Carib Scope

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  • Flood aid for farmers from November deluge

    Flood aid for farmers from November deluge

    Six months after an unseasonal flash flood devastated agricultural communities across multiple farming districts in Barbados, the country’s Ministry of Agriculture has finalized a multi-layered support programme to help impacted growers rebuild their operations and recoup crippling losses, Agriculture Minister Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight confirmed Wednesday.

    The rare November 10 flood was far from a minor weather event: it claimed the life of one local man, submerged dozens of residential properties under toxic water, mud and debris, and wiped out standing crops and entire livestock herds across vast swathes of the island’s farmland. In a candid press briefing, Dr. Munro-Knight issued a public apology to farmers who had yet to receive official support in the months following the disaster, acknowledging the government’s delayed response.

    “I want to say publicly, right now, let me apologise to all those farmers that we haven’t gotten back to, that we haven’t been responsive enough to. Lots of things have happened, but that is no excuse,” the minister told reporters. She added that ministry teams have completed island-wide damage assessments, though impacted growers were still submitting loss claims as recently as earlier this month to account for unrecorded damage.

    As the first wave of support, the minister confirmed that flood-impacted farmers will be the top priority group to receive free fertiliser through the government’s existing agricultural input programme, with outreach to all eligible growers scheduled to roll out throughout the month of June. Beyond immediate input support, the disaster has underscored the urgent need for broad, systemic upgrades to Barbados’ agricultural sector to address increasing climate volatility, Dr. Munro-Knight said.

    Beyond emergency relief, the government is integrating long-term climate resilience into its recovery framework through the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) crop escalation plan. The initiative will not only focus on restoring production but also upgrade critical rural road infrastructure, expand access to precision agricultural technology, and increase adoption of climate-controlled shade houses and greenhouses to mitigate future flood damage. Previous investments in infrastructure such as the national onion dryer are already part of this strategy, designed to address ongoing challenges from intensified seasonal rainfall that is only expected to continue in coming years.

    Chief Agricultural Officer Paul Lucas detailed additional components of the support package, including a flexible voucher system for the most severely impacted producers. Unlike one-size-fits-all aid, the vouchers allow growers to purchase the inputs most critical to their unique operations, from seeds and planting stock to irrigation equipment, putting recovery decision-making directly in the hands of farmers. The ministry is also finalizing targeted support for livestock producers, with a proposed restocking programme for small ruminant (sheep and goat) farmers that would provide two breeding ewes and one ram to help eligible producers rebuild their herds from scratch. Poultry farmers who lost entire flocks in the flood will also be able to access vouchers for starter feed and other critical inputs to restart production.

    Lucas noted that many resilient farmers have already begun rebuilding their operations independently, without waiting for government assistance. The ministry’s programme is designed to complement and support these existing efforts, with additional financial support allocated for the producers who suffered the worst losses. Officials are currently mapping individual need assessments to match farmers with appropriate levels of aid, and are proposing a free fertiliser allocation of two bags per acre for all impacted crop farmers as part of the recovery push.

    In closing, Lucas paid tribute to flood-impacted producers, saying: “We want to salute those farmers who have endured some of the worst experiences, and we hope that they could understand that it is a process, and sometimes we have to go through certain mechanisms and frameworks in order to provide this service.”

  • Half connected to smart grid as BL&P targets faster outage response

    Half connected to smart grid as BL&P targets faster outage response

    Barbados Light and Power Company (BL&P) announced Wednesday that 50 percent of its customer base is now linked to an upgraded automated electricity grid, a transformative update that company officials project will slash power outage durations and drastically boost service reliability across the island nation. In some cases, the smart system can resolve unplanned faults in under two minutes, company representatives confirmed during a press briefing held at BL&P’s Garrison headquarters.

    The milestone marks a key progress update for BL&P’s multi-million-dollar grid modernization initiative, which first launched back in 2016. David Haynes, BL&P’s operations technology administrator, framed the achievement as a groundbreaking milestone not just for the Barbadian utility, but for energy providers across the entire Caribbean region. “This is a very unique milestone, especially not only for Barbados Light and Power, but for utilities in the Caribbean, having more than half of our grid modernized to a point where we can respond to faults in some instances in less than two minutes,” Haynes stated.

