The Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG) has continued to to empower Bahamian citizens to utilize their individual and collective actions to make positive impacts in their communities through the Active Citizens Bahamas program, as an expression of ORG’s mission is to promote citizen and private sector participation to foster accountable governance in The Bahamas while supporting greater social and economic opportunities for all. Through the Active Citizens Bahamas program, we aim.
Since April, the Active Citizens Bahamas program has successfully conducted national outreach training sessions in the islands of Eleuthera, Exuma, New Providence, and Grand Bahama. We are proud to announce that a total of 318 individuals, spanning different age groups from 9 to 60, have participated in these sessions. The engagement and enthusiasm demonstrated by participants have been truly inspiring.
ORG extends our appreciation to the following groups who actively engaged with the program:
These training sessions have provided valuable insights into the principles of nation-building, citizen engagement, and accountable governance. We have witnessed the growth of knowledge and skills among participants, enabling them to become proactive contributors to their communities.
Building upon the success of the National Outreach Series, we are excited to announce the upcoming launch of the Community Focus Group series. These focus groups will provide a platform for citizens to openly discuss their community challenges and collaboratively brainstorm innovative solutions. We believe that by bringing together diverse perspectives and ideas, we can collectively address these challenges and create meaningful change.
Looking ahead, the Active Citizens Bahamas program will expand its reach to additional islands in The Bahamas. In the coming months, we will conduct training sessions in Andros, Abaco, New Providence, and Grand Bahama. We are committed to providing accessible opportunities for citizens across the country to enhance their understanding of citizen engagement and accountable governance.
Furthermore, we will continue to develop and refine our Advocacy Toolkit, which aims to equip organizations and individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct effective advocacy on issues of concern. The toolkit will serve as a valuable resource for those seeking to amplify their voices and drive positive change.
ORG is grateful for the support and commitment from the donors who supported the Little By Little Campaign and we pledge our ongoing commitment to building a more accountable and inclusive Bahamas. Together, we can create lasting positive impacts in our communities and achieve greater social and economic opportunities for all.
ORG is so grateful for the support for our Citizen Empowerment Programs. We are proud to announce that campaign goal has nearly been met. Funds generously donated through the GlobalGiving” Giving Tuesday” Campaign, helped ORG to expand the geographic scope of our work to build skills of advocacy and participation with citizens in The Bahamas. The ORG team brought our civic education programs to the Islands of Bimini, Cat Island and Long Island, facilitating increased access to meaningful participation in governance.
Six sessions in total were held which engaged over 40 Bahamians. The in-person training sessions provided in The Family Islands focused on engaging youth and civic groups and were held in community based setting such as churches and schools. ORG offered information and resources on nation building and engaged the participants to talk about their community challenges and brainstorm ways to solve them together. The training also introduced ORG’s free online digital tools to the community members so that they might build on the momentum gained in the trainings. The feedback gained from the community has been very encouraging and supports ORG’s aim to bring civic education programs to communities in all the populated Islands of The Bahamas.
This project helps to reinforce ORG’s core belief - that Engaged citizens can play a critical role in making public institutions more transparent, accountable, and effective, and contributing innovative solutions to development challenges.Additionally, the experience and insight gained through this program has informed ORG’s development of the themes and formats of our next programs to help Bahamians to “Get Informed and Get Involved”. Challenging economic conditions, low levels of public trust in government, and the growing impacts of Climate Change are hitting Bahamians hard, particularly those in our most vulnerable communities. The issues we currently face are beyond solely government’s capacity to solve. Our hope for sustainable positive solutions lies in the meaningful involvement of everyday citizens in the planning and monitoring of issues like disaster preparedness, social support programs and improved education. Bahamians, particularly those from our marginalized communities, need the skills and opportunities to have a say in the matters that affect them and their communities. As this project concludes, ORGwill be seeking funding to help communities to build a cadre of Active and locally involved Citizens and to better understand the low level of public trust in governance that seems to be limiting the forward progress of our communities and our nation.
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ORG has continued to build on the foundation of citizen empowerment established through our Freedom Schools. As the lingering impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic has slowed a return to in person trainings and sessions, ORG has applied a focus to the development of more online resources and tools to increase access to citizen participation in governance.
ORG has converted Freedom Schools content has been converted to digital training models that Bahamians can access online through ORG's Citizen Solution Center. The modules will allow persons that participate in Freedom School sessions to have a source which will allow them to return to the material as they need. Additionally, the Modules will allow those whose schedules may not permit attendance at a session to use the materials at their convenience.
To support broader public awareness of the Freedom Schools, ORG also developed an engagement video of the program. This video is being widely promoted on ORG’s social media channels and through local corporate partnerships the Video is now being seen digitally in over 60 businesses across the islands of the archipelago.
Through GlobalGiving’s Little by Little online fundraising campaign to, ORG supporters donated enough to support 3 in person Freedom Schools and one virtual session! Over the next months, ORG will be scheduling and holding these sessions to provide citizens with the tools, training and opportunities to raise their voices about the issues that matter most in their communities. As we move forward, ORG will be seeking funding to travel to bring our programs to communities on some of the more remote islands of our archipelago. We will also be developing more resources and programs to encourage citizen participation. With help from our supporters ORG hopes to make it easy for everyone in The Bahamas to “Get Informed and Get Involved!”.
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Over the past 6 months, ORG provided 30 Freedom School grassroots educational sessions to Bahamian community groups including youth groups, church constituents and university student leaders. The civic education sessions provided knowledge and resources to prepare the participants to get involved in activities which can bring positive change in their communities. additionally, they were encouraged to actively participate in solving the issues that impact our country.
The ORG team worked with the groups around knowledge and skills-based topics to increase their awareness and effectiveness in advocating on issues, laws and policies. The community groups went through traininhg on topics such as: Citizen Rights and The Constitution; The Importance of Civic Participation/Becoming an Active Citizen; How to Engage the System; and Advocacy Tools and Skills.
The ongoing presence of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to limit the opportunity for in person learning sessions, so ORG offered Freedom schools both in-person and virtually as conditions permitted. The sessions. we were roughly 90-minutes and upon completion thge participants received:
The feedback on the sessions that was received from the Community groups was very positive feedback. Some key points were that the information was relevant and easy to understand. Further, a significant portion of attendees reported they were more likely to participate in further activism activities.
Bolstered by the success achieved thus far, ORG aims to continue responding to the ongoing need for greater citizen participation in The Bahamas by providing additional Freedom Schools to our communities. ORG is driven by the belief that helping Citizens to Get Indformed and Get Involved builds the capacity and opportunity for them to make a difference in their communities.
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