Over 20 young people hailing from every corner of Antigua and Barbuda have successfully crossed the finish line of a three-day immersive Youth Leadership Camp, a targeted initiative crafted to bolster their self-confidence, communication capabilities, and personal resilience. Held between July 20 and 22, the camp was brought to life through a collaborative effort between the Wellness Waves Foundation and The Salvation Army, anchored in the powerful central theme “Lead Yourself. Lead Others.”
Unlike generic youth events, this program centered its curriculum on nurturing foundational leadership aptitude while equipping attendees with practical, everyday life skills that extend far beyond the camp gates. Key skill areas included constructive conflict resolution, healthy stress management, and intentional decision-making – tools that young people can leverage in school, work, and personal interactions for years to come.
Throughout the three-day gathering, participants engaged in a dynamic mix of interactive workshops, open group dialogues, and hands-on practical exercises. The curriculum spanned a diverse range of critical topics, from core leadership development and emotional intelligence to public speaking, effective communication, building healthy relationships, mindfulness practice, personal resilience, goal-setting, and clarifying personal purpose. In a proactive addition addressing a pressing community concern, the camp also incorporated specialized training on human trafficking awareness, educating young attendees on the risks and impacts of this crime against youth.
Koren Norton, founder of the Wellness Waves Foundation, emphasized that the camp embodies the organization’s long-standing mission to prepare the next generation to step into leadership roles across Antigua and Barbuda. “This camp was all about helping our young people build actionable leadership skills, learn to navigate conflict and stress in healthy ways, and walk away with greater confidence in their own abilities,” Norton shared. “We are incredibly proud of every participant who joined this journey, and we urge every sector of our society to make intentional investments in our young people – they are our future.”
The event was coordinated by Captain Osner Lubin of The Salvation Army and Deon Grannum, Vice President of the Wellness Waves Foundation. A diverse team of facilitators contributed their expertise to the camp, including Grannum himself, Farida Isaac-Carr, representatives from the youth organization Youth Arise, Ransford Simms, Callisha Spencer, Dwayne Simon, Alverna Inniss from the national Human Trafficking Department, representatives from the Hopeful Heart Foundation, Kyle Preston, Amelia Williams, and Christal Percival.
The impactful initiative would not have been possible without broad cross-sector support from local community and corporate partners, including ACB Caribbean, the Halo Foundation, the Sandals Foundation, Turning Point Inc., Big Banana, Christos, CMC, KFC Antigua Ltd., and the Medical Benefits Scheme.
The Wellness Waves Foundation, the lead organizer of the camp, is a community-focused organization dedicated to advancing education, expanding access to mental wellness resources, and driving empowerment for women and young people. It delivers on this mission through targeted programming and strategic cross-organizational partnerships, all with the end goal of building stronger, more resilient communities across Antigua and Barbuda.