The Trenchtown Reading Centre was founded in December 1993 - a non-profit, secular, community based, and developed initiative - from the roots up. Library, School, and Community Cornerstone. A place where life is enriched by reading and learning. Emphasizing the exchange of ideas, critical thinking, literacy, education and life skills. Developed to encourage a broad range of educational activities and provide a place for community activities.
The Centre continually adds to its collection to provide a broad scope of material that is both relevant and accurate. The Centre provides countless children and adults with more, current, and otherwise unobtainable material, in a relaxed, welcoming and accessible environment. Laying a solid foundation to create the potential for personal, familial, and community well-being and growth.

: Trench Town is a small area in the West Kingston ghetto enclave of Jamaica’s capital. Trench Town, like other ghetto areas, has been abandoned and avoided by both the public and private sectors of society. It has been isolated and threatened by the surrounding political and gang violence.

Trench Town has a dual identity
- a place whose reputation is as much story as it is reality -

Trench Town has been synonymous with violence, fear, despair and other negative attributes of ghetto life. While, at the same time, it is recognized and respected worldwide as providing the Roots of Reggae Music (Unity, One love, Knowledge..) and home to many accomplished and world famous individuals.
In reality Trench Town can be a dangerous place but it is also a community. The community and its leaders believe in social change and responsibility. The power of reasoning and constructive action is highly valued. Unfortunately for the younger generation, crime has often proven, in the short term, to be the only route to survival and any material gains. The leaders of the community are determined to change this.

Trench Town is a neighbourhood that is struggling to be strong and safe, working together, trying to move forward, away from violence and despair, towards opportunity.




     

In Jamaica school is not free. Tuition must be paid each semester, shoes, books and uniforms purchased. This places a great burden on struggling parents. Unable to attend when financial resources cannot be found children's education is often sporadic. Jamaica's economy is suffering and the education system is under great strain. Teachers are inadequately trained and poorly compensated. There is serious overcrowding, lack of materials, and inadequate facilities.

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In Trench Town, November 1993, a group of us sat in Bob Marley's old yard reasoning, trying to find a path forward out of the cycle of violence, poverty and exclusion.

How to strenghten a person, a family, a community's ability to
choose, plan and succeed in finding a better way?
How to stop the violence?

We chose to focus on knowledge - it was time to improve literacy, learning, information and opportunity.
It was crystal clear that the people of Trench Town would have to do this themselves.
Out of the community’s strong roots and in response to this dialog came the Trenchtown Reading Centre.

Exchange violence for the power of reasoning..
To think. To reason. To learn. To grow.

To be able to make sense of oneself and one's surroundings - the first step to being able to envision and create a different reality. Through ideas and the community working together other choices could be made.

The discussion then took a practical turn. Where would the books come from? Where would they be put? What about the contents of the books? As the questions continued, we came up with the concept for a community based and controlled effort to promote literacy, learning and the exchange of ideas.

...
Immediate action & community control were agreed to be of the utmost importance ~

Understanding that waiting for those outside the community to accept and support the project would take time, put community control in jeopardy, and perhaps even prevent the Centre from developing, it was decided that we would proceed on our own and solicit assistance as we progressed. The crucial element was to begin!

The community as a whole embraced the idea - it was agreed that The Reading Centre was to be located in the small and crumbling music rehearsal room on First Street. Music has traditionally been one of the ways out of the ghetto and it was decided that now was time for a fresh and inspired approach. With its strong history, this space would provide the perfect setting.

The rehearsal room was the old Vin Lawrence Park building, a 15 x 20 ft. space in a vacant field on Lower First Street. The structure was in total disrepair but could provide a separate, well-monitored and easily accessible space.

The idea became a reality
five weeks after the initial discussion, with great effort & conviction by all — roof, ceiling, windows and walls repaired, doors, shelves and lights added, inside and out painted.

The Trenchtown Reading Centre opened, on December, 1993, with an official ribbon cutting at the Centre, five banana boxes of new books, a hundred balloons, a community celebration of refreshments and music

Later that evening we held a concert in the park. Many visitors and a band of well-known musicians celebrated, with Massive Dread hosting as MC & DJ.

