Marking International Youth Day, young people across the Caribbean have traded formal policy briefs and scripted speeches for personal prose, heartfelt poetry and original song lyrics to share what the regional Caribbean Community (CARICOM) movement means to them. The result of this grassroots creative call is *What CARICOM Means to YOUth*, a one-of-a-kind regional youth anthology curated under the umbrella of the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Programme. The collection made its official public debut on Wednesday, August 12, hosted by the Hunter J. François Library at Saint Lucia’s Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC).
The launch event drew a cross-section of stakeholders, including senior government officials, local CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, SALCC students, and partner organization representatives, all gathered to celebrate a project centered on one deceptively simple yet deeply meaningful question: What does CARICOM mean to you?
Naeem Philbert, Deputy CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Saint Lucia, explained that the choice to center creative expression over formal commentary was no accident. The intentional shift in format was designed to open space for young people across the 15-nation bloc to speak in their own voices, and to explore their relationship with the regional community in ways that feel authentic and natural to their generation.
“Instead of asking for formal position papers, we invited young people across the entire Caribbean community to respond to the idea of CARICOM through personal stories, original poetry, song lyrics and spoken word,” Philbert shared at the launch. “We deliberately chose this creative path because we know there are thoughts and feelings young people can convey through a poem that would never find their way onto a bureaucratic policy document. Personal experiences can be captured far more powerfully in a story than in a rigid formal statement, and young people’s biggest aspirations can only reach their fullest expression through music and art.”
This perspective was echoed by Rohan Lubon, Deputy Permanent Secretary in Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, who emphasized that the anthology is far more than just a new literary publication. Lubon framed the collection as a critical bridge between young Caribbean people and regional decision-makers.
“This anthology opens a window directly into the minds, dreams, hopes, concerns and highest aspirations of our young people,” Lubon said. “We are intentionally creating space for their voices to be heard, and we are acknowledging that when young people are given the opportunity to express themselves openly, they have so much to say — and so much to contribute to the future of our Caribbean.”
Across the anthology’s pages, contributing young writers explore a range of core themes tied to regional life: shared Caribbean identity, the richness of regional cultural diversity, the value of cross-island unity, access to opportunity across the bloc, and their collective hopes for the future of CARICOM. Beyond its literary value, the collection offers policymakers and older generations a rare unfiltered glimpse into how the Caribbean’s younger generation understands CARICOM and its tangible impact on their daily lives.
For Shelley Desir, Saint Lucia’s lead CARICOM Youth Ambassador, publishing this first collection is not the end of the project — it is just the beginning of an ongoing conversation. Desir urged attendees and readers across the region to keep the dialogue alive long after the launch event.
“Don’t let these stories end when you close the book,” Desir said. “Read the collection, talk about the stories with your friends and family, share them across your communities, recommend them to others. And when you get the chance to meet one of our young contributing authors, don’t just congratulate them — ask them ‘what are you writing next?’ Because we want more: more stories, more books, and hopefully many more launches like this across the region in the years to come.”