The US-funded Project Grace launched the community engagement aspect of the programme in Maloney on Saturday by conducting surveys with residents to determine their resources and needs.

Implemented by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), Project Grace (Gang Reduction and Community Empowerment) has two main components – intelligence-led policing and investigations, and community engagement.

Speaking to members of the media at the launch at the Amphitheatre, Maloney Village Plaza, Maloney Gardens, PADF representative Yolande De Leon said the people of Maloney had talents and ideas to build a community they could be proud of and feel safe in.

Through Project Grace, the PADF and the police were working with residents and community-based organisations to come up with strategies to help the community become stronger.

“It is about helping persons within the community to become more resilient. It is about looking at root causes of community decay and what we could do, working together, to come up with solutions.”

On Saturday afternoon, the people of Project Grace knocked on doors in Buildings 10-13 of Maloney Gardens conducting surveys, mapping the talents of the residents, learning about the resources in the community, and finding out what they wanted so when programmes were developed, the resources of Maloney could be tapped to assist.

De Leon said while they could not promise anyone employment, Project Grace was pushing entrepreneurial development and self-employment, and offering training, workshops, and psycho-social support to youths.

It was also working with ChildLine, the Morvant Men's Mentorship Movement and other NGOs, the Ministry of Social Development, and had been meeting with the Ministry of Youth and the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme to see how they could support the programme.

It also started building the capacity of around 300 police officers with sensitivity training in proactive community policing at the Community Oriented Policing section of the TTPS in Riverside Plaza, Port of Spain.

Building Ten resident Selmon Wilson said the project was a good idea because, in the community, initiatives were often started but “nothing comes of it.” He believed it would benefit the youths of the community by giving them something to occupy themselves mentally and physically.

“(I like) The part about what they could put in place for the community in the sense of the programmes and whatnot. Because the programmes, even though they come, they kinda far and in between. So that’s one aspect I really think will be of some benefit.”

He also believed the residents of Building Ten would be receptive to the initiatives and participate.

Another resident, Keith Prime, agreed the project would help youths the most. He said the elders were “on their way out” and so was glad people were looking out for the youth since that generation was “giving trouble.”

[caption id="attachment_1039050" align="alignnone" width="1024"] ACP North East Oswain Subero speaks with head of Inte