    Prior to the rollout of automated grid technology, restoring power after an outage required a time-intensive, manual process. Utility crews had to travel to the affected site, conduct on-foot investigations to locate the fault, manually isolate the problematic section of the grid, and only then begin restoring service. Depending on the size and location of the outage, this process could take a minimum of 60 minutes to complete. Haynes explained that the modernized system has cut that timeline dramatically, with most outages resolved in 15 minutes or less, and many cleared far faster.

    The upgrade replaces outdated manual disconnect systems with intelligent automated switches fitted with custom-built algorithms. These tools can automatically detect and isolate grid faults in less than 30 seconds, while immediately restoring power to all customers connected to unaffected sections of the line. In many minor fault events, Haynes added, customers may not even notice a temporary interruption to their service. The technology also equips grid control room operators to pinpoint the exact location of faults remotely, eliminating the need for crews to patrol entire circuit lengths to identify problems before starting repairs.

    A key additional benefit of the new system is its ability to quickly resolve common transient outages caused by tree and vegetation contact with overhead power lines, a persistent issue for many Caribbean utilities. The automated switches detect these temporary faults and restore service in a matter of seconds, avoiding extended disruptions for customers.

    Director of transmission and distribution Dr. Nneka Archer emphasized that the $5 million modernization investment has prioritized underserved rural communities, rather than concentrating upgrades solely on densely populated urban centers or high-traffic tourism districts. “Most of the time people think when we make investments into modernisation, we go into the town areas, we go on the west coast. We started in the rural feeders,” Archer explained, noting that these rural areas often rely on longer distribution lines that serve large customer bases, making upgrades especially impactful.

    BL&P first rolled out the automated grid technology to customers in 2019, and has since expanded access to more than 70,000 customers across all of Barbados’ parishes. To date, the company has installed 61 automated switches at a total cost of roughly $5 million. When the full modernization project is completed, 81 percent of BL&P customers will be connected to the automated grid. The remaining 19 percent of customers are connected to underground networks or smaller feeders that require specialized, alternative grid modernization solutions, Archer added.

  • Second top official resigns from National Taxi Union

    Second top official resigns from National Taxi Union

    The National Taxi Union has been rocked by a second high-profile resignation in just 48 hours, with vice president Isidore Brisefert stepping down from his post Wednesday with immediate effect. His departure follows closely after public relations officer David Shakes Christopher exited the senior leadership team a day prior, marking the latest escalation of long-simmering internal tensions over current president Terry Valcin’s leadership.

    In an official public statement announcing his exit, Brisefert laid out clear, damning concerns about Valcin’s approach to leading the organization and the strategic trajectory the union has taken under his tenure, echoing the criticisms shared by Christopher in his own departure announcement Tuesday.

    Brisefert’s resignation letter centered on what he described as a persistent lack of collaborative, collective decision-making across the union’s executive body. He wrote that after careful, extended reflection, he could no longer remain in a leadership role under a president whose governing style increasingly leaned into authoritarianism rather than the democratic, consultative, collective representation that union members deserve.

    The departing vice president went on to question the transparency and fairness of internal decision-making processes, alleging that key issues affecting frontline taxi operators are regularly settled without meaningful debate or consideration of alternative perspectives from executive members. Brisefert noted that this top-down approach has fueled rising frustration among the union’s top governing body, with little willingness from Valcin to course-correct.

    “As vice president, I have always held that strong union leadership must be built on the foundations of fairness, openness, collaborative teamwork, and respect for every member’s voice,” Brisefert said in his statement.

    He added that the union has failed to unify its membership and grow its industry influence under current leadership, in large part because the input of executive committee members is routinely sidelined or ignored entirely. Frontline taxi operators, he argued, need far more inclusive, effective leadership that prioritizes their needs.

    “Our taxi operators deserve leadership that listens, includes all voices, and fights unapologetically for their best interests,” Brisefert said. “In these economically uncertain times, our members need unity, transparency, and trustworthy representation that shows up for them every day.”

