The residents at the Point Blanche prison and Miss Lalie centre can now participate in creative programmes such as writing newsletters and attending a book club.
POINT BLANCHE/COLE BAY--Residents at the Point Blanche Prison and Miss Lalie Centre have taken part in a range of creative activities under the first phase of the “Under the Hood” volunteering project, which concluded after two months.
The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) project brought local and international volunteers together to establish activities aimed at encouraging creativity, reading and skills development within the two facilities.
Among the initiatives were two newsletters, “Jungle News” at Point Blanche Prison and “The Rascals News” at Miss Lalie Centre. Published every two weeks, the newsletters provide a platform for sharing information and allow residents to contribute content, including puzzles and word games.
At Point Blanche Prison, volunteers also established “Between the Bars”, a book club developed in collaboration with the St. Maarten Library. The initiative supports reading and literacy and contributes to the establishment of a new satellite library at the prison.
Library staff participated in guided discussions on Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”, while volunteers and residents helped renovate the library space, organise its collection and sort books donated through the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF).
Another initiative, “The Spot”, is a movie club where participants watch films on selected themes before taking part in group discussions and writing reviews. Residents also participated in photography workshops, painting, colouring, blackout poetry and podcasting. Cooking activities were organised, while volunteers and residents worked on preparing applications for future projects to help sustain programmes within the facilities.
The second phase of “Under the Hood” began on October 9, with a new group of international volunteers joining resident volunteers at Point Blanche Prison and Miss Lalie Centre. The group will continue the existing initiatives and introduce new creative activities.
The project is being implemented under the Detention Sector Reform Program (DSRP), with funding from the European Solidarity Corps, the Ministry of Justice of St. Maarten and the Government of the Netherlands. It is delivered in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