...
Michael Smith, Roslyn Ellison and Veego, together with Massive Dread (Denis James) and Chubby (Vincent Graham) — both, sadly, lost along the way — created the model, organized and setup the Reading Centre. The building upgrades, ongoing operations, books & materials funded by R. Ellison.
From 1994 until 1998, Ziggy (Devon Beckford) and R. Ellison ran the Centre; organizing, co-ordinating programs and working on program development, materials provided by R. Ellison. Ziggy kept all aspects of the Centre running on a daily basis.

In 1997 R. Ellison organized a non-profit society to help support the Centre," Friends of the Trenchtown Reading Centre (FTRC)." The Centre also received some support from various professionals, organizations, churches and individuals, inside and outside of Jamaica.

The struggle to keep the building operational, programs running, provide good books and staffed was difficult and ongoing, but well worth the effort !

The Centre quickly became a full-time concern and a focus for the community. A neutral place where everyone was welcome. Throughout the years of violent instability in the area, when schools and transportation were shut down — the Centre remained open and growing, providing resources, programs and, more importantly, continuity and hope to the entire community. The response to the Centre from within the community was so positive we could do nothing but give it our all.
                                       Support from the society at large was to take some time ....

throughout years of violent instability in the area,when public schools and transportation were shut down-the Centre remained open ..
  


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Initially all books remained on site, but the Centre had such a large and growing number of users, that it quickly progressed to a fully functioning lending Library in spring of 1994. Children alone, numbering 80-100, coming each day to sign out and return books !!!!

Since its inception, the Centre has focused strongly on youth providing and promoting a broad range of educational and community activities and resources. The Centre continues to provide not only a library, but also a place where basic literacy skills are learned and improved and where a variety of educational, vocational and community programs are facilitated.

The Centre addresses specific and identified needs within the community:

  •  Library / Peer Tutoring / Read Aloud / Study support …
  •  Preschool (Basic school)
  •  Early Literacy, Parenting & Nutrition program - run in conjunction with a team from the Malnourished Children’s Unit at the University of the West Indies.
  •  Quilting & Craft Co-operative
  •  Youth Club- talent & sports / Community music & fitness Centre
  •  Vocational Programs

Our emphasis is on providing current books for the Reading Centre and the Preschool. Providing for the children's, juvenile and adult collection - covering a wide range of interests; children's books (all levels), biographies, nature, health, geography, people, history, politics, sports, music, fiction, health and a large reference section.


Click below to view list

The primary goal of the Trenchtown Reading Centre is to provide - in a welcoming atmosphere- a comprehensive collection of materials - for the diversity of the community's reading, interest, and comprehension levels -
Emphasizing current, culturally relevant materials as well as otherwise unavailable materials and information.

Current books are important, as the text often reflects a more diverse reality and addresses issues often avoided or ignored in the past. Recent books reflect a more global and inclusive reality.

For example, in children’s books the major impact is often the artwork - once again, a more global perspective, with African, Caribbean, Asian and Central American influences being well represented in current books.

For children who have so little, picking up a book - new & nice - helps to instill a life long love for books and reading - and all that can bring, as well as having a positive effect on their self-esteem.

 

Over the years we have struggled to improve and enlarge the Centre in order to provide for all its activities. The Centre’s open courtyard was covered and a new roof added. New windows for the Centre, doors, light and paint were provided for small spaces, chairs and materials were constantly shuffled to accommodate various activities.

After much lobbying by the community, the government built a structure beside the Centre in May 1998. The preschool moved into this space. It was a good size building. The building had a small enclosed space, which was used to provide hot lunches. Unfortunately, the sides if the main space were left open. The lack of walls made it difficult to use efficiently, as neither materials, nor desks could be secured.

Now that the Preschool has a proper school building, this first new structure is used as a meeting hall, fitness and music rehearsal Centre for the Community.

This is a sweet connection to the Centre's beginnings - it began in the original music rehearsal space...

 

 

In 1993, following the opening and successful operation of the Centre, the leaders of Trench Town, armed with the confidence they could improve the community's life, began to seriously address the pressing issues of sanitation, security, housing, health, and employment in the area.
To further this aim, The Trench Town Development Association (TDA) was formed in 1996. Advisors to the Board of the TDA came from various sectors of the Jamaican and International community.

