Carib Scope

博客

  • Youth Arise Antigua Celebrates 7 Years of Youth Development and Community Service

    Youth Arise Antigua Celebrates 7 Years of Youth Development and Community Service

    Seven years after its humble launch as a small community idea, Antigua and Barbuda’s grassroots youth organization Youth Arise Antigua (YAA) is celebrating its seventh anniversary of transformative work in youth development, volunteerism, and local public service. Founded in 2019, the group has evolved far beyond its initial concept to build a thriving, engaged network of young people dedicated to lifting up communities across the twin-island nation.

    Over the past seven years, YAA’s members and volunteers have rolled out dozens of impact-driven initiatives that address pressing local needs. Teams have supported under-resourced primary and secondary schools across the country, distributed thousands of critical school supplies and personal hygiene items to vulnerable students, led large-scale community clean-up campaigns to improve public spaces, planted hundreds of native trees to support local ecosystems, prepared and served warm meals to food-insecure residents, and partnered with existing local groups to amplify a wide range of community-led projects.

    In a heartfelt anniversary address marking the milestone, YAA Founder and President Makiba Ward reflected on the organization’s extraordinary growth and core mission. “Seven years ago, Youth Arise Antigua began with a simple but powerful belief: young people can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and in their communities,” Ward said. “Today, as we celebrate seven years, I am filled with gratitude and pride. What started as one idea has grown into a community of young people committed to service, giving their time, talents and energy to create tangible change.”

    Ward emphasized that even small, consistent acts of service leave lasting, positive marks on local communities, pointing to YAA’s seven years of on-the-ground work as proof of that principle. “Each experience has reminded us that even the smallest act of service can have a lasting impact,” she noted. The YAA president added that the organization’s success is not the work of a single leader, but of the entire network of members, volunteers, and community supporters who have sustained its mission over the years. “As Founder and President, I am especially proud of every member, volunteer and supporter who has contributed to our journey. Youth Arise Antigua is not about one person. It is about all of us working together to serve and create positive change.”

    Looking ahead to the organization’s eighth year of operations in 2027, Ward called on the YAA community to continue turning their vision of service into tangible action. “As we enter our eighth year in 2027, let us continue to show up, lend a helping hand and turn ideas into action,” she said. “To everyone who has supported Youth Arise Antigua over the past seven years, thank you for believing in our vision and for being part of the journey.”

    YAA remains guided by its founding motto: “To make a difference in someone’s life.” In closing her address, Ward toasted the organization’s seven years of impact, and expressed optimism for the years to come. “Here’s to seven years of service, seven years of impact, and many more years of making a difference. Happy 7th Anniversary, Youth Arise Antigua!”

    As a community-focused youth organization, YAA centers its work around four core pillars: youth empowerment, accessible education and development, volunteer community service, and cultivating leadership and excellence among young Antiguans and Barbudans. Its full guiding mission is summed up in the phrase: “Together We Rise, Together We Strive, To Make a Difference in Someone’s Life.”

  • New Executive Committee Elected as ABWU’s 59th Annual Delegates Conference Concludes

    New Executive Committee Elected as ABWU’s 59th Annual Delegates Conference Concludes

    The 59th Annual Delegates Conference of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU), a two-day gathering that wrapped up on September 21, 2026, has wrapped up its leadership election process, unveiling a fully constituted new Executive Committee to guide the organization into its next operational cycle. Held under the forward-looking theme “Celebrating 59 Years of Stewardship: Embracing the Changes and Preparing for the Future World of Work,” the conference drew nearly 200 delegates and observer members from all sectors of the union’s membership, who gathered to review past achievements, address pressing challenges facing modern workers, and align on strategic priorities for the coming year.

    The newly confirmed full Executive Committee includes a slate of core titular leaders alongside representative positions from across the union’s sectional groups. Monique James-Roberts secured the top post as President, with Kem Riley stepping into the role of 1st Vice President, Blair Rose as 2nd Vice President, David Massiah returning to the position of General Secretary, and Antoinette Samuel taking on the role of Treasurer. Three trustees—Fernando Samuel, Eugene Hurst, and Chenise Lewis—were also elected to the committee. Beyond core leadership roles, the body includes one rank-and-file representative from each of the union’s ten sectional branches, covering sectors from aviation, administrative work, banking and insurance, commerce and retail, manufacturing and distribution, hospitality and catering, telecommunications, transportation, utilities to general workers. The President of the ABWU Youth Arm and the Chair of the organization’s Women’s Council will also hold automatic seats on the Executive Committee to ensure inclusive representation of diverse membership groups.

