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  • World Earth Day 2026: Wednesday, 22 April

    World Earth Day 2026: Wednesday, 22 April

    Grenada’s Ministry of Climate Resilience, The Environment and Renewable Energy has issued a public call for broad participation from all citizens, organizations and community groups across the island nation for the 2026 World Earth Day observance, scheduled for Wednesday, April 22.

    This year’s national campaign, branded as the Parish Tree Planting and Earth Dress Day, is centered on advancing long-term environmental sustainability, boosting public ecological awareness, and mobilizing collective effort to safeguard Grenada’s unique natural ecosystems. Aligned with the global World Earth Day theme of “Our Planet, Our Power”, the initiative is designed to turn individual intent into coordinated national action.

    Organizers have outlined multiple accessible pathways for people across all age groups and sectors to get involved. First, participants are invited to wear clothing in signature Earth colors—shades of green or blue—on April 22 to visibly show their support for greater environmental consciousness. Beyond this simple gesture, individuals and groups are encouraged to take part in hands-on, eco-friendly activities that fit their local context: this can range from planting a native tree or starting a new community garden to organizing a local neighborhood cleanup or implementing personal waste-reduction habits. Participants are also asked to extend the invitation to their social circles, encouraging friends, family members and coworkers to join the movement and amplify the initiative’s reach. To celebrate the breadth of national engagement, attendees are invited to document their activities with photos and share them on social media, tagging the Ministry’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts. Selected contributions will be featured as part of Grenada’s official national Earth Day commemoration.

    The campaign emphasizes that meaningful environmental progress depends on cross-sector collaboration, bringing together government bodies, the local private sector, faith-based organizations, community associations and individual citizens under a shared mission to foster greater environmental responsibility and nurture national pride in Grenada’s natural heritage. Ministry organizers note that when small, individual actions are combined across the entire nation, they add up to a tangible, lasting impact that moves Grenada closer to its goal of becoming a greener, more climate-resilient and sustainable country.

    This call to action closes with an invitation for all Grenadians to stand united in support of the planet, joining the Ministry in marking 2026 World Earth Day and reaffirming the nation’s commitment to protecting its natural resources for future generations.

    *Disclaimer: This announcement was originally shared via NOW Grenada, which does not take responsibility for opinions, statements or third-party content contributed by external organizations. Users may report content that violates platform guidelines through official reporting channels.*

  • Grenada PM euolgises national known as the “People’s Doctor”

    Grenada PM euolgises national known as the “People’s Doctor”

    Hundreds of mourners from Grenada, the wider Caribbean, and across communities gathered in Brooklyn, New York, last week to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Ronald Purcell, the renowned Grenadian surgeon affectionately known as “the People’s Doctor,” who passed away suddenly at his Brooklyn home on March 25 at the age of 73.

    Grenada’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and Governor-General Dame Cecile La Grenade, traveled to New York to attend the funeral service held at The Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, led by presiding priest Fr Alonzo Cox. The Quake USA Cultural Organisation, a Brooklyn-based liturgical folk group with roots in Grenada, performed special musical tributes to celebrate Purcell’s life and connection to his home country.

    Speaking to the gathered congregation, Prime Minister Mitchell reflected on Purcell’s enduring impact on Grenada and its people, noting that the surgeon left the island nation when Mitchell was just three years old. “Grenada simply says, ‘If it wasn’t for Dr Purcell…I don’t know what would have happened to me,’” Mitchell told attendees. He praised Purcell’s extraordinary commitment to going above and beyond the call of duty for his patients, framing his life as a testament to community-focused service. “He understood that success was about community,” Mitchell said. “We celebrate his life; we celebrate his legacy; we hold him with a deep, abiding admiration — his counsel, his duty to public service.” Calling on attendees to follow Purcell’s example of selfless leadership, Mitchell closed his remarks by offering a formal thank you on behalf of the entire people of Grenada, adding “May his soul rest in peace.”

    Cheryl Vincent, a Grenada-born registered nurse who worked alongside Purcell at SUNY Downstate Medical Centre and University Hospital Brooklyn, confirmed to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that Purcell died from a sudden cardiac event. In a moving eulogy delivered by his son Kevin Purcell, himself a practicing physician, the life and professional journey of the late surgeon were laid out for attendees.

