To mark this year’s Earth Day, the Sandals Foundation brought together more than 300 elementary school students from nine Caribbean nations and territories for a one-of-a-kind experiential program that merges environmental education with mindfulness practice, encouraging young people to step away from screens and form deep, meaningful connections with the natural world. One group of participants from Jamaica’s Chalky Hill Primary School gathered at the Sandals Dunn’s River Resort, where the day’s activities unfolded across the property’s lush, curated garden spaces. Over the course of the event, students took part in guided breathing exercises, self-led nature walks, sensory observation activities, and group discussions centered on local ecosystems, all designed to help them engage directly with the biodiversity around them. Beyond fostering appreciation for nature, the program also aims to support young people’s mental well-being by highlighting nature’s proven healing power for both the body and mind, while empowering participants to adopt small, daily habits that protect shared natural resources. “By combining mindfulness with environmental education, we wanted to encourage students to slow down, be present, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of nature which is around them,” explained Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation. “We also wanted to share with students that sense of responsibility and power they each have to protect their community’s natural resources and the services those resources support.” Coordinated by local Sandals Foundation ambassadors and led by Ian Spencer, the foundation’s Regional Public Relations Manager, the event organizers reported that the day left a lasting impression on every participating student. “The students responded with tremendous excitement, curiosity, and enthusiasm throughout the nature tour. Seeing them actively engage with the environment, ask thoughtful questions, and develop a greater appreciation for the importance of protecting our planet was truly inspiring. Initiatives like these reinforce the value of experiential learning and the role we all play in nurturing environmentally conscious future leaders,” Spencer shared. For 10-year-old student Othneil Gayle, the day was a transformative experience that shifted his perspective on environmental protection. “I loved being part of the Earth Day nature tour at Sandals Dunn’s River because I learned how important plants, animals, and clean water are to our world. It was exciting to explore nature with my classmates, and now I want to help keep the Earth clean and beautiful for everyone,” he said. Christine Badal McBean, Principal of Chalky Hill Primary School, echoed that enthusiasm, emphasizing the critical role of early environmental education in building a sustainable future. “Earth Day is more than a celebration—it is a reminder that our children are the future guardians of our planet. Our nature tour allowed students the opportunity to connect with nature, appreciate the beauty of our environment, and understand the importance of protecting it for generations to come. Experiences like these inspire young minds to become responsible, environmentally conscious citizens,” she noted. The mindfulness program extended far beyond Jamaica: participating students across Antigua, Barbados, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Curacao visited local national parks, mangrove forests, resort gardens, and protected conservation areas for their own experiential learning events. All activities were intentionally designed to pull participants away from digital devices, creating space for stress relief and unstructured connection with the natural world. The Earth Day mindfulness initiative was just one part of the Sandals Foundation’s broader 2024 environmental action across the region. On April 17, the organization’s philanthropic team mobilized 40 staff members from Sandals Ochi Beach Resort alongside members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade to plant 300 native trees in Jamaica’s Bogue II Forest Reserve. This tree-planting effort marks the first regional action under Jamaica’s national RE-LEAF program, an initiative led by the country’s Forestry Department that aims to restore landscapes degraded by extreme weather, including damage to natural coastal barriers caused by Hurricane Melissa. Environmental stewardship has long been a core priority for the Sandals Foundation, which supports conservation work across the entire Caribbean. To date, the organization has engaged more than 177,000 regional residents in environmental education programming, planted 28,117 native trees across island landscapes, outplanted more than 38,000 corals to restore damaged reef ecosystems, funded monitoring programs that have supported the safe hatching of more than 221,000 sea turtle eggs, and provided ongoing operational and community outreach support to 23 marine and terrestrial protected areas across the region.
Sandals Foundation takes students on mindfulness nature trail for Earth Day