    In her first address to delegates after her election confirmation, President James-Roberts laid out her core commitments to the union’s membership. The new leader has already built six years of experience on the ABWU Executive Committee, most recently serving two consecutive terms as 2nd Vice President. Her historic election marks only the second time a woman has held the presidency of the ABWU, a milestone that underscores the union’s ongoing push for greater gender equity in leadership. “With the full support of my fellow Executive Committee members, we are committed to delivering tangible progress toward fairer working conditions and expanded labor protections for every worker across our membership,” James-Roberts stated in her remarks, emphasizing her dedication to serving members with unwavering focus and resolve.

    Outgoing and re-elected General Secretary David Massiah offered his official congratulations to James-Roberts on her victory, and reaffirmed the union’s formal commitment to advancing gender parity at all levels of ABWU leadership. Massiah also used the occasion to issue a call to action for the incoming committee, noting that the organization is entering a pivotal moment in its history as it prepares to mark its 60th anniversary in the coming year. “As we approach this major organizational milestone, ABWU must adapt to become more responsive to the rapid shifts reshaping the world of work globally and locally,” Massiah said. “No matter what changes come, we must hold firm to our core mission: protecting the rights and wellbeing of working people must always remain our top priority.”

    Over the course of the two-day conference, delegates engaged in collaborative discussions to assess past work, identify emerging challenges facing workers in Antigua and Barbuda, and map the union’s strategic direction for the year ahead, laying a clear foundation for the new Executive Committee to advance its agenda.

  • Solid Waste Authority Launches Green School Program to Tackle Plastic Waste

    Solid Waste Authority Launches Green School Program to Tackle Plastic Waste

    Antigua and Barbuda’s National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has rolled out a new environmental outreach initiative, the Green School Program, that brings hands-on environmental education directly to secondary school campuses across the twin-island nation.

    The program kicked off officially on September 22, with a specific focus on Fourth Form students. NSWMA teams are traveling to participating schools to lead structured discussions centered on plastic waste — one of the most pressing solid waste challenges facing small island developing states — and share practical, youth-focused strategies for cutting the volume of plastic that enters regional waste streams.

    Unlike traditional lecture-style education campaigns, the Green School Program is built around interactivity. It invites students to contribute their own ideas and experiences while educating them on the core principles of waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. A key priority of the sessions is highlighting how minor, consistent adjustments to daily habits can add up to measurable improvements for local ecosystems and public spaces.

    To date, teams have already completed visits to multiple secondary schools across Antigua and Barbuda, with plans in motion to expand the initiative to more campuses and reach a growing number of young learners in the coming months.

    This targeted school program is not an isolated effort: it forms a core component of the NSWMA’s statutory mandate for public education. Under Antigua and Barbuda’s existing solid waste legislation, the authority is legally required to develop and sustain public outreach programs that build public awareness of responsible waste management practices.

    In its official announcement of the program launch, the NSWMA issued a collective call to action, stating: “Together, let’s work toward a cleaner Antigua & Barbuda.” The initiative reflects a growing global trend of engaging young people as frontline stakeholders in local environmental action, tapping into youth enthusiasm to drive long-term cultural change around waste reduction.

  • U.S. Embassy to Train 25 Secondary Educators in Antigua and Barbuda on AI

    U.S. Embassy to Train 25 Secondary Educators in Antigua and Barbuda on AI

    A new capacity-building initiative focused on responsible artificial intelligence integration in education is set to convene 25 secondary school educators from Antigua and Barbuda for specialized workshops, according to an announcement from the U.S. Embassy based in the region. The upcoming training program was revealed by Bobby Allison Jr., the embassy’s public affairs officer, during a public lecture hosted at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Islands Campus. Allison confirmed that Dr. Joseph South, a globally recognized expert in artificial intelligence for education, would serve as the lead facilitator for the workshops, scheduled to take place one day after the public lecture.

    The interactive training sessions are structured to cover two core core areas: first, how K-12 educators can leverage AI-powered tools to streamline their instructional work, enhance lesson planning, and better support diverse learner needs; and second, how teachers can guide their students to develop responsible, ethical habits when using the rapidly evolving technology. At the time of the announcement, Allison did not release details on which specific secondary schools the participating educators represent, nor did he share the criteria used to select the 25 attendees for the targeted program.

