Bridgetown – The Canadian Government funded Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice) Project hosted a symposium on June 22nd, 2019 to officially launch its Alternative Dispute Resolution sensitization campaign for Barbados. This symposium was held at the Valley Resource Centre, Glebe, St. George.
The event commenced with remarks by Professor Velma Newton, Regional Project Director of the IMPACT Justice Project followed by a presentation from the Honourable Sir Marston Gibson, KA, Chief Justice of Barbados on the use of Mediation as an alternative to litigation. Other guest speakers included Ms. Ann Diaz, Mediation Coordinator, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus (Trinidad); Ms. Terry Ranglin, Trainer, Dispute Resolution Foundation (Jamaica); and Ms. Patricia Warner, Senior Education Officer, Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (Barbados).
The symposium included a review of the experiences of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago with the establishment and use of Community Mediation Centres and plans for the introduction of a similar regime in Barbados. Also discussed was Restorative Practices and its use to address instances of bullying and violence in schools and plans to institutionalise the use of this mechanism through a strategic partnership with the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College.