By 1998 the Centre was full-up with books and much too small to accommodate all the users, activities, materials and programs. Despite ongoing repairs and maintenance, the tiny, old building remained in rough shape and had to come down. The books were put in storage and, for a time, the Centre was stalled as the community struggled through various ups, down and commitments unfulfilled, to construct a new building.

The pursuit of a new building was an arduous journey, which took many turns and thankfully came to fruition, with a new Reading Centre (Library) and a new Preschool, completed, in the summer of 2000 !!!!!

In 1999 the TDA was instrumental in getting the new library and school started & completed!!. Thanks to the efforts of the TDA and Omar Davies, funding for the new buildings were provided by the Jamaican Social Investment Fund, the World Bank and private sponsors. The community provided the inspiration and labour!    

 

 

 

The new library is concrete, one storey & built to code. It has glass doors and windows, which are essential for security, and book preservation - keeping the damp, dust and insects to a minimum.

This construction will also provide an ideal setting, once air conditioning is in place, to house a computer lab -a major goal of the Centre since its inception.

.... The new buildings are up and the Centre once more in action ....

The Centre is in its beautiful new building on First Street!


The Preschool — The Victory Basic School —
A bright and roomy one storey building, with a walled yard, located on West Road.


Now that adequate physical structures are in place we can concentrate our efforts on refurbishing and expanding the book collections and educational materials at the Centre and Preschool, as well as, on the maintenance and growth of our programs. The educational and vocational programs are being revived and revised to work effectively with the new Centre, Preschool and the positive changes that have taken place in the Community.

The Trenchtown Reading Centre has been an inspiration. Concrete proof that change is possible and that the community is capable, competent and responsible.The Centre has provided a successful example of community effort, giving the people confidence, self-esteem and knowledge that self-directed community based initiatives can work.

Trench Town has an incredible amount of energy, ideas and determination, despite the realities of day to day life. It does however have very limited resources and has greatly appreciated the assistance that has come.


 






The willingness of others to share and to care about the education and future that the community is trying to build for their children is heartwarming and encouraging …helping to make the community’s efforts have a serious and lasting impact…



2005-2006 these facilities were refurbished and updated & a new Community Classrom built in the covered adjoining building

The improvements are wonderful & continue into 2007

Books - the positives cannot be overstated!

* click on for ideas.

* Children: culturally friendly - Starter books, Storybooks, Big Books, Beginning Literacy & Nature series …

* Juvenile: Chapter Books, Early Science / History books, Reference...

* Mature Readers: Biographies, History, Nature, Fiction, Politics, Geography, Music, Sports, Culture,
Reference (Encyclopedias, Atlases, 'How To'), Health …

~ Books for Trenchtown please send directly to the Centre ~
see address box at page end

* Educational Games: math materials, learning puzzles, MAPS, word games (crosswords ..)
* Learning cards: math, alphabet, first words, colours, shapes, animals, the body…
* Curriculum books: particularily science, geopgraphy, nature, and reference(atlas, dictionaries ...)
* Videos: educational, nature, childrens stories

* The Basics: pencils, pens, pencil crayons, crayons, felts, paper (all types), art supplies, instruments, book dividers & spinners (circular racks that hold books) ....

... no donation is too great or too small ...

An Australian woman set-up several computers and held workshops in 2002. The computer lab has begun.


Any contribution you can make will be greatly appreciated.
Your help is essential ~ Please make a difference!

In 1997, R. Ellison formed, 'Friends of the Trenchtown Reading Centre' (FTRC).
The FTRC is a Non-Profit Society, based in Vancouver with an international membership.
The FTRC supplies books & educational materials,administration, stationary, international communication, as well as providing support and development
Membership in 'Friends of the Trenchtown Reading Centre' is $25.00/yr. Any amount is welcome

Please Email for details ...              
Tax deductible receipts are available for residents of Canada.
through the British Columbia Library Association   
Thanks to the BCLA for providing us with this umbrella service.


                         

               


    

Special thanks to:

Gloria Palomino for applying a grant to convert the partially constructed building into a space for the Community Classroom to be completed & helping with refurbishment of the Centre.

The US Embassy in Jamaica for their appreciation of our efforts & their encouragement & assistance in successfully receiving a grant for books & finishing inside the library.