    The workshops grow out of Dr. South’s preceding public lecture, which focused on the evolving skill sets both students and teaching professionals need to thrive as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly ubiquitous in formal education settings. During his talk, Dr. South emphasized a critical distinction that educators must maintain: identifying routine administrative and preparatory tasks that AI can complete efficiently, versus the complex, active learning work that students must complete independently to build deep, durable knowledge and critical thinking skills. He also stressed the urgent need for transparent, explicit dialogues between instructors and learners about what counts as acceptable and unacceptable use of AI in academic and classroom contexts.

    This collaborative programming is part of the U.S. Embassy’s Freedom 250 initiative, a multi-event series organized to commemorate the 250th anniversary of United States independence. The public lecture that kicked off the effort was developed through a formal partnership between the U.S. Embassy and the UWI Five Islands Campus, bringing together higher education institutions and government diplomatic stakeholders to address a pressing contemporary challenge in secondary education.

  • Overheid al ruim zes jaar op de hoogte van ongeoorloofde mijnbouw Pelin Bergi

    Overheid al ruim zes jaar op de hoogte van ongeoorloofde mijnbouw Pelin Bergi

    A growing controversy over unauthorized gold mining in Suriname’s Pelin Bergi region has entered the public spotlight this week, after state-owned mining firm Rosebel Gold Mines (RGM) broke its silence to reveal that the Surinamese government has been aware of the illegal operations for more than six years.

    The revelation comes after two members of Suriname’s National Assembly (DNA), Rabindre T. Parmessar and Michael S. Marengo, recently visited the Pelin Bergi area — part of the broader Overman mining region — and issued a public call for an immediate temporary suspension of all extraction activities. During their site visit, the lawmakers raised urgent alarms over potential environmental harm and regulatory non-compliance, prompting RGM to issue its first official statement clarifying its role in the dispute.

    In the statement, RGM confirmed that the Pelin Bergi area falls within its licensed contract area, but emphasized a key distinction: the company only holds exploration rights for the region, not commercial extraction rights. That means RGM is legally permitted to conduct geological survey and pre-development work in the area, but has no authorization to mine gold or other minerals for commercial sale. Most critically, the firm stressed that it has never granted any third party permission to conduct mining activities in Pelin Bergi. “These activities are not carried out by or on behalf of RGM,” the company’s statement read, adding that the ongoing unauthorized operations violate its contractual rights and block its own legal exploration work.

    Most notably, RGM laid out a timeline that puts bureaucratic inaction at the center of the controversy. According to the company, it first detected the unlawful mining activities back in January 2020, and notified relevant Surinamese government authorities that same month, formally requesting intervention to remove the unauthorized miners. RGM says it has maintained constant communication with government officials on the issue ever since, but the unauthorized miners have remained active on the site. Since China’s Zijin Mining acquired RGM in 2023, the company has attempted to resume its legal exploration work in Pelin Bergi, but has been unable to do so due to safety risks created by the presence of illegal miners, the statement added.

    The DNA lawmakers’ letter to President Jennifer Simons echoed many of the questions raised by RGM’s timeline. The pair asked the president to disclose which government agencies oversaw the region in recent years, what inspections were conducted, and what actions were taken after any prior reports of irregularities. They also demanded clarity on the identity of the operators, their legal (if any) permitting status, and how long the unauthorized mining has been ongoing.

    On the issue of environmental risk, RGM aligned with the concerns raised by the parliamentary delegation. The lawmakers reported finding evidence that illegal operators may be using cyanide in gold processing, a chemical that poses severe risks to local water systems, soil health, native ecosystems, and public health. Though the pair did not have access to lab results to confirm contamination, they called for independent soil and water testing to assess damage. RGM echoed this call in its statement, saying that on-site investigations, sample collection, and independent laboratory testing are critical to confirm what chemicals are being used, whether regulatory standards have been violated, and the full extent of environmental harm.

    RGM confirmed that it has already asked relevant Surinamese authorities to coordinate urgent site inspections, evidence collection, and environmental assessments. The company also called for immediate regulatory action to shut down the illegal operations and prevent further environmental damage, aligning with the DNA’s core demand for a temporary suspension of all activities until a full investigation is completed.

