Haitians to Graduate 12-Week Class on ‘Creating Healthy Parental Relationships™’

United States Department of Justice

The Healing Institute LLC (THI) is happy to announce the 2024 Creating a Healthy Parental Relationship™ Haitian Parenting Graduating Class on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.

In 2022, The United States Virgin Islands, Access and Visitation Program, Paternity and Child Support Division of the Department of Justice (USVIDOJ) contracted Dr. Sandra Garcon Degerville to create and administer the Department of Justice’s first parenting program to the Haitian community of St. Thomas.

The program created was called “Creating Healthy Parental Relationships™” It was a 12-week virtual program designed to create healthy parental relationships by increasing the safety and well-being of children through teaching effective ways to co-parent. In 2023, this program became the USVI Department of Justice’s first parenting program for the Spanish communities of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.

Funding was pulled a couple of weeks before the launch of a second Haitian parenting program for Haitians which was a collaboration of six Haitian churches on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. Instead of canceling due to a loss of funding, the Department of Justice decided to offer the program as previously advertised. The result is that we now have 90 Haitian parents who have completed the program. Ninety new Haitian parents now have the tools needed to better parent their children.

Come celebrate these 90 V.I. Haitian parents at both graduation ceremonies that will be held on St. Croix and St. Thomas.

The Paternity and Child Support Division of the Department of Justice is excited to hear special remarks from several of the territory’s highly esteemed senators and other community leaders.

This year’s graduation will honor the legacy of the late Terrence D. Joseph, former director of the Paternity and Child Support Division of the Department of Justice, who was an advocate of this program to the Haitian community in the USVI. A special plaque will be presented to his family.

The graduations are free and open to the public.

St Thomas/ St John Graduation

May 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Faith Church of God of Prophecy

19FD Smith Bay, St. Thomas, USVI, 00802

(Next to USCI Services)

St. Croix Graduation

May 19 at 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Iglesia de Dios Sol de Justicia

149A Estate Carlton Frederiksted, VI 00840