    Though he is leaving his senior vice president post, Brisefert expressed gratitude to the members who have supported his work and confirmed he will continue advocating for taxi operators across the country in a new, non-leadership capacity.

    For his part, Christopher framed his own exit as the result of months of consideration, saying his decision reflected widespread, cross-executive concerns about the union’s current management structure. He argued that the core values that once anchored the union have eroded significantly under Valcin’s leadership, creating a situation where he could not in good conscience continue serving in his role.

    These latest departures are not an isolated incident, but the outcome of years of unresolved leadership friction within the union. Former president Lucien Joseph first publicly questioned the legitimacy of Valcin’s leadership before stepping down in 2022, shortly after he lost a no-confidence vote from union members. The organization most recently held its Annual General Meeting and Conference of Delegates in March 2025 to address ongoing internal and industry challenges.

    To date, President Valcin has declined to provide immediate comment on the dual resignations. He told local outlet St Lucia Times that he plans to deliver a full, detailed address on the situation at a general union meeting scheduled for June 1. That upcoming gathering will also tackle a slate of pressing industry-wide issues, including a proposed plan to launch a custom taxi service app and ongoing policy discussions about third-party transportation platforms such as Uber.

  • CDPF and Grand Bay community unite for Isidore Sunday Chill event

    CDPF and Grand Bay community unite for Isidore Sunday Chill event

    On Sunday, May 24, 2026, a unique community-focused gathering brought local law enforcement and residents together in Dominica’s Grand Bay district. The Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) partnered with the Grand Bay Village Council to host the Isidore Sunday Chill event, held at the scenic Geneva Playing Field, drawing hundreds of participants from across the region.

    Unlike traditional community events centered solely on leisure, the Isidore Sunday Chill was crafted with a clear purpose: to bridge the gap between police forces and the neighborhoods they serve, while fostering connection among local residents through friendly competition. Organizers structured the day around recreational activities that prioritized teamwork, mutual respect, and open dialogue, giving community members and law enforcement the chance to interact outside of formal, often high-stakes encounters.

    Three competitive highlight matches anchored the day’s schedule, each drawing enthusiastic crowds of supporters. The opening marquee event was a tightly contested football match between the Police Sports Club and local side South City Football Club. After 90 minutes of end-to-end energetic play, South City claimed a well-earned 3–1 win over the police team.

    Next up was a rounders tournament featuring three competing squads: ACS South Defenders, St. Joseph Phoenix, and the Police Sports Club. Through a series of back-and-forth matches that tested both skill and strategy, ACS South Defenders outperformed their opponents to take home the tournament championship title.

    The final contest of the day was a tense first-to-50 domino showdown, pitting CDPF officers against one of Grand Bay’s top-ranked domino teams. In a match that came down to the final round, the local Grand Bay side edged out the police team to secure victory.

    Following the conclusion of all activities, CDPF officials emphasized that events like Isidore Sunday Chill are far more than one-off recreational gatherings—they are a core part of the force’s long-term community policing strategy. The organization noted that effective policing extends far beyond enforcing laws and responding to incidents; it requires intentional trust-building, collaborative partnership, and active engagement with community members to create safer, more cohesive neighborhoods.

    In a closing statement, CDPF extended its gratitude to all stakeholders who made the event possible, saying: “A sincere thank you to the Grand Bay Village Council, all participating athletes and teams, event supporters, and every community member who turned out to make this initiative a resounding success.”

  • Taj Weekes recounts harrowing experience with gunmen

    Taj Weekes recounts harrowing experience with gunmen

    Known internationally as a Grammy-nominated reggae musician and dedicated social philanthropist, Taj Weekes has spent years advocating for marginalized communities across the Caribbean through his non-profit TUCO Foundation. After decades living abroad across the United States, Cuba, and multiple regions of Africa, Weekes made the choice to return to his home country of Saint Lucia earlier this year, settling into a quiet, isolated property tucked into the wooded coastline of Mon Repos on the island’s southeastern shore. What he expected to be a peaceful, reclusive life of quiet gardening and community-focused work was shattered dramatically last Sunday night, when four masked, armed intruders accessed his remote property.

