分类： society

Telecommunications provider Flow has demonstrated its continued commitment to social causes by serving as a key sponsor for the upcoming Gender-Based Violence Walk 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda. The company’s support was formally cemented through a financial contribution presented during a recent ceremony.

Kasmin Bailey, Team Leader for Retail Sales & Recharge at Flow, personally presented a sponsorship cheque totaling $1,500 to Kieron Murdoch, who accepted the donation as representative of the Integrated Health Outreach Gender-Based Violence Coalition (IHO-GBV). This contribution forms part of Flow’s comprehensive sponsorship package for the awareness event.

The partnership between Flow and IHO-GBV underscores a shared dedication to addressing gender-based violence through multiple approaches. Both organizations emphasize the critical importance of education initiatives, advocacy campaigns, and community-driven actions that challenge harmful societal norms and behaviors.

Through this collaboration, Flow aims to amplify efforts toward creating safer environments across Antigua and Barbuda. The company’s involvement reflects its corporate social responsibility strategy that prioritizes community welfare and social development alongside business operations.

The Gender-Based Violence Walk 2026 represents a significant platform for raising public consciousness about violence prevention and support systems for affected individuals. Flow’s sponsorship will help facilitate broader participation and greater impact for this important community initiative.

A powerful new artistic initiative is bringing heightened visibility to the subtle yet devastating realities of emotional and psychological abuse. Creator Octavia Nicholas, in partnership with the national Gender Affairs Division, has unveiled an eight-part spoken word series designed to educate the public on these often-overlooked facets of domestic violence.

Inspired by Nicholas’s own literary work, ‘Surviving a Narcissist,’ the project strategically coincides with the global observance of International Women’s Day on March 8th. The series employs a compelling fusion of spoken word poetry and expressive dance to articulate the hidden trauma of non-physical abuse, which frequently manifests through control and manipulation long before any physical altercation occurs.

Nicholas emphasized the profound intent behind the project, stating, ‘This project is more than poetry — it is purpose.’ She elaborated that the collection is a resonant tapestry of survival, healing, and ultimate empowerment, drawing from both her personal journey and the testimonies shared within her book.

The public is actively encouraged to engage with the daily releases by following the online platforms of both Octavia Nicholas and the Gender Affairs Division. The initiative calls for widespread viewing and sharing to maximize its educational impact and foster a broader community dialogue on identifying and combating all forms of coercive control.

The Antiguan government has expanded its National Clean-Up campaign to four additional communities this Thursday as part of its ongoing island-wide sanitation initiative. Clean-up crews are actively operating in Cooks Extension, Denfields, Bendals, and St. Thomas on February 26th, responding to the government’s call for enhanced civic participation under the program’s unifying theme “Love Where You Live.

Residents within these designated zones are being urged to position large household items and bulk waste materials along roadside areas for efficient collection by sanitation teams. This systematic approach facilitates streamlined operations and ensures comprehensive waste removal from participating neighborhoods.

The National Clean-Up campaign represents a strategic component of the government’s broader environmental management agenda, targeting improved community sanitation standards, combating illegal dumping practices, and fostering heightened civic responsibility throughout Antigua and Barbuda. Government officials have consistently emphasized the critical role of resident involvement in achieving sustainable neighborhood cleanliness.

This initiative reflects growing concerns about public health implications of improper waste disposal and represents a coordinated response to environmental challenges. The government’s persistent communications campaign underscores the connection between community participation and long-term sanitation success, positioning the clean-up drive as both a practical response and symbolic movement toward national pride.

The United Nations has formally inaugurated fifteen emerging leaders from across the Eastern Caribbean into its 2026 Youth Advisory Group (YAG), marking a significant advancement in institutionalizing youth participation within regional development frameworks. This fifth cohort of appointees represents a strategic partnership between the UN Sub-Regional Team and young visionaries from nine territories: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Operating as a formal advisory mechanism, the YAG enables youth advocates aged 18-30 to directly influence policy formulation, program design, and implementation strategies across national and regional levels. The group’s mandate aligns with the UN’s Youth2030 strategy, creating structured pathways for young professionals to contribute expertise across critical domains including climate resilience, mental health services, gender equity, disability inclusion, educational reform, food security systems, crime prevention, and indigenous rights protection.

UN Resident Coordinator Simon Springett emphasized the transformative potential of youth engagement, stating: ‘Our youth represent both our present and future capacity for innovation. Previous cohorts have demonstrated exceptional capabilities in driving sustainable development initiatives, yet we’ve merely scratched the surface of their potential contributions to governance structures and international institutions.’

Returning Chair Rianka Chance from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines outlined an ambitious vision for the group’s expanded influence: ‘We are evolving beyond advisory participation toward actual policy-shaping and systems-change leadership. The YAG must become a catalytic force for cross-territorial collaboration, SDG advancement, and meaningful youth inclusion in decision-making processes from local to global spheres.’

The selection process prioritized inclusive representation from marginalized communities, incorporating advocates specializing in indigenous identity preservation and social justice reform. Throughout their one-year tenure, members will function as official UN Youth Advocates, contributing to the implementation of regional development blueprints including the Youth Development Strategy and Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. Their responsibilities will encompass policy dialogue, community outreach, and representation at international forums aimed at accelerating progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The appointed representatives include: Rianka Chance (Chair, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Melissa Edwards (Anguilla), Amelia Williams and Shaquan O’Neil (Antigua and Barbuda), Kalan Alleyne and Jovanaa Ifill (Barbados), Angeleah Cupid (BVI), Loik Charles and Emmana Jeffers (Dominica), Kerri-Ann Marrast, Zinzee Noel, and Raheem Smith (Grenada), Hasani McDonald (St. Kitts and Nevis), and Davianne Alexander with Ethan Leandre (Saint Lucia).