Billed as the first in a series of meetings to generate ‘Change By Us’ nearly 70 residents turned out for a public discussion to generate a community response to gangs and violence.

The meeting was hosted by Bishop Nicholas Dill at the Anglican Cathedral Hall on Wednesday night.

Participants were asked to consider why people join and stay in gangs, the impact on the Bermuda Police Service, and the benefits of community-based programmes like Team Street Safe.

Presenters included Mirrors Programme coordinator Kim Jackson, The Family Centre’s Martha Dismont and representatives from the Bermuda Police Service and the Department of Child and Family Services.

Inter-Agency Gang Task Force Chairman, Sen Jeff Baron said the meeting was the first in a series by the group’s Response Team.

In his opening remarks, he stressed that it’s all about “bringing people together to address common concerns”.

“It’s about engaging, empowering and energising our community to take action. Over the past five years there has been an increase in the gang activity in Bermuda,” said Sen Baron.

“The ‘Change By Us’ session will provide the community with education and awareness of the reasons, reality and response to gangs in Bermuda — our ultimate goal here is reducing the influence gang lifestyles have on our youth and community,” he added.

The goal he said, will be “to craft a forward-leaning initiative that will ultimately tease out valuable concerns and suggestions from our community”.

More meetings will be scheduled in the New Year.

“Essentially, we want the outcome of these meetings to empower a unified community-wide response to gangs in Bermuda. In fact, the intent is to activate a series of core community groups to continue the dialogue at the neighbourhood level for a grass roots community action to respond to gangs,” said Sen Baron.

“I’m not here to gain your support, I’m here to support you because it’s you, the community members, who need to remain engaged, empowered and energised to address gang influence,” he added.

He also challenged the audience to take the lead and be a community champion by doing the legwork “door-to-door, block to block, neighbourhood to neighbourhood — to make our communities safer”.

The audience was welcomed by Bishop Nicholas Dill who said the main objective will be to “generate awareness and foster further community action to both promote positive youth development and deter anti social behaviour”.

Said Bishop Dill: “Amidst the backdrop of far too many deaths and young men in particular taken out of action through incarceration or immigration — we have a wonderful opportunity to bring about a new day in Bermuda, to wake up to our common problems and to work creatively and honestly together to find common solutions where every one of us has a part to play. Change is happening all around us all the time — the thing is, is it change in the right direction, is it happening to us or in spite of us or can it happen by us?”

Encouraged by the turnout for the first meeting, Sen Baron said: “The engagement and dialogue throughout the night was, well, real talk, and not politically driven whatsoever — and that’s thanks to Kim Jackson and Martha Dismont — they really connect with people in such a genuine and inspiring way.”

Moving forward he said they are in the process of “firming up dates for January and the rest of the winter months”.

“Together, with other centres of positive influence in Bermuda, we will actively reach out to many in our neighbourhoods, from grass-roots to grass-tops, as we realise that we all have skin in the game and safer communities elevates our collective social capital,” said Sen Baron.

“That clearly benefits us all and that’s why we, the inter-agencies charged with tackling this complex social problem, are energised to make this happen. That will not waiver under my watch.”