    Kevin Purcell shared that his father earned his medical degree in 1973 from the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica. He completed his post-graduate internship at Port of Spain General Hospital in Trinidad, before returning to his native Grenada to practice at St George’s General Hospital until 1980. That year, Purcell relocated to New York to begin a general surgery residency at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, now known as Interfaith Medical Centre. He later went on to complete a specialized vascular surgery fellowship at the Texas Heart Institute, training under Dr. Denton Cooley, the pioneering surgeon who completed the world’s first artificial heart transplant.

    After finishing his fellowship training, Purcell chose to return to Brooklyn to build his decades-long medical practice, where he provided life-saving and compassionate care to thousands of patients from across the globe, with a particular focus on serving diaspora communities from the Caribbean. Alongside his clinical work, he also mentored and trained hundreds of the next generation of healthcare providers.

    In his eulogy, Kevin Purcell described his father as a bold, highly skilled surgeon with a natural gift for operating, who regarded surgery as his life’s passion and every one of his patients as a valued individual rather than a medical case. “He treated everyone with love, respect, compassion and dignity, regardless of their race, economic status, sexual orientation or insurance coverage,” his son shared. Purcell held a deeply held belief in holistic care, committing to healing the whole person — body, mind, and soul — rather than just treating a medical condition. “He viewed his patients not as cases but as whole people — mothers and fathers, grandparents and children, neighbours and friends. He listened first, and when he spoke, it was with compassion, empathy, and hope,” Kevin Purcell added.

  • Division of Culture to host second workshop in Carriacou

    Division of Culture to host second workshop in Carriacou

    Grenada’s Division of Culture under the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture is launching a two-day specialized training workshop combining vocal performance and dance this week in Carriacou. The event marks a key early step in building capacity ahead of the much-anticipated Festival of the Arts, scheduled to run across the latter half of 2026 from September through December.

    Hosted at the Ariza Conference Room, the workshop will welcome participants on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17, with both sessions running from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Designed specifically for primary and secondary school educators, many of whom are not specialized in performing arts, the training aims to build foundational skills that will support local participation in the upcoming festival.

    The opening day of the workshop will be led by experienced voice specialist Valarie Daniel-Burkhardt, who previously drew a crowd of 50 school choir teachers from across Grenada for a choir development session in St. George’s back in February. Daniel-Burkhardt’s vocal training will center on practical exercises to strengthen core singing skills, including targeted work on voice placement and projection, vocal resonance, clear diction and articulation, proper performance posture, and consistent intonation. A core goal of the session is to help participants reframe their understanding of the human voice as a unique musical wind instrument, while equipping them with actionable techniques to project vocals clearly in performance settings.

    Day two will shift focus to dance, under the direction of Noyda Noel, Acting Artistic Director of Conception Dance Theatre. Boasting more than 12 years of experience as a dance educator, Noel will guide participants through a deep exploration of core foundational techniques for both modern and traditional dance – two genres that are central to the programming of the upcoming Festival of the Arts. The session will also cover the fundamentals of choreography, giving participant educators the skills to create and lead their own student dance routines ahead of the festival.

    This workshop is the second targeted professional development event hosted in Carriacou in as many months, following a successful theater arts training last month. That earlier session equipped local teachers with new skills across a range of theatrical disciplines, including core drama techniques, storytelling craft, and monologue performance. As organizers continue rolling out pre-festival training across the country, the series aims to build a strong base of skilled educators who can nurture young artistic talent ahead of the multi-month 2026 celebration.

    This article was published by NOW Grenada, which notes it is not responsible for opinions or content shared by third-party contributors, and invites users to report any abusive content via official channels.

  • World Art Day: Cultivating community through art

    World Art Day: Cultivating community through art

    Art has captivated human civilization for millennia, yet its fundamental nature remains a topic of ongoing discussion among creators, critics and audiences alike. Rooted in the Latin term ars – meaning skill, craft, or creative expression – the concept of art dates back to the founding of Rome, with the first documented usage of the word appearing in 13th-century European manuscripts.