    In a first-hand public account of the incident shared earlier this week, Weekes detailed the disorienting encounter that unfolded around 10:15 p.m. He had left his doors open — a habit he developed in the secluded, low-crime area he called home — and was speaking with his wife on the phone when he spotted four bright lights moving down his private driveway. Initially, he assumed the visitors were friends or family with access to the property, so he walked out casually to greet them, not raising his guard.

    As he drew closer, Weekes realized the figures were four adult men dressed in tactical military-style gear and fully masked to hide their identities. Two of the men held their flashlights pointed directly at Weekes, while the other two kept their lights aimed at the ground. When Weekes challenged them to state their purpose for being on his land, the men remained completely silent, only staring him down. After several seconds of tense silence, one of the intruders shifted his flashlight away from Weekes to reveal a loaded handgun he was carrying.

    Weekes recounted that he stood his ground, telling the intruders he had no fear and they could act if that was their plan. After a long, tense standoff, the group did not attack or rob him; instead, they silently moved past Weekes toward the back beach bordering his property. Moments later, Weekes said he heard what he is confident was a single gunshot. While Weekes’ wife — who remained on the phone throughout the entire encounter — alerted local family members, Weekes immediately contacted the Micoud District Police Service, which he confirmed arrived at the property within minutes to launch an investigation.

    When asked if the incident could have been a case of mistaken identity, Weekes rejected the possibility entirely. His remote home is not marked on most casual maps, and accessing the private driveway requires intentional navigation through unmarked back roads. “You don’t stumble on this place by accident,” Weekes explained. “This was pre-planned. The whole point was to intimidate me. But I want to be clear: we will not be intimidated, and we are not leaving.”

    Weekes, who now spends most of his time growing food to feed local food-insecure families and tending to trees on his property, says he has no personal conflicts that would explain the attack. “I haven’t harmed anyone. All I do now is dig in the dirt, plant, and spend time with my dogs. I’ve done nothing to anyone,” he said.

    The incident comes amid a documented surge in violent crime across Saint Lucia, a trend Weekes called deeply disappointing for returning residents. “I’ve lived all over the world, and I’ve never had an encounter like this,” he said. “To come back home to do good work and face this? It’s devastating. But I also count my blessings — so many other people across the island haven’t survived similar encounters, so I’m grateful I’m here to talk about it today.”

    As someone who has spent decades running social programs for vulnerable and marginalized Saint Lucian communities, Weekes said that quick law enforcement crackdowns will never solve the country’s crime crisis. Long-term, holistic change that brings together government, civil society, faith groups, and local communities is the only path forward, he argued.

    Weekes stressed that people who commit crime are not outsiders to Saint Lucian society — they are members of our communities, shaped by the systems and gaps we all collectively allow to exist. “They didn’t come from another planet. They are us,” he said. “We can’t keep pointing fingers and blaming isolated neighborhoods. Crime is a national problem that we all share responsibility for fixing. When a child grows up without support, that’s our failure as a society, not just the failure of one community.”

    Even though the incident has left him feeling less secure than when he first returned home, Weekes says he has no plans to leave the country he has spent his career advocating for. “Home is where the heart is. I did all my work for Saint Lucia from abroad for decades — why would I leave now that I’m back?” he said. “Being here on the ground lets me speak to these issues firsthand, in a way I never could when I was living overseas.”

    Weekes acknowledged that he does not have a single step-by-step plan to end crime, but he remains optimistic that collective action can reverse the current trend of rising violence. “It’s not naive to believe we can build a Saint Lucia free of violent crime. It can happen — we just have to commit to working together to make it real,” he said. He pointed to intergenerational change as the core of any long-term solution, noting that the old African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” still holds true. “I was raised by a whole village that looked out for me. Today, that village doesn’t function like it used to,” he said. “We have to rebuild that support system if we want to stop children from growing into people who commit violence. If we don’t put a long-term plan in place now, by 2030 this crisis will be far worse than it is today. We can’t keep ignoring the problem and repeating the same failed approaches.”

