Families in Action founded by the late, beautiful and dynamic Ivis Gibson, celebrates 25 years as a legally incorporated, non-profit, non-governmental organisation on April 22^nd 2013.

We emerged out of a burning need

In 1988 Ivis Gibson received the devastating news that an employee of her personnel agency had killed his own mother for money to support an addiction to cocaine.  The menacing white dust capable of bringing, even the strongest to their knees, had newly hit the streets of our nation.  As the warrior that she was then and continued to be, Ivis decided that she would don armour in the battle against addiction and its threats to devastate the family.  With help from other dedicated and concerned citizens, Families in Action was born as a volunteer based Drop-in Centre for persons and families challenged by cocaine, alcohol and other addictions.

Families in Action has evolved

We made strides along the way, expanding and changing as the social issues faced by our nation morph.  Yet the primary focus of our organisation remains the family and improving Family Life.  In addition to counselling, we provide services in the following areas:

• Outreach services to communities throughout Trinidad and Tobago
• Addictions Support Programme Services
• Counselling Services for individuals and families
• Employee Assistance & Workplace Support services to the corporate world
• Parenting Programmes
• Youth Education Programmes at both primary and secondary school levels
• 24 hr. Hotline Listening Services
• Domestic Violence Support Group for Women
• Vacation Programmes for Teens only
• Hotline Listener workshops.
• Distribution of Hampers at Christmas time

We remain dedicated

Our journey has at times been arduous, but we remain unswerving on our course to serve the nation.  In the face of threats of eviction, three corporate benefactors came to our rescue to secure for us our home on #82 Maraval Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad.  Additionally, in spite of perennial funding cuts and funding shortages, due to the generosity of private and corporate benefactors, internal fund raising initiatives, umbrella Ministries and the establishment of our Employee Assistance Departmen,t we keep our doors open.  It takes much doing but we are on a quest to provide services to those who may not be able to pay and to serve our nation by reaching out to both rural and urban communities, with particular emphasis on our parenting and youth education programmes.  We do this because we strongly believe that caring and nurturing our youth should be the responsibility of able and equipped parents.

We take some time to Celebrate

For our nation we’ve cried, with our nation we’ve laughed.  As a family we have mourned the death of our founder, and under the guide of our prudent Managing Director Elizabeth Spence, resilient Board of Directors and with our committed and dedicated staff, we have re-grouped and moved forward with hearts filled of love for our country and each other.  Taking the time to celebrate milestones gives us the strength to keep going so at this time, as a family and with our friends and well wishers we celebrate our twenty fifth year.  The following are some of the activities we have planned:

• Your First Name
• Your Email
• Company
•  

“We are family, and together we can make a difference”

Welcome to the official website of Families in Action, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promote healthy family life, balancing emotional, physical, spiritual, social and psychological needs of our national community. As you peruse our website, you will be able to get a better sense of who we are, and will be able to gather more information on the services we offer through our various programmes.
Since the inception of Families in Action in 1988, through the vision of Ms. Ivis Gibson and her circle of like-minded philanthropists, our organisation has steadfastly grown to accommodate a wider array of clients and offer a broader myriad of services, all with the goal of addressing the growing concerns emerging in our communities and in so doing build stronger family units.
With this in mind, it is my honour, privilege and charge to build upon the foundation which was laid by my predecessor and keep Families in Action at the vanguard of holistic development through our many proactive services. It is my personal mantra that, “What we do, says a lot about who we are”, we care about our community and welcome you to help us help our community.
Best Regards,
Elizabeth Spence
Managing Director

Employee Assistance Programmes or EAPs are work-based programmes designed to improve organisational performance through the provision of structured management/workplace and employee support services.

EAPs serve a dual role as they function at the micro and macro levels of an organisation. At the micro level, the EAP provides support – via confidential assessment, counselling, referral, and follow-up care for employees and their family members who may be experiencing personal/behavioural concerns that negatively affect their performance and productivity. At the macro level, the EAP provides support to the organisation as a whole – via management training and consultation, and assisting with critical incidents in the workplace.

It is imperative that companies realise that EAPs are not just a “band aid” for a troubled worker or a “nice to have” benefit. EAPs today are about forging strategic partnerships with organisations as they work together to strengthen and develop healthy and productive workplaces.

Families In Action (FIA) has been involved in providing Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) services to several companies throughout Trinidad and Tobago since 1991. We have the experience and the expertise to set up and operate such a programme for your organisation. You will find our services to be an affordable way to join the many companies who now seek to support their valuable employees.

For more information or to request submission of an EAP proposal, please email us at eap@familiesinaction.net

Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke was our patron for the last eighteen (18) years.  During that time Sir Ellis Clarke was, in every sense of the word, our patron, lovingly providing a light to guide, wisdom to protect and the support that helped us grow.

He was our guiding light

Sir Ellis was a gentleman whose approach to life was one that was emulated by Families In Action.  We remember him as ever humble and always gentle, allowing nothing to disturb his serene disposition.  He was a man of character who lived by high moral standards believing that we should be a nation of virtuous men and women.  His faith in God and his spirituality, – deeply rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition, -were the foundation of his life and the source of his strength and courage, which he certainly needed in his distinguished prominent position as the first President of an emerging democracy.  He allowed God to take charge of his life and guide him when decisions of great magnitude concerning the future of the new Nation were required of him. As an NGO, we have faced challenges, threats to our very being and moments of feeling lost over the years, yet we have always been able to seek comfort in Sir Ellis’ positive words, example of integrity, and constant willingness to guide us. 

He was our wise protector

Like an involved father, Sir Ellis attended many of our board meetings and made himself available after our calls for advice.  We’ve had detractors of our cause from time to time, aiming to destroy the seed of hope from which the organisation began.  Yet, with his great wit, his swift and brilliant mind, and the knowledge of law and our constitution, which he was able to retrieve from the library of his mind at a moment’s notice, Sir Ellis often steered us to the shelter of safety.

 He was our supporter

Sir Ellis was a nation builder who understood the importance of our role as an NGO in getting that task done.  He emphasised love of country, unity and collaboration and saw the family as the fertile soil for the growth of such features.   Families In Action is focused on the promotion of healthy family life and we benefited from Sir Ellis’s support and promotion of our hard work, selflessness and sacrifice as we encourage the youth of our nation.  He was there to launch many of our initiatives and spoke of us as a proud father about his adoring child.

In spite of human failings, he certainly tried to live according to the watchwords of our Nation – Discipline, Production & Tolerance.  He showed by his example, that it was possible to live “in the world”’ but not be “of the world”.

Indeed, he truly lived up to his name – Emmanuel – which means “God is with us’.  It may be prophetic that he was born and died at such a spectacular season of the year, when the whole world is focused on the all-embracing virtues of love, joy, sharing, generosity, peace and making the world “a better place”.  Our Nation needs more people with these virtues and we must inculcate them in our children if we want to see an improvement in our country and build one of which we can all be proud.

Farewell and Thank You Sir Ellis.  You are gone and will never be forgotten.

From the Board, Management and Staff of Families In Action.

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