In 2000, the President of EBT, Cosford Roberts worked with the Government of Jamaica to successfully executed a program to Rebuild Civility and Public Order in Jamaica. The timeframe between planning and implementation was three (3) months. The impact was that it established in the minds of decision makers that it was possible to rebuild public order. The level of participation and enthusiasm of the young adults demonstrated their desire in creating a safe environment for their future. Bus queuing was the mechanism used to develop civil interaction. The objective of the program was to achieve a greater degree of civility and order in public system such as Public Transportation, compliance with Traffic Regulations, and proper conduct at Public Events. The national civic conduct was not aligned with Jamaica’s economic aspirations. Public systems were inefficient, crime rate was high, and public order was not cohesive. Mr. Roberts presented the proposal to the Minister of National Security and Justice and was invited to join the National Committee on Crime. The committee comprised of seventeen (17) members with representative from the Ministry of National Security and Justice, Jamaica Defense Force (Army), Jamaica Constabulary Force (Police), Department of Public Health, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Transportation and Public Works. The committee had been meeting for the past 2 years and had not identified a delivery mechanism with which to engage the public and encourage civil and public order. Mr. Roberts proposal recommended bus queuing as the mechanism and an implementation timeline of 3 months. After further discussions the delivery mechanism and timeline was accepted by the committee. Weekly meetings were held to discuss strategy, build consensus, and identify resources. The Project schedules, project work plans, and task assignments for respective members of the committee were finalized. Letters were sent, and telephone calls were made to the business community informing them of the program, and requesting sponsorship in the form of goods and services. The decision was made not to request cash, but contribution in the form of goods and services, and discounted prices for the production of printing materials, and promotional items. Volunteers were solicited from HEART/NTA, Scouts Association of Jamaica, Girls Guide, Fathers Incorporated, Kiwanis and Rotary. Most of the volunteers were young adults under the age of twenty-five (25).
