, 2019 Plans For Kemp Road’s Community Centre Advance in Public Consultation ~Scores of residents turn out to give their input on how this centre can turn their community around. NASSAU, Bahamas­ – Kemp Road residents, during a recent public consultation meeting, offered several suggestions to the Citizen Security and Justice Programme on the functioning of a community centre focused on lessening violent crimes reported in their neighbourhood. The public consultation is the first step in a process of constructing a new state-of-the-art community centre that will implement youth violence interruption activities as well as multi-generational...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24th, 2019 Citizen Security and Justice Program Concludes ‘Training The Trainer’ ~ Sessions preparing 27 professionals for life as community trainers in New Providence NASSAU, Bahamas – The Citizen Security and Justice Program (CSJP) wrapped up its Train the Trainer sessions recently, preparing dozens of professionals to groom 200-plus community members into agents of change in reducing the nation’s high crime rate. The week-long sessions have equipped the new master trainers with the necessary tools to tackle the real-life cases they may encounter in the communities. Twenty-seven New Providence residents were chosen based on their current...

Countries all over the world have been witnessing a rise in crime and violence in many forms. The Bahamas is not exempt. While the Family Islands are low-crime areas, the densely populated island of New Providence has been the focal point for antisocial behaviour. Now, the Bahamas Government is beginning the roll out a unique, citizen-driven programme to help vulnerable communities self-heal in partnership with the Police and various civic groups and educational institutions. Work began on the project in 2017. “The operations command points of the new The Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) will be ultramodern community complexes...

A ceremony was held yesterday at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in honour of the first cohort of inmates to graduate from a training and certification programme at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI). More than 100 inmates received certification in a wide array of areas, including electrical installation, hair dressing, information technology, garment manufacturing and auto mechanics. Upon release, these certificates will also allow participants to enrol in BTVI to further their level of education. The programme is an initiative of a larger project called the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP), which is funded by a...