    The lawmakers have further called for an inquiry into how much gold has been illegally extracted from Pelin Bergi over the years, where the gold has been sold, and whether all required taxes and royalties have been paid to the Surinamese state. In its statement, RGM said it stands ready to provide all relevant information and logistical support to the official investigation, as soon as safe access to the site can be secured. The company also added that it will pursue all available legal channels to protect its formal exploration rights to the Pelin Bergi region.

  • Natio knokt zich terug en verslaat Honduras met 3-2 in debuut Fraser

    Natio knokt zich terug en verslaat Honduras met 3-2 in debuut Fraser

    Suriname has kicked off the era of new head coach Henk Fraser in the most thrilling fashion possible, securing a dramatic 3-2 away victory over Honduras in their opening Group B match of Concacaf Nations League A on Friday evening. Played at Tegucigalpa’s Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés, the contest delivered all the drama fans could hope for, with Suriname rallying from an early one-goal deficit to claim three crucial points to start their campaign.

    The fixture carried extra weight for both sides: it marked the first time the two nations had faced off in 40 years, while for Suriname, it was Fraser’s first official competitive match at the helm. The underdog visiting side showed no intention of sitting back from the opening whistle, pressing aggressively and looking to build attacking chances whenever possible. That bold approach paid off in the 18th minute, when Justin Lonwijk broke the deadlock to put Suriname up 1-0.

    Suriname’s early lead was short-lived, however. Just two minutes after Lonwijk’s opener, Honduras hit back to equalize through Dereck Moncada. The host side continued their momentum, and just two minutes later, Bryan Róchez put Honduras ahead 2-1, turning the match on its head inside 20 minutes.

    Buoyed by their quick pair of goals, Honduras grew in confidence and began to control large portions of the first half, putting Suriname under sustained pressure. But the visiting side weathered the storm, managing to level the score before halftime through Denzel Jubitana. The 2-2 halftime score left the contest completely open, with everything still to play for in the final 45 minutes.

    Both teams came out fighting to start the second half, but as the half progressed, Suriname grew into the game, gradually seizing control of possession and territory. Fraser’s side played with increasing composure, stringing together confident combinations and keeping Honduras pinned deep in their own half for long stretches, reversing the first-half momentum entirely. The winning breakthrough came in the 67th minute, when a stunning long-range left-footed strike from outside the penalty area beat the Honduran goalkeeper, putting Suriname up 3-2.

    After taking the lead, Suriname had to absorb wave after wave of late Honduras pressure as the host searched for a late equalizer. The defense held firm, however, and when the final whistle blew, the 3-2 scoreline remained intact.

    The result is a dream start for both Fraser and Suriname’s 2026-2027 Nations League campaign. Picking up three points away from home against a competitive opponent after rallying from an early deficit is a result that will build huge confidence for the rest of the group stage. Group B also features Jamaica, Guatemala, Martinique, and El Salvador, and Suriname will be back in action just three days after the Honduras win, facing Martinique on September 28. Two consecutive matches against Guatemala will follow after that opening pair of fixtures.

  • VAMED appeals Full Court decision allowing govt’s access to hospital projects pending arbitration

    VAMED appeals Full Court decision allowing govt’s access to hospital projects pending arbitration

    A high-stakes contractual conflict over two major hospital construction projects in Guyana has reached the Court of Appeal, as Austrian healthcare infrastructure specialist VAMED Engineering GmbH moves to overturn a recent Full Court ruling that cleared the way for the Guyanese Ministry of Health to seize project sites and resume construction amid ongoing international arbitration.

    At the heart of the dispute is a €45.3 million payment claim VAMED has brought against the Guyanese government, which the company says represents overdue payments for completed substantial works, contract variations, price indexation, additional on-site tasks and other legally binding contractual entitlements. Of that total, at least €19.5 million is tied to certified completed work on the two facilities: the Georgetown Paediatric and Maternal Hospital (GPMH) on East Coast Demerara and the New Amsterdam Hospital Campus (NAHC). VAMED also notes that the government’s own independent engineering consultant has previously calculated Guyana’s outstanding debt to the firm at approximately €37.94 million.

