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 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 struggling to be strong
and safe, working together, trying to
move forward, away from violence and despair, towards opportunity.
 
School
is costly - books and supplies, uniforms and shoes must be purchased
and often extra school fees.
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.
...
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 &
create a different reality. Through ideas & 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 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 a 15 x 20 ft. space in a vacant field on Lower First
Street. The structure was in
disrepair but could provide a separate, well-monitored and easily accessible
space.
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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.
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...
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
and materials funded by R. Ellison.
In
1997 R. Ellison created the non-profit, " 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.
From 1994 until 1998, Ziggy (Devon Beckford) and R. Ellison ran the
Centre; organizing, co-ordinating
programs and working on program development. Ziggy kept all aspects
of running on a daily basis.
The struggle to keep the building functional, staffed, programs running
and continually grow the collection is 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 continues to be challenging....
throughout years
of violent instability in the area, when public schools and transportation
were shut down the Centre remained open ...
 ...
Initially books remained on
site, but the Centre had such a large and growing number of
users it
quickly progressed to a fully functioning lending Library in 1994. With
Children alone, numbering
50+ coming each day to exchange 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,
butalso a place where a variety of educational, vocational and community
programs are facilitated.
The
Centre addresses specific and identified needs within the community.....
growing programs as the years progress
 
Click
below to view list 
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The
primary goal of the Trenchtown Reading Centre is to provide
- in a welcoming & incluisve atmosphere -
a comprehensive Children, Juvenile and Adult book collection.
Providing for the diversity of the community's interests,
need and abilities. Emphasizing current, culturally relevant
materials as well as otherwise unavailable materials and
information.
The
collections includes; Fiction, Non-fiction, Biographies,
Nature, Health, Geography, Culture, History, Religion, Language,
Sports, Music, Literature, Health and a large reference
collection.
There is also a dedicated Early Literacy section and comprehensive
collection of Afro-Centric titles in all catagories.
Current
books are important, as the text often reflects a more diverse
reality. Recent books reflect a more global and inclusive
reality.
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.
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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 building had a small enclosed space, which was used to provide hot
lunches. Unfortunately, the sides if the main
space was left open. The lack of walls made it difficult to use efficiently,
as neither materials, nor desks could be secured.
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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 (TTDA) was
formed in 1996. Advisors to the Board 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 storageand, for a time, the Centre was stalled
as the community struggled through various
ups, down to construct a new building.
In
1999 the TTDA was instrumental in getting a new building started &
completed. Thanks to TTDA funding for the new
buildings was provided by the Jamaican Social Investment Fund, the World
Bank and private sponsors.
By
2005 the building, collection and programs were in great need ~ repairs,
refrubishment
and expansion were done through
the efforts of FTRC and FACE Jamaica
.... see TRC 2005 & Updates page ....
The
Preschool — The Victory Basic School —
A bright and roomy one storey building, with a walled yard, located
on West Road
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 a serious and lasting impact
-
the positives of BOOKS 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 …
*
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 ends...
...
no donation is too great or too small ...
Any
contribution you can make will be greatly appreciated.
Your
help is essential ~ Please help make a difference!
Tax deductible receipts are available
for residents of Canada through
the
British Columbia Library Association. Thanks
to the BCLA for providing the FTRC with this umbrella service.
Please
make cheques payable to:
BCLA-Friends of the TrenchTown Reading Centre
Send to: FTRC.
202-1720 Balsam St. Vancouver BC. V6K 3M2
In
1997, R. Ellison created, 'Friends of the Trenchtown Reading Centre'
(FTRC).
A Non-Profit Society, based in Vancouver with an international membership.
The FTRC supplies books, educational materials, administration,
development and
maintenance of the physical plant as well as support and development
of programs.
Trench
Town has incredible energy, ideas and determination, despite realities
of day to day life.
It also has very limited resources and has greatly appreciated the
assistance that has come
The Trenchtown Reading Centre has been an inspiration. Concrete proof
that change is possible,
that the community is capable and that community based initiatives
can work
Starting
in 2005 the TRC facilities were refurbished, updated, expanded and
a new Community Classroom built
.... the improvements are EXCITINGl .....
  
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