Students of the IMPACT Justice Triple H Programme Graduate

The Canadian Government funded Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice) Project hosted a graduation ceremony for 14 students of the Triple H (Help, Hope, Heal) Youth Development Programme on July 3^rd, 2017 in the school hall of the Parkinson Memorial Secondary School, Barbados.

In the presence of their parents, teachers and peers, the students of the Triple H Programme were praised for their participation and dedication to the 11 week programme which required them to stay after school two days a week for sessions. Principal Holder, in his opening remarks noted that since the introduction of the programme he has seen a significant change in many of the participants in terms of their social development and interaction with others. He noted also that the Triple H Programme is a pilot that the Parkinson Memorial Secondary School could be very proud of and which he would like to see continue for years to come.

Ms. Patricia Warner, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education noted also that she was very pleased by the success of the programme and urged the parents and teachers to continue to support the children as they moved forward.

Professor Velma Newton, Regional Project Director of the IMPACT Justice Project, also addressed the gathering and gave a recap of the components of the Triple H Programme which included sessions on:

• conflict resolution and anger management;
• spiritual development;
• making best choices in terms of social development;
• academic development;
• gender sensitivity;
• teamwork through sports; and
• dealing with community issues.

She too was very pleased with the success of the programme and thanked all of the facilitators for giving of their time to work with the students and also thanked the students for their participation.