    The Full Court’s September 22, 2026 ruling overturned an earlier preservation order issued by trial judge Justice Renita Singh on August 6 that barred both parties from tampering with VAMED’s assets on the project sites. Under Justice Singh’s original order, the Ministry of Health was required to leave 52 shipping containers holding high-value equipment, as well as other construction assets including heavy cranes, power generators and building materials, undisturbed at the GPMH site. Only VAMED’s own security personnel were permitted to access the site for the sole purpose of securing the containers and equipment, while both parties were ordered to preserve all project documents, design plans and intellectual property related to the build.

    Since the Full Court’s decision went into effect, VAMED claims Ministry of Health officials have already entered both project sites and begun disturbing the company’s property, including opening and dispersing the 52 containers that hold an estimated €32 million worth of equipment and materials. In a sworn affidavit submitted to the Court of Appeal, VAMED employee Aaron Heward Mills argues that the ongoing incursions are causing irreversible, ongoing harm to the firm’s assets. “Once the property is removed, dispersed or damaged, it cannot be restored to its original condition or location,” Mills wrote in the affidavit.

    VAMED’s legal team, led by attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes, argues that the Full Court made multiple critical errors of law in overturning the original preservation orders. Hughes emphasized that the preservation orders issued by the trial judge were legally distinct from the conservatory orders Justice Singh had previously declined to grant, noting that the preservation measures were never intended as injunctions against the state, but rather as targeted protections to safeguard assets pending the outcome of arbitration. Hughes further argued that the Full Court incorrectly failed to distinguish between prohibited injunctive relief against the state — which is barred under Guyana’s State Liability and Proceedings Act — and court-ordered preservation measures, which fall under the court’s inherent jurisdiction and are explicitly authorized by the 2024 Arbitration Act. That statute grants Guyanese courts clear authority to issue interim protective measures to support ongoing arbitral proceedings, a protection the Full Court’s ruling has eliminated entirely, leaving VAMED with no safeguards for its assets ahead of the arbitral tribunal’s formation, the firm argues.

    In upholding the government’s appeal of the trial judge’s order, the Full Court justified its ruling by finding that the original preservation orders conflicted with the trial judge’s own earlier findings that there was no urgent need for relief and that monetary damages would be a sufficient remedy for any harm VAMED suffered. The Full Court also ruled the orders lacked a valid statutory basis under the 2024 Arbitration Act and agreed with the Attorney General’s Chambers that the prohibition on injunctions against the state could not be bypassed by reclassifying restrictive conduct orders as preservation measures.

    On the payment dispute, the Guyanese Ministry of Health has pushed back against VAMED’s claims, citing months of documented concerns about project delays, missed construction milestones, insufficient mobilization of labor and resources, and the contractor’s failure to maintain the work pace required to complete the hospitals on schedule. These issues have been the subject of extensive contractual correspondence between the two parties for months, the ministry notes.

    VAMED’s current application before the Court of Appeal seeks both to overturn the Full Court’s ruling and to secure a stay of execution on the September 22 order that allowed the government to take over the sites.

  • Suriname zoekt financiering ontwikkelingsprojecten bij fonds Abu Dhabi

    Suriname zoekt financiering ontwikkelingsprojecten bij fonds Abu Dhabi

    On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, senior diplomatic leaders from Suriname and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have held high-stakes bilateral discussions, opening new doors for expanded cross-sector cooperation and exploring potential development financing for Suriname’s priority infrastructure and social projects.

    During the closed-door meeting, Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation Melvin Bouva sat down with his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to map out a path for deepening long-standing ties between the two nations. A core item on the meeting agenda was Suriname’s formal expression of interest in accessing project financing from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), a UAE-state backed development institution dedicated to supporting inclusive economic and social progress in low- and middle-income countries.

    At this early stage of talks, neither side has disclosed which specific Surinamese projects would be eligible for funding, nor has any information been released about the potential value of financial support. No finalized financing agreement has been announced, with negotiations set to continue in coming months.

    Beyond development financing, the two ministers covered a broad range of mutually beneficial cooperation areas, including trade expansion, cross-border investment, digital transformation, sustainable agriculture, energy development, infrastructure upgrades, and aviation sector modernization. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the meeting in an official statement after the talks, noting that delegates from both sides explored actionable opportunities to move bilateral engagement forward beyond diplomatic dialogue.

