In June 2026, Dominican entrepreneur and youth development advocate Marilyn A. Cuffy-Morris officially launched two groundbreaking skills development textbooks tailored to support children and young adults in building foundational practical abilities for personal, academic, and long-term professional success.
The launch marks a key milestone in Cuffy-Morris’ years-long work advancing youth empowerment and entrepreneurial education across Dominica, according to an official press statement from her team. Titled *GROW Smart, Skills for Great Kids* and *FUTURE Builders, A Complete Skills Book for Today’s Youth*, the two publications fill a gap in local educational resources by serving as a single comprehensive hub for multi-disciplinary skills training that is not currently available in one unified local textbook. The content covers a broad spectrum of critical competencies, ranging from physical health and personal safety to social skills, soft professional skills, core academics, financial literacy, digital proficiency, information technology, and technical vocational skills.
Cuffy-Morris emphasizes that while early cognitive development begins at birth, key life and professional skills require intentional teaching and nurturing throughout childhood and adolescence. Building these capabilities early, she argues, is essential to helping young people grow into confident, capable adults prepared to meet the demands of modern work and life.
The first text, *GROW Smart, Skills for Great Kids*, is designed specifically for children aged 8 to 11. Structured as a supplementary learning resource for primary school classrooms, it includes ready-to-use activities for educators to reinforce core skills lessons and engage young learners hands-on.
The second publication, *FUTURE Builders, A Complete Skills Book for Today’s Youth*, targets a broader youth demographic spanning 13 to 21 years old. To better align with different developmental stages, the text is paired with two separate activity workbooks tailored for 12- to 15-year-olds and 16- to 21-year-olds respectively. The flexible resource format makes the materials adaptable for a wide range of learning settings, including Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) curricula, standard classroom instruction, youth clubs, community organizations, non-profits, youth-focused business programs, and specialized initiatives such as Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and 4-H clubs.
Leading up to the official launch, Cuffy-Morris built momentum for the initiative with a complementary skills outreach project: an original skills-focused song titled “Check out the lineup, check out the time,” which she premiered during an appearance on Vibes Radio on June 3, 2026. The track encourages young people to pursue skills development opportunities and urges parents to actively support their children’s engagement in practical learning programs.
Through her company MAANZ Limited, Cuffy-Morris plans to expand this work with a new upcoming initiative branded “Young Skilled Bosses,” which will invite parents to register their children for a range of structured skills development programs.
During the June 2026 launch events, hundreds of copies of the new books were distributed to students participating in a local STEM initiative, with recipients including learners from Wesley High School, Dominica Grammar School, and Petite Savanne Primary School. Additional copies were donated to the Dominica Scouts Association and multiple other educational institutions across the country. The launch also featured a career panel where working professionals from diverse fields shared how foundational skills development shaped their career trajectories. Speakers included Dr. Curtis St. John, who shared insights on skill building for medical careers; experienced automechanic Ernest St. Jean, who discussed the value of technical skills for automotive work; Rawle Leslie, former Dean of the Food, Agriculture and Applied Technology (FAAT) Department at Dominica State College, who highlighted core competencies for agricultural careers; and a TVET representative, who outlined available vocational training opportunities for Dominican youth.
Cuffy-Morris’ work in youth development already extends deeply into the growing STEM education space in Dominica. On May 14, 2026, she was invited to present on the topic “STEM and Entrepreneurship, bridging the gaps” at a STEM Fair Lead Teachers Workshop hosted at the University of the West Indies Open Campus. She also took part in a STEM exhibition, where she showcased her earlier STEM-aligned book *I’m a child, I’m not too young, tell me now*, which supports early STEM entrepreneurship education for children.
Across all her projects, Cuffy-Morris is working to shift attitudes toward youth skills training, encouraging parents, schools, and community stakeholders to prioritize early exposure to entrepreneurship and practical skill building. She believes that early intentional investment in these areas will not only help children grow into well-rounded, adaptable adults but also drive long-term positive economic growth across Dominica by building a more skilled, capable future workforce.