    At its core, art is deeply subjective: while it carries the unique perspective of its creator, every viewer brings their own lived experience to interpreting the work, creating an endless spectrum of meaning. Beyond individual interpretation, art serves as a powerful intergenerational and cross-cultural bridge, capable of connecting people from divergent ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds. As the iconic Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo once observed, every beautiful work perceived by those with awareness of creativity echoes the celestial source that unites all humanity.

    For many people, first formal encounters with art happen in high school, where it is often sidelined as a non-essential subject. But educator and social commentator Wayne Campbell argues that arts integration deserves far more institutional and governmental investment, pointing to the growing adoption of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Mathematics) education as a critical step forward. Unlike traditional siloed learning models, STEAM uses creative expression as a gateway to student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking, with documented benefits ranging from improved reading comprehension to sharper cognitive function.

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has long recognized the global public value of art. In 2019, UNESCO formally proclaimed April 15 as World Art Day, a global observance designed to boost access to creative expression, celebrate the diverse contributions of artists, and leverage art as a tool for sustainable development and peacebuilding. The date itself was chosen to honor Leonardo da Vinci, who the organization frames as a global symbol of free expression, tolerance, and cross-cultural brotherhood.

    Each year, World Art Day serves three core purposes: to strengthen the ties between artistic creation and broader society, to raise public awareness of the diversity of artistic practices around the world, and to shine a spotlight on the importance of arts education in building inclusive, equitable learning environments. For 2026, the global observance has adopted the theme “A Garden of Expression: Cultivating Community Through Art.” The metaphor is intentional: just as a garden thrives when tended collectively, art flourishes when communities come together to create, share, and nurture creative practice, building connection, unity, and shared belonging among diverse groups.

    UNESCO emphasizes that art’s unique ability to nurture creativity, innovation, and cultural diversity makes it an essential driver of global dialogue, curiosity, and knowledge sharing. When societies protect artistic freedom and support creative spaces, they lay the groundwork for more open, free, and peaceful global communities.

    Celebrating World Art Day is accessible to everyone, from established professional artists to casual enthusiasts who have never picked up a paintbrush. One of the most straightforward ways to mark the occasion is to visit local galleries, museums, or pop-up art exhibitions; many cultural institutions host special events or offer discounted admission to mark the observance. For those who prefer hands-on engagement, the day is the perfect opportunity to experiment with a new creative medium – whether that’s painting, drawing, sculpting, photography, or any other form that sparks curiosity. Local art studios and community centers also frequently host free or low-cost workshops for World Art Day, giving attendees the chance to learn new skills, refine existing techniques, and connect with other creative people in their local area.

    As pioneering American artist Georgia O’Keeffe once put it: “I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way — things I had no words for.” That unique power of expression, accessible to all, is what World Art Day exists to celebrate and amplify.

    *This opinion piece is contributed by Wayne Campbell, an educator and social commentator focused on development policy’s intersections with culture and gender issues. NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for contributor statements or opinions, and invites users to report abusive content via official channels.*

  • RDU/SAEP stakeholder engagement on Thursday, 16 April

    RDU/SAEP stakeholder engagement on Thursday, 16 April

    Grenada’s push for climate-resilient rural development has received a major boost, after the island’s Rural Development Unit (RDU) secured fresh financing from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to launch the second phase of the Climate Smart Agriculture and Rural Enterprise Programme (SAEP). The initiative, which will focus on upgrading critical irrigation and rural infrastructure across Grenada, its dependency Carriacou, and the smaller island of Petite Martinique, is being delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the regional Soil Care Project.

    The first major infrastructure upgrades under the new phase are scheduled to break ground in 2026, centered on the Chambord region. Two core projects will move forward: the full rehabilitation of the Chambord Irrigation Pond, and the reconstruction and upgrade of the Chambord Farm Access Road. Once completed, these upgrades are projected to improve reliable market access for local agricultural producers and strengthen the region’s overall capacity to withstand extreme climate events, directly benefiting at least 29 small and medium-scale farmers operating in the area.

