NASSAU| On Friday, December 1st, as the people of Golden Gates came together for a “Thanksgiving Prayer Without Ceasing” event, Golden Gates Member of Parliament and Minister of Labour and the Public Service, Pia Glover-Rolle, took the opportunity to announce the Golden Gates Conflict Resolution Zone as a part of the Constituency’s efforts to promote peace within the community.
The prayer event, which was hosted by the Golden Gates Progressive Young Liberals (PYL), and sponsored by Minister Glover-Rolle, was held at the Golden Gates Strait Park at 7pm.
Minister Glover-Rolle stated that the prayer meeting provided an ideal platform to launch the Conflict Resolution Zone, as both initiatives are pursuing similar objectives from different angles.
“As we pray for peace among our people, the Conflict Resolution Zone initiative will promote peace on our streets. I applaud the young people of this community for bringing us all together in the spirit of positivity and progress.”
“Faith without works is dead. So, we followed our prayers of faith with action in the form of the Conflict Resolution Zone, an initiative which will soon be seen throughout the Constituency.”
As a part of the initiative, a number of highly visible billboards bearing “statements of excellence” in relation to conflict resolution will be erected throughout the Constituency. These brightly coloured billboards are the product of an initiative in which quotes were taken directly from members of the constituency. Minister Glover-Rolle believes that the use of community-generated quotes will allow the message to reach its intended audience.
“These quotes serve as a visual reminder to resolve conflicts peacefully. They are impactful precisely because residents will pay more attention when they see their own words speaking back to them. Our hope is that any young person who may be angry or actively involved in a conflict can see these reminders in their community and take a moment to really think before acting.”
In attendance at the event were several representatives of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, including Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings, as well as Golden Gates residents of all ages.
“I was proud to see a strong showing of people tonight, especially the young people who came to fellowship and pray with us,” said Minister Glover-Rolle.
“We always see a lot of criticism about our young men and women, but those who joined us at the event got the opportunity to see a group of young people who were there solely in support of making their community a better place.”
She added that the plans for the Conflict Resolution Zone began to be developed this summer as residents explored ways they could assist local law enforcement with crime prevention.
“We believe that it’s not just the police force’s job to fight against crime. It takes a community to truly make a difference. I am happy that the police force and our community were able to come together today as a show of support. I agree with what Chief Superintendent Skippings said in her remarks when she spoke of the great potential in this initiative and expressed hope that it would grow to other communities.”
Minister Glover-Rolle also hopes to expand the initiative beyond the billboards in the near future, as she develops plans to host life skills development sessions with young people in the community on topics, such as conflict resolution, anger management, emotional and self-regulation and de-escalation skills.
She stated her belief that the success of the initiative will hinge on the involvement of the community.
“Community involvement will fuel our success. Already, we are off to a strong start with the showing we had. I’d like to thank the Royal Bahamas Police Force for their support, Pastor Felicia Archer for her timely message, and Chavez Smith, Angelica McIntosh, Sidney Sawyer, and Rayangelo Seymour for participating in the event programme.
“I’d also like to acknowledge our youth leaders, K. Reva Rolle, Te’Neil Francis, and Andrewnique Curry, for organizing the event, as well as Kendrick Knowles who first came up with the idea for the Conflict Resolution Zone.”
