NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Association for Social Health (BASH) is commemorating its 31st anniversary with the launch of a skills training initiative for youth.
The BASH youth “Build-A-Skill” training programme will provide specialized training to high-risk youth in soft, social and hard skills in conjunction with the Ministry of Education (MOE), the University of The Bahamas (UB), the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) and other stakeholders.
Terry Miller, founder of BASH — an adult male residential substance dependency treatment and rehabilitation facility — said his organization will work with Urban Renewal to identify young men and women in the community who could benefit from the courses.
During a ceremony on January 12, 2022, at BASH facilities in Chippingham, Glenys Hanna-Martin, minister of education and technical & vocational training, congratulated Miller and his executive team as they celebrated the 31st anniversary, and as The Bahamas celebrates the 55th anniversary of Majority Rule (January 10, 1967).
“Any effort that brings awareness and allows people to find within themselves who they are, what they are and move beyond whatever challenge they face is very much in line with the struggle of our people which led to 1967,” said Hanna-Martin.
“I stand here to support the work of this organization, Terry Miller and his leadership. I am very proud of our legacy, heritage and history.”
We’ll need an amplification in the offerings for our young people because there are going to be so many gaps as a result of the shift to virtual learning and teaching as a result of COVID-19.
– Dr Jacinta Higgs
Dr Jacinta Higgs, veteran educator and former director of the Department of Gender and Family Affairs of the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, in a recorded speech, commended Miller for his noble venture.
She said the certification programmes in soft skills, social skills and hard skills are needed in The Bahamas.
“Coming out of and during COVID-19, we’ll need an amplification in the offerings for our young people because there are going to be so many gaps that would have occurred as a result of the lockdowns and shift to virtual learning and teaching as a result of COVID-19,” she said.
“Soft skills are critical. Social skills will definitely be needed. The genesis of education was to socialize young people and children toward becoming productive, contributing citizens.
“Therefore problem-solving, conflict resolution, patience, motivation, anger management, grief therapy — these are critical, especially grief because during COVID-19, thousands of families would have lost hundreds of family members.”
Higgs said the hard skills — including construction, organic farming, hydroponics, aquaponics, multimedia social media and solar panel technology — are very much aligned with some of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Miller said the youth programme is an indication of the organization’s commitment not only to the social health of the country but to the most valuable asset any nation can have — its youth.
“On this our 31st anniversary, we are a social asset that has paid the price, stood the test of time and is now ready, willing, able and eager to go the extra mile,” said Miller.
