THE Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) founded by the late financier and philanthropist, Sir John Templeton, has approved a grant of $32,800 to support the conduct of a family healing initiative led by Dr David Allen. The newest TWCF grant, entitled "The Family: People Helping People", is a year-long programme, which is the brainchild of Dr Allen. Supported by a highly qualified team of professionals who include his wife Dr Victoria Allen, Dr Allen's goal is to investigate causes and contribute, through faith-based interventions, to stemming the tide of anger and violence that is taking a serious toll on Bahamian society, particularly in terms of the growing murder rate. "The core question we seek to answer is: What is necessary to improve socialisation in the Bahamian community?" Dr Allen said. "We will do this by expanding the main work of the existing programme, by increasing outreach and community interaction, and by setting up professional tracking and monitoring systems of our work." The purpose of The Family: People Helping People, as described by Dr Allen, is to provide a safe, secure environment where group members can begin to heal their broken relationships with their family and community. The primary goal is to improve socialisation in light of burgeoning rates of crime, family disintegration, and economic impoverishment. The particular problems addressed are anger management, conflict resolution, low self-esteem, lack of forgiveness, and parent education. Led by the professionals, therapeutic interventions are closely matched to the specific problems with which participants present, and are offered entirely free of charge. They provide for socialisation, interpersonal skills, self-esteem enhancement, anger management and conflict resolution, revenge elimination, community bonding, affective learning, and the development of mature spirituality. Utilising the church (through use of the buildings and support from pastors), government (from volunteer staff from Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre and Ministry of Education), and volunteers from the community, the programme also seeks to train volunteers in facilitating group process and mental health education. The Family is currently run on a volunteer basis, and has been financed by Dr Allen personally. His proposal to TWCF confirmed that this would continue. The funds from the Foundation will be used to expand the activities of The Family by hiring new administrative and therapeutic staff, paying for media outreach and a conference, and rigorously analysing the effects of their work. Dr Allen's successes in a variety of faith-based community interventions factored strongly in the decision of Templeton World Charity Foundation in the award of the recent grant. This newest grant follows closely on TWCF's significant donation to the Pompey Museum's rebirth. A Templeton grant in the amount of $380,000, to be disbursed over a two-year period, is earmarked to assist with the creation of a new exhibition "Struggle to be Free" for museum and boosting the institution's education programme.