    One tangible offer put forward by the UAE during the discussions is targeted technical and capacity support to accelerate the digitalization of Suriname’s public government services. Delegates also exchanged views on priority national projects for Suriname, including the potential modernization of its main international airport, strengthening national food security, improving maritime domain security, and preserving historic built heritage in the capital city of Paramaribo.

    On the trade front, the two sides discussed a draft cooperation agreement between the national chambers of commerce of Suriname and the UAE, a mechanism designed to remove barriers and boost people-to-people and business-to-business connections between the two private sectors. The UAE also extended an offer to support capacity building for Suriname’s diplomatic corps through training programs at UAE-based specialized diplomatic academies, a proposal that aligns with Suriname’s goal of expanding its global diplomatic footprint.

    Minister Bouva emphasized during the talks that the already positive diplomatic relations between Suriname and the UAE should now translate into tangible, on-the-ground projects that deliver measurable benefits to both populations. The pair also explored opportunities to strengthen connectivity between four key global regions: the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and the Middle East, positioning Suriname as a potential hub for cross-regional exchange.

    In addition to bilateral cooperation, the two ministers aligned on plans to deepen collaborative work within United Nations frameworks, as well as to strengthen engagement between the UAE and the Caribbean Community (Caricom). All proposals discussed during the New York meeting will be passed to working-level technical teams for further detail and negotiations in the coming months, with both sides committed to turning tentative agreements into concrete outcomes.

  • Young leaders call for greater say in nation’s future

    Young leaders call for greater say in nation’s future

    At a youth gathering hosted at Kensington Oval, two senior youth figures have delivered a joint call to action, demanding that Barbados’ national leadership create concrete, meaningful pathways for young people to take part in building the nation’s future. Speaking as the CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Christopher Brathwaite opened with a stark warning: deliberately or accidentally sidelining young people from national governance and development efforts risks putting the entire country’s progress on hold.

    Brathwaite emphasized that young Barbadians deserve a permanent seat at the table in the national institutions they will one day inherit when the current generation of leadership steps down. “There is an inherent danger in excluding young people from nation building,” he told the assembled crowd. “A country cannot and will not move forward if those entrusted with its leadership today do not listen to the generation that will inherit it tomorrow.”

    He pushed back against the idea that youth inclusion is a task for individual leaders alone, arguing that it requires a widespread, sustained national commitment to breaking down barriers to entry. Symbolic events like youth parades are a starting point, he noted, but real progress depends on building tangible connections between young people and the governing bodies that shape daily life across the island. Comparing national continuity to a relay race, Brathwaite reminded the audience that the baton of leadership has passed between generations for centuries, and will soon rest in the hands of today’s youth.

    Brathwaite encouraged young people to step into active public engagement, urging them not to shy away from questioning sitting authorities, challenging long-held conventional thinking, and putting forward alternative policy solutions. For those who believe systemic change must originate from the top of government, he advised them to engage aggressively with national leaders, press for youth perspectives to be centered in every decision, and hold officials accountable to the needs of younger generations.

    Beyond formal politics, Brathwaite worked to reframe what it means to contribute to national success, pushing back against the harmful narrative that only high-achieving public figures can make a meaningful difference. He noted that statistics show most young people will never become world-famous athletes, global business innovators, or household names in public life – but that does not diminish their right to a fulfilling life or their ability to shape the country’s future. Too often, young people feel pressured to fit a narrow mold of education, speech and achievement to be allowed to contribute to nation building, he said, but this could not be further from the truth. “You matter. Your voice matters. Your thoughts matter,” he stressed.

    When outdated systems fail to serve Barbados’ future interests, Brathwaite called on young people to speak out, invoking a phrase from late U.S. civil rights leader John Lewis to urge them to get into “good trouble, necessary trouble”. He was quick to clarify that this call is not an endorsement of lawlessness or disrespect, but rather a demand for intentional, constructive advocacy. He closed this portion of his remarks by noting that modern Barbados was built by the collective effort of thousands of ordinary people, and its future will follow the same pattern: progress comes from ordinary people committing to do extraordinary work in service of their community.

    Minister of State for Youth and Culture Senator Shane Archer shifted focus to marginalized young people who feel they have already been counted out by society, particularly young men who struggle to see a path forward amid personal or structural barriers. Archer acknowledged that many young Barbadians today feel lost, convinced that their past mistakes, neighborhood background, or poor academic performance has permanently closed off opportunities for advancement.

