Countering Youth and Urban Violence with a Community Engagement Cultural Therapy Program in Kingston, Jamaica

Jamaica has the world’s third highest homicide rate (53 per 100,000), with Kingston’s inner-city communities socially isolated by violence and gangs.  In collaboration with a government-run Community Mental Health (CMH) program in two inner-city communities, this project will target high-risk Grade 3 students, and the wider youth and adult populations with a Community Engagement Cultural Therapy (CECT) program.  The effort involves group discussion of painful issues and uses drama, song and dance to translate and help express concerns. The community will be guided through the creation of goals for social and financial development.  Objectives include reducing child conduct disorders, as well as reducing domestic and interpersonal violence among youths and adults, stimulating youth employment and reducing poverty.