Violence against women and children is all too familiar in many of the places we work. This is no different in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2014, PSI-Caribbean (PSI-C) had the opportunity to pilot a gender-based violence (GBV) prevention program through a partnership with Indrani Goradia of Indrani’s Light Foundation and co-founder of the Maverick Collective.

Building on over a decade of social marketing experience, we developed a three-year pilot project to denormalize violence in Trinidad. This comprised both GBV prevention and increased support to survivors of violence.

In order to successfully address violence against women and girls, PSI-Caribbean believed that it was crucial to develop an intervention that empowers young women and men, girls and boys to challenge negative gender norms that lie at the root of GBV.

The Make It Stop campaign was launched with a public service announcement featuring PSI global ambassador Mandy Moore. The 12-week Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) taught teens in Port of Spain the skills to recognize and stop violence. The program provided youth with the necessary tools to develop healthy relationships, address conflict in healthy ways, and to recognize and alleviate violence, particularly in intimate relationships.

The project concluded in 2017, but we knew that a deep and lasting movement had begun. Watch this seven-minute highlight reel to learn more about the campaign and its impact.

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The pilot project is now officially closed, but there is more work to do. You can support our efforts to bring YEPs to most-at-risk young people by donating through Global Giving’s secure platform.

Will you join us in stopping the cycle of violence in Trinidad and Tobago?

Click here to for more details on the program and PSI-Caribbean’s work on GBV.