  • Monkey raids on farms persist as ministry seeks regional, AI solutions

    Monkey raids on farms persist as ministry seeks regional, AI solutions

    Barbados’ agricultural sector is grappling with an escalating crisis of rampant monkey raids on commercial and small-scale farms, pushing the country’s Ministry of Agriculture to pursue cross-regional knowledge sharing and cutting-edge artificial intelligence interventions to curb mounting farmer losses. Agriculture Minister Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight openly admitted Wednesday during a press briefing at the ministry’s Graeme Hall headquarters that there is no silver bullet for this decades-long problem, which has plagued local farming alongside persistent praedial crop larceny for generations.

    Calling both issues systemic challenges that have undermined agricultural productivity for decades, the minister emphasized that neither monkey-related crop destruction nor crop theft can be resolved with a single, quick intervention. To build a context-appropriate solution, Dr. Munro-Knight has spent recent months researching mitigation strategies used across neighboring Caribbean and South American nations, including on official visits to Guyana and Suriname. She found that monkey crop raids are a shared struggle across the region: no country has yet developed a one-size-fits-all definitive solution, with territories testing a range of differing approaches to manage the problem.

    Currently, the Barbados Ministry of Agriculture is evaluating a suite of technology-driven mitigation tools, with artificial intelligence at the core of its exploratory work. Existing AI-powered options already deployed in other regions include AI-integrated drone monitoring, smart perimeter fencing that sends real-time alerts of intruding primates, and non-lethal deterrent systems that fire low-impact pellet sprays to scare monkeys away without causing harm. The minister stressed that cost accessibility is a non-negotiable factor during the evaluation process, noting that any effective solution must be affordable for working farmers to deliver real benefit.

    To advance this work, the ministry will convene a closed expert stakeholder meeting in the second week of June, bringing together internal ministry teams, external agricultural partners, environmental experts and other relevant stakeholders to review existing mitigation measures and hash out new potential solutions that address both monkey damage and praedial larceny simultaneously.

    Dr. Munro-Knight also addressed widespread public debate surrounding monkey culling, noting that while the government has already increased the financial bounty for approved culling operations, Barbados remains committed to balancing crop protection goals with humane wildlife management. She added that even with expanded culling, the current approach cannot address the scale of the primate population that is driving widespread crop damage across the island.

    In a step to build better data for evidence-based policy, the ministry launched a new agricultural data collection platform on Wednesday in partnership with the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC). Right now, officials lack the comprehensive data needed to accurately calculate the total economic loss that monkey raids inflict on the local agricultural sector each year. The new platform is designed to fix this gap by enabling systematic, comprehensive data collection in collaboration with local farming communities, giving officials clear figures to guide future strategy and resource allocation.

    Monkey raids often leave crops damaged beyond recovery, forcing many local farmers to absorb significant, uncompensated financial losses year after year. Closing out her remarks, Dr. Munro-Knight underlined that solving the crisis cannot fall to the Ministry of Agriculture alone. Long-term sustainable solutions will require coordinated cross-agency collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, local academic institutions, and international development partners to deliver results that work for both farmers and wildlife.

  • President Simons aangekomen in Brazilië voor gesprekken over economie, landbouw en veiligheid

    President Simons aangekomen in Brazilië voor gesprekken over economie, landbouw en veiligheid

    Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons has touched down in Brazil for a high-stakes official working visit focused on expanding bilateral collaboration across multiple key policy areas, according to official government announcements. The visit, which kicked off after months of detailed pre-negotiations between the two nations, will center on deepening economic partnerships, advancing agricultural development, boosting cross-border security, and advancing regional integration across South America.

    Simons is not traveling alone: she is accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes five cabinet ministers and a team of technical specialists, covering every priority sector set for the talks. The delegation includes Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation Minister Melvin Bouva, Transport, Communication and Tourism Minister Raymond Landveld, Social Affairs and Housing Minister Diana Pokie, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Minister Mike Noersalim, and Defense Minister Uraiqit Ramsaran.

    The centerpiece of the Brazil trip will be a formal meeting between Simons and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, where the two leaders are set to lay the foundational framework for future strategic cooperation between Suriname and Brazil. Ahead of the presidential summit, Surinamese ministers have already held preliminary working sessions with their Brazilian counterparts to hash out details of concrete joint projects, streamlining negotiations ahead of the leaders’ meeting.

