FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 28, 2024

TOBAGO CIVILNET CONCLUDES GROUNDBREAKING SERIES ON PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO CRIME PREVENTION.

Scarborough, Tobago — Tobago CivilNET, sponsored by Eastern Credit Union, has successfully concluded a pioneering four-part educational series titled “Turning the Tide of Crime and Violence in Tobago: A Public Health Approach.” The series, which ran from November 12 to December 3, 2024, brought together experts and stakeholders to address Tobago’s rising crime rates through an innovative public health lens.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

– The series reached over 2,700 participants through both Zoom and Facebook platforms

– Featured four distinguished speakers; Quincy Joseph, an ex-federal convict now founder of ‘No Youth Left Behind’; Dr. David Muhammad, Sociologist, Founder and Director of the Black Agenda Report and the Kwame Toure Center; Camile Swapp, Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychologist; and Dr Ulric Johnson, International promoter of the Public Health Model as a primary, evidence-based approach to crime and violence.

– Addressed critical issues such as youth development, educational reform, and community mobilization

– Presented evidence-based solutions focusing on prevention rather than just enforcement

“Violence is a disease that requires treating root causes while creating protective and enabling environments for society to grow,” said Xavier Edwards, PRO at Tobago CivilNET. “Our series demonstrated that incarcerating all into a penal system does not holistically solve crime and violence for our country.”

MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Implementation of youth-led programs to guide peers away from crime
2. Educational system reform focusing on child development and cultural relevance
3. Increased investment in lower-income communities and at-risk youth
4. Stronger collaboration between schools, churches, and community organizations
5. Enhanced focus on mental health support and trauma-informed approaches

The series highlighted several key factors contributing to crime in Tobago and by extension Trinidad, including:

– Unequal distribution of wealth

– Post-colonial educational systems not meeting current needs

– Erosion of traditional cultural and communal structures

– Limited access to mental health resources

– Need for improved parenting support systems

IMPACT AND REACH:

The recorded series is currently available in the video library of Tobago CivilNET’s Facebook page, and as such, impact and reach are growing. Though the initial attendance was marginal, given the sheer number of stakeholders that were invited, CivilNET is hopeful that those in leadership roles will embrace the All-of-Society approach highlighted and called for in this 4-part series.  

Moving forward, Tobago CivilNET remains hopeful that a physical Public Health Approach workshop involving key stakeholders such as the TTPS, Judiciary, Education Sector, Parents, to name a few, can be effectively sponsored in Tobago. When All-of-Society embrace the responsibility for identifying the risk factors that seed the growth of crime and violence, and mitigating against them, we will begin to see sustainable management of this dreadful social disease.

For more information, contact:

Email: tobagocivilnet@gmail.com

Website: http://www.tobagocivilnet.org

Social Media: @TobagoCivilNet

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About Tobago CivilNET:

Tobago CivilNET is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting a thriving Tobago built on the cornerstones of individual liberty, economic freedom, and accountable government. The organization works to drive advocacy and educate the people of Tobago on crucial social issues affecting the island.