Government outlines Under the Hood activities at prison and Miss Lalie Center

The Government of Sint Maarten said the first phase of the Under the Hood European Solidarity Corps volunteering project has concluded after two months at Point Blanche Prison and Miss Lalie Center. It said resident and international volunteers worked on creative activities at both facilities, including newsletters published every two weeks.

According to the government, phase two began on Friday 9 October with a new group of international volunteers. They will work with resident volunteers on new activities and build on initiatives from the first phase.

At Point Blanche Prison, the government said volunteers started the Between the Bars book club with the Sint Maarten Library and worked on a satellite library. Library staff joined guided sessions on Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, while volunteers and residents renovated the library space, organised its collection and sorted books donated through the Sint Maarten Development Fund.

The government also listed a movie club, photography workshops, painting, colouring, blackout poetry, podcasting and cooking activities. It said the project was implemented under the Detention Sector Reform Program, with funding from the European Solidarity Corps, the Ministry of Justice of Sint Maarten and the Government of the Netherlands, and delivered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.