    Each minister will lead sector-specific discussions aligned with their portfolios. Landveld will prioritize upgrading direct air connectivity between the two countries to boost trade and tourism flows. Pokie will travel to Brazil to study the country’s landmark Bolsa Familia social welfare program, with an eye toward adapting successful frameworks for Suriname’s own social policy initiatives. Noersalim will lead talks on advancing sustainable agricultural development, expanding farmer training programs, and coordinating regional responses to cassava witches’ broom disease, a devastating pathogen that threatens cassava production across the entire region. For the defense portfolio, discussions will focus on enhancing joint border patrols, protecting shared border territories, and securing shared airspace against transnational security threats.

    Following the conclusion of her official engagements in Brazil, Simons and her full delegation will travel onward to the Dominican Republic for a second leg of the overseas trip. This visit is framed as primarily exploratory and economic, with a core goal of attracting new foreign direct investment to Suriname, particularly in the agricultural and tourism sectors.

    Simons will use the Dominican Republic leg to explore new models of collaboration between Suriname’s landowners, national government, and international investors that can drive growth in agricultural output and expand Suriname’s tourism footprint. The presidential delegation is scheduled to return to Suriname on June 2 following the conclusion of both overseas engagements.

  • Community policing initiative removes derelict vehicles from Coco Bottom and Goodwill

    Community policing initiative removes derelict vehicles from Coco Bottom and Goodwill

    A coordinated clean-up initiative across two residential areas in Dominica has successfully cleared dozens of derelict abandoned vehicles, marking a key step forward in the island nation’s push for safer, healthier public spaces. The operation, carried out across the Coco Bottom and Goodwill communities, brought together multiple governmental and response organizations to address the long-standing issue of unclaimed vehicles blighting residential neighborhoods. Leading the effort was the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF), which partnered with the Solid Waste Division, the National Authorizing Office, and Rapid Response Recovery to execute the removal work.

    This initiative is not an isolated clean-up, but a core component of the CDPF’s broader Community Policing Strategy, a framework designed to foster collaborative public safety work between law enforcement, local stakeholders, and community members. The strategy centers on proactive problem-solving rather than reactive response, targeting visible environmental and safety hazards that erode quality of life for local residents.

    Law enforcement and public health officials have outlined a wide range of risks posed by derelict vehicles left on public roads, sidewalks, and community green spaces. Beyond the obvious aesthetic blight of decaying vehicles, these abandoned units create hidden public health threats: they frequently collect stagnant rainwater, creating ideal breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes, while decaying interiors and accumulated waste also attract rodent populations that can spread pathogens to nearby homes.

    Safety risks extend far beyond public health, officials added. Abandoned vehicles often block narrow residential roads and critical pedestrian pathways, creating hazards for drivers, cyclists, and walking residents, particularly children and elderly community members. In some cases, law enforcement has documented that these unused vehicles are repurposed as hiding spots for illegal activity, ranging from drug storage to trespassing, undermining community safety.

    Environmental and fire risks add another layer of concern. Leaking automotive fluids from decaying engine components can seep into local soil and groundwater, introducing toxic contaminants that harm local ecosystems and potentially impact residential water quality. Dry, decaying rubber and upholstery in derelict vehicles also create a significant fire hazard, especially during Dominica’s dry season, where a small spark can ignite a blaze that spreads to nearby vegetation or structures.

    Following the completion of this round of removals, the CDPF has issued a formal public advisory to all vehicle owners across Dominica. Residents who currently hold unused, non-operational vehicles on public land are urged to move and dispose of them properly through official waste channels immediately. Any unclaimed derelict vehicles remaining on public roads or community spaces after this notice will be removed by authorities without further advance warning and disposed of at the official municipal landfill, the CDPF confirmed.

    In a closing statement, the CDPF emphasized that maintaining safe, clean communities is a shared responsibility, calling for ongoing collaboration between residents, local businesses, and governmental agencies to address hazards before they escalate into larger public issues. “Let us work together to keep our communities safe, clean, and free from hazards,” the statement concluded.