    Archer pushed back against this fatalistic narrative, telling young attendees that no single part of their past defines their potential. “Your story is not finished because you made a mistake,” he said. “Your future is not determined by a neighbourhood you came from, the school you attended, the subjects you passed or failed, or what somebody decided to say about you when you were 13, 14, or 15 years old.”

    Crucially, Archer added that encouraging young people to overcome hardship is not enough: the government and the broader nation share a responsibility to remove structural barriers and create accessible pathways for upward mobility. “Part of our responsibility as a country is not to simply tell young people to do better. It is to make sure that there are pathways for them to get better, become better, and build better,” he said.

  • Fire Academy preps for global accreditation

    Fire Academy preps for global accreditation

    Less than three weeks from now, the Barbados Fire Academy — the dedicated training division of the Barbados Fire Service — will open its doors to assessors for a long-awaited international accreditation review, a step that top fire officials say could unlock global recognition for the qualifications earned by the nation’s firefighters. The announcement of the upcoming evaluation came during the fire service’s 42nd passing out parade, held at the academy’s Arch Hall campus in St. Thomas, where officials also celebrated the graduation of 20 new recruits. In remarks to the gathered graduating class, dignitaries, and academy staff, Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard framed the impending accreditation as a transformative milestone not just for Barbados’ fire service, but for professional firefighting training across the entire Caribbean region.

    International accreditation will deliver independent, third-party confirmation that all training programmes run by the Barbados Fire Academy align with the rigorous standards and evidence-based best practices accepted by firefighting bodies worldwide. Maynard emphasized that the most meaningful outcome of this process will extend far beyond institutional validation. “More importantly, it will ensure that the qualifications earned by all firefighters are recognised beyond our borders, enhancing professional mobility, strengthening regional cooperation, and reaffirming our commitment to developing firefighters who can operate confidently and competently alongside counterparts from anywhere in the world,” he said.

    The fire chief noted that the demand for highly skilled, adaptable emergency responders has grown steadily in recent years, as the threats facing local and regional communities continue to shift and expand. “Population growth, technological advances, climate-related events, modern transportation systems, and emerging hazards all create new challenges for emergency responders,” Maynard explained. “To meet these challenges, we must continually invest in our most valuable asset — our people.” He reaffirmed the Barbados government and fire service’s long-term commitment to upholding the highest professional training standards across all academy programmes, with the pursuit of international accreditation serving as a core component of that pledge.

    Despite the progress being made, Maynard did not shy away from acknowledging the ongoing hurdles the service faces as it works to upgrade its training infrastructure. Key challenges include a shortage of purpose-built training props, limited access to consistent advanced training opportunities, and insufficient space to conduct full-scale live-fire drills. The service is currently developing specialized training props for aircraft firefighting response, and has launched an effort to secure a standalone, dedicated training facility in the northern district of Barbados. Once completed, the new facility will expand the academy’s overall training capacity, enable recruits to take part in more realistic, complex emergency response drills, and better prepare firefighters for the wide range of evolving hazards they will encounter over their careers, Maynard added.

    The passing out parade that served as the setting for the announcement honored the 42nd graduating batch, Course 1 of the 2026 training cycle. All 20 recruits completed the required Firefighter Level 1 and Firefighter Level 2 training programmes, in addition to a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course administered in partnership with the Barbados Community College. Over the course of their training, the recruits built core competencies across a full spectrum of emergency response skills, including structural fire suppression, urban and wilderness rescue operations, fire behaviour analysis, incident site safety management, advanced firefighting tactics, heavy equipment operation, and standardized emergency response protocols.

    Maynard pointed out that the role of modern firefighters has expanded far beyond the traditional task of extinguishing fires. Today, medical emergencies account for a large share of all calls received by fire and emergency services across the island, making integrated EMT training a non-negotiable requirement for new recruits. “I am pleased to report to you that all 20 graduates successfully met the minimum requirement for both the Firefighter 1, the Firefighter 2, and the EMT course,” he said.

    Addressing the new graduates directly, Maynard urged them to carry the discipline, resilience, and technical skills they developed during training into every operational assignment they take on throughout their careers. “Be proud of your achievement. You have earned your place on this parade square today. You have met demanding standards, overcome challenges, demonstrated resilience, and proven your commitment to the value of this service. As you move forward into your operational career, let discipline guide you,” he told the cohort.