2025 Impact Report

Building Resilience, Strengthening Communities, Transforming Lives

The Grand Bahama Resilience Center (GBRC) continued to serve as a trusted source of hope, healing, and empowerment throughout 2025. As communities across Grand Bahama navigated ongoing social, emotional, and economic challenges, GBRC remained committed to providing accessible mental health services, resilience-building programs, educational initiatives, and opportunities for personal growth.

Through counseling, training, youth development programs, community outreach, and psychosocial support services, we worked to strengthen individuals, families, workplaces, and communities while reducing stigma surrounding mental health.

Mental Health Awareness & Education

Mental health awareness remained at the forefront of our work throughout the year. GBRC delivered workshops, presentations, and training sessions in schools, workplaces, churches, and community organizations to promote emotional wellbeing and resilience.

Key engagements included:

Mental health training for educators at Hugh Campbell Primary School during Professional Development Day.
World Suicide Prevention Week activities with students at Grand Bahama Academy.
Participation in a suicide prevention panel discussion alongside healthcare professionals from Rand Memorial Hospital.
World Mental Health Day outreach at St. George's High School.
Mental Health Awareness sessions at Maurice Moore Primary, Eight-Mile Rock High and Jack Hayward Junior High School.
Presentations on mental wellness at the Ministry of Works, Freeport Container Port, Freeport Harbour Companu Family Island Affairs Jump Start Symposium, Freeport Ship Services, Grand Bahama Power Company and Carnival Celebration Key.
Women's wellness and mental health presentations at the Fertility Empowerment Summit and EY's 4Ms initiative.

These efforts helped normalize conversations around mental health while equipping participants with practical coping strategies and pathways to support.

Strengthening Community Resilience

Throughout the year, GBRC continued to provide safe spaces where individuals could connect, learn, and heal.

Regular programming included:

Knitting and Crocheting
Sister Circle Women's Wellness Group
Chess Club
Ballroom Dancing
Arts and Crafts
Reading Support
Painting Workshops
Etiquette Training
Games Club
Bedtime Stories with Nanna Sheppard

These initiatives fostered social connection, creativity, confidence, and emotional wellbeing among participants of all ages.

Supporting Children & Youth

Investing in young people remained a central focus of our mission.

Highlights included:

Literacy Appreciation Day

Children participated in interactive reading activities, storytelling sessions, and educational games designed to strengthen literacy skills and encourage a lifelong love of reading.

Back 2 Basics Summer Camp

Now in its fifth year, Back 2 Basics helped students strengthen academic skills in reading, writing, grammar, and mathematics while participating in creative and recreational activities.

Pajama Reading Party

Children gathered for an evening of storytelling, imagination, and literacy engagement, reinforcing the importance of reading in a fun and supportive environment.

Emotional Wellness Education

GBRC staff engaged students at schools throughout Grand Bahama, teaching emotional regulation, resilience, self-awareness, self-kindness, and healthy coping skills.

Youth Leadership Development

Students participated in leadership-focused initiatives, including the Eight Mile Rock High School Prefect Installation Ceremony, where they were encouraged to lead with integrity, commitment, and compassion.

Supporting Families & Children in Care

GBRC partnered with the Grand Bahama Children's Home to provide emotional wellness sessions focused on self-awareness, emotional regulation, and resilience.

The program concluded with a celebratory community event that reinforced the importance of connection, play, and supportive relationships in children's healing and development.

Additionally, GBRC facilitated foster parent training in partnership with the Ministry of Social Services, helping prospective foster parents better understand the emotional needs of children in care.

Workplace Wellness & Professional Development

Recognizing the important connection between employee wellbeing and organizational success, GBRC expanded its workplace wellness efforts throughout the year.

Training and presentations were delivered to:

Grand Bahama Port Authority
Freeport Container Port
EY
Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs
Freeport Ship Services
Various community organizations and professional groups

Topics included:

Stress Management
Self-Care
Teamwork
Resilience
Women's Mental Health
Leadership Development
Psychological Wellness in the Workplace

Critical Incident Stress Management Training

One of the year's most significant achievements was GBRC's partnership with Critical Incident Consulting and the We Will Go Foundation to provide Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Training for first responders.

This specialized training equipped 23 participants with practical tools to:

Manage stress following critical incidents
Support colleagues after traumatic events
Strengthen peer support systems
Promote psychological resilience within emergency response settings

By building local capacity, this initiative enhanced community preparedness and long-term recovery efforts.

Research & Innovation

In collaboration with The New School University's Global Mental Health Team, GBRC continued advancing research on Problem Management Plus (PM+), an evidence-based intervention developed by the World Health Organization.

This work contributes to the growing body of knowledge surrounding scalable mental health interventions while supporting efforts to expand access to psychosocial care throughout the Caribbean.

Community Partnerships & Volunteerism

GBRC's impact is made possible through strong partnerships and dedicated volunteers.

Throughout the year, community members, professionals, schools, businesses, churches, and civic organizations joined us in advancing mental health awareness and resilience-building initiatives.

We were especially inspired by young community leaders, including students Sophia Marianna Porceddu and Maddison Grace Johnson, whose fundraising project, The Art of Wellbeing, demonstrated the power of youth-led philanthropy and community care.

Looking Ahead

As we continue to grow, our vision remains clear: a resilient Caribbean where individuals, families, and communities have the tools, support, and opportunities needed to thrive.

Through mental health services, education, community engagement, workforce development, and evidence-based interventions, GBRC remains committed to creating lasting positive change.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our donors, volunteers, partners, and supporters. Your investment in this work is helping to build stronger individuals, healthier families, and more resilient communities across Grand Bahama and beyond.

Together, we are turning awareness into action and resilience into lasting transformation.