  • Veteran education official pushes for more student talent platforms

    Veteran education official pushes for more student talent platforms

    As Barbados deepens its international cultural and educational collaboration networks, a seasoned senior education leader is making a final push to reshape how the country approaches student success, arguing that young people with talents outside traditional academics deserve the same resources and support to thrive as their academically gifted peers.

    Idamay Denny, a former deputy chief education officer who led the Barbadian government’s flagship education reform initiative and currently serves as a strategic policy advisor for the Ministry of Education Transformation, shared her vision Wednesday during a cultural exchange showcase at the Oceana Innovation Hub. The event brought together students from New York’s Performing Arts Technology High School (PATHS) and two local Barbadian secondary schools, St Leonard’s Boys’ School and Coleridge and Parry School, for cross-cultural collaborative performances and skill-sharing.

    Denny, who is set to officially retire from her government post this Friday, told attendees that the energy and creativity on display at the showcase reinforced her longstanding argument for overhauling education investment priorities. “What I saw here this morning reinforces what I tell the people in the ministry about investing in our students in terms of transformation,” she said. “We have to give you things that when you wake up in the morning, you want to get to school, and activities like what we saw here this morning are those kinds of activities.”

    The showcase itself is a core component of a formal partnership between the Ministry of Education Transformation and the non-profit initiative I WILL GRADUATE, which hosted the PATHS student band on the island for a week of cultural exploration and collaborative learning with local young people. A reciprocal trip for Barbadian students to visit New York is already planned for the coming months.

    A central pillar of Denny’s advocacy is challenging the outdated perception that creative fields like music and the arts are secondary extracurriculars rather than viable long-term career pathways. She emphasized that today, creative industries represent one of the most reliable routes to sustainable, well-paying employment for young people — a far cry from the norm when she was a student.

    “Once upon a time when I was a girl going to school, nobody thought that music was going to be the thing that was going to carry you somewhere in life. We saw that as a little extra thing by the side. But nowadays, music is one of the biggest pathways to sustainable employment,” she explained.

    Denny pointed to standout performances from PATHS students during the showcase to illustrate how the creative industries are evolving and opening doors for underrepresented groups. Highlighting a young female trumpet player who took the stage, she noted that the historically male-dominated professional music space is becoming far more inclusive. “Once upon a time then we saw bands… All men. But can you see from her that we can have some real good women playing in these bands. I will not be surprised if God allows me to live another 10 years to turn on my TV one day and see her playing in a band. She’s that good. Her heart is in it.”

    She also reserved praise for a young PATHS vocalist, telling the audience she has the raw talent to become a global entertainment star. “When I saw you, I thought I would see you in one of those shows X Factor, The Voice… all of those things where people go and their whole career gets made in that moment while they’re there performing. I could see you on one of those shows winning and then becoming a big-time star.”

    Across all her remarks, Denny stressed that schools must expand their definition of success to recognize and nurture skills beyond core academic subjects. “Yes, we want you to go to school and we want you to do well academically, but we don’t want you to think that academics is all. There are other things. You have other talents and we want to provide the mechanisms; we want to provide the infrastructure for you to do well with all those talents that you have,” she said.

    Even as she prepares to leave her formal government role, Denny made clear she has no plans to step away from advancing arts-integrated education and international exchange. “This is only the beginning,” she said. “As I said, I am leaving this job… But I won’t be gone from this because I want to see this develop.”

    She added that centering non-academic talent has been a core goal of her work shaping the ministry’s ongoing education transformation agenda. “We know that we have children who are not the best academically… We know there are children who have other talents. We know there are children who want to do other things. Why don’t we put the infrastructure in place to help those children do those things?”

    The exchange also offered a powerful example of how creative collaboration builds soft skills like leadership that traditional classroom learning often struggles to foster, Denny noted. During the event, a student from St Leonard’s Boys’ led a workshop teaching visiting PATHS students how to play the traditional Barbadian steel pan — an experience Denny called a clear display of emerging leadership.

    “That was leadership. We want children to develop leadership skills. It doesn’t only come from learning English and History and Science; it comes from this sort of activity too,” she said. “When I saw the boys from St Leonard’s standing beside their counterparts from PATHS, guiding them into how to play the scale on the steel pans, I saw leadership in action. These children are bright, brilliant children, but we don’t feel so. So we have to expand what we call brilliance.”

    Closing her remarks, Denny thanked the PATHS delegation for selecting Barbados as the host for the exchange initiative and reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the growing partnership, including the upcoming reciprocal student trip to New York. “I am going to spend some time helping to develop this collaboration,” she said.

  • Youth cricket programme poised to unearth cricketing talent

    Youth cricket programme poised to unearth cricketing talent

    Barbados has launched an ambitious grassroots cricket initiative designed to cultivate the next wave of elite cricketers for the nation and the wider West Indies region, with more primary schools signed up than initially targeted. The Republic Bank Five Fun Cricket Programme, officially launched Wednesday at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, is focused on introducing children aged 7 to 12 to the sport and building a deep pipeline of young talent.

    Wendell Coppin, Operations and Development Manager at the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), framed the program as a critical training ground for emerging cricketing skill. He announced that organizers have already exceeded the original 48-school target set by Cricket West Indies (CWI), with a minimum of 60 primary schools across the island now set to take part in the softball-focused initiative. The launch included a live skills demonstration from students of Bayleys Primary, one of the participating institutions.

    “It’s a softball programme within the schools and so far, again with the help of the National Sports Council, we are targeting 60 primary schools across the island,” Coppin explained. “With the help of the National Sports Council, the Barbados Cricket Association and our coaching staff, we expect that every single child in the next three years would have seen a Five for Fun programme, used a Five for Fun bat and would have held a Five for Fun ball, as a result of the support from our sponsors Republic Bank.”

    The program is structured to deliver widespread engagement and competitive growth for young participants. Inter-school matches will be held across local zones, leading up to a one-day national festival that brings together all zonal winning teams. Each competing team will field five players: three boys and two girls, ensuring inclusive participation across genders.

    Coppin emphasized that the initiative is intended to keep the talent pipeline flowing for Barbados and West Indies cricket. “We hope that the conveyor belt of cricketers within Barbados and certainly West Indies will continue, as a result of the help from the BCA, the National Sports Council, and indeed our partners at Republic Bank,” he said.

    BCA Chief Executive Officer Paul Skinner described the cross-sector collaborative effort as both timely and essential for rebuilding mass participation in cricket across Barbados. He added that the program goes far beyond just teaching athletic skills, positioning cricket as a tool for positive youth development.

    “Cricket must not only be seen as just a game, but as a vehicle that can encourage and create positive behavioural change in young people,” Skinner said. “The Republic Bank Five for Fun Cricket programme will give children the opportunity to be explorative and expressive while building core qualities of leadership, patience, teamwork, dealing with adversity, confidence, time management, commitment, responsibility, and so much more. It is truly a well rounded programme and it’s a skills development initiative that I think will go far here in Barbados.”

    For title sponsor Republic Bank (Barbados) Ltd, the initiative aligns with the firm’s long-standing commitment to youth investment and community building. Carlene Seudat, Managing Director and CEO of the bank, called the launch a proud and milestone moment for the company.

    She noted that the program has already delivered proven results in Saint Lucia, where it launched in 2021, and expressed confidence that Barbados — with its deep, celebrated cricketing heritage — would embrace the initiative with equal passion. “We’re especially proud to partner with the BCA, CWI, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sport through the National Sports Council to bring this initiative to life,” Seudat said. “Having already seen the success of Five for Fun in Saint Lucia since 2021, we are confident that Barbados will embrace it with the same energy, passion, and excellence that defines its rich cricketing legacy.”

    Beyond athletic and personal development, the program offers tangible financial benefits for all participants. Seudat announced that every child taking part will receive a Republic Bank Right Start savings account with an opening deposit of $50, to encourage early financial literacy. Additional cash incentives will reward top-performing teams, with the winning squad eligible for up to $200 per student, reinforcing values of teamwork, dedication and excellence through friendly competition.