    To ensure transparency and alignment with local needs ahead of construction, RDU has planned a public Stakeholder Engagement Meeting set to take place on Thursday, 16 April 2026, at 5:00 pm at the Rose Hill Community Centre. The gathering is designed to share key project details with participating farmers and other local stakeholders, including confirmed timelines for construction, the full scope of planned work, and potential impacts on local operations. Organizers also plan to collect feedback and input from attending farmers, with the goal of addressing concerns and adjusting project plans to enable seamless, uninterrupted implementation once work gets underway.

    Disclaimer: NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for opinions, statements, or third-party content shared by contributors to this publication. To report inappropriate or abusive content, please use the official reporting channel provided on the NOW Grenada platform.

  • Grenada commemorates 47th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Cuba

    Grenada commemorates 47th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Cuba

    Forty-seven years after formalizing diplomatic relations, Grenada has offered warm fraternal greetings and sincere congratulations to Cuba’s government and people, marking the milestone anniversary through a statement released by Grenada’s embassy in Havana.

    Diplomatic ties between the two Caribbean nations were first established in 1979, and over the nearly five decades that followed, their partnership has evolved into a durable bond rooted in shared values of friendship, collective solidarity, and reciprocal benefit. The relationship has long been anchored in unwavering mutual respect for each nation’s sovereignty and inherent right to self-determination — principles that remain the guiding framework for all bilateral collaboration to this day.

    This year’s anniversary observance arrives against a uniquely challenging backdrop: as global geopolitical rifts deepen, Cuba continues to navigate severe economic strain caused by a decades-long, increasingly tight international blockade. In this context, Grenada has re-stated its unshakable solidarity with the Cuban people, and extended deep gratitude for Cuba’s consistent humanitarian ethos, selfless commitment to global cooperation, and long-standing tradition of internationalism.

    Grenada has itself reaped tangible, lasting benefits from the bilateral partnership over the past 47 years, with high-impact Cuban development assistance shaping key sectors of the Grenadian economy and public services. Most notably, Cuba supported the construction of Grenada’s Maurice Bishop International Airport, a critical infrastructure hub that remains central to the country’s tourism-driven economy, and also led construction of a new national hospital that expanded access to care for thousands of Grenadians. Beyond infrastructure, Cuba has trained roughly 500 Grenadian professionals across critical fields including medicine, engineering, economics, and agricultural sciences, while Cuban medical specialists have made vital, sustained contributions to strengthening Grenada’s domestic healthcare system.

    In return, Grenada has maintained consistent, unwavering support for Cuba across multilateral global institutions. Most prominently, Grenada has repeatedly joined calls for the full lifting of economic sanctions imposed on Cuba and for a permanent end to the decades-long blockade that has weighed on the Cuban people.

    As both countries commemorate this 47-year milestone, Grenada says it is eager to continue deepening collaborative ties and building on the historic friendship that connects the two nations’ populations for decades to come.

    Disclaimer: This article is based on an official statement from the Embassy of Grenada in Cuba. NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for opinions or content shared by contributing parties. To report potential abuse of content policies, follow the platform’s official reporting channel.

  • PM to undertake economic development working visit in Africa

    PM to undertake economic development working visit in Africa

    Grenada’s Office of the Prime Minister has officially announced that Prime Minister Hon. Dickon Mitchell will embark on a five-day working visit focused on advancing economic cooperation to two West African nations starting April 15, 2026. The itinerary will first take Mitchell to Taraba State, Nigeria, before the delegation moves onward to Accra, Ghana’s capital, for the continuation of the scheduled engagements.

    The core objective of this regional diplomatic trip is to deepen and expand bilateral ties between Grenada and each of the two host countries. Across a packed schedule of high-level government and business meetings, discussion priorities will center on four key mutually beneficial sectors: human capital development, agricultural innovation and trade, public health system collaboration, and sustainable tourism development. These areas were selected to align with Grenada’s ongoing growth priorities and the shared development goals of all three nations.

    Mitchell will be joined on the visit by two senior Grenadian officials: Trevor St Bernard, who holds dual roles as Chairman of the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority and Deputy Chairman of the Grenada Development Bank, and Teddy St Louis, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff. The full delegation is scheduled to complete its trip and return to Grenada on April 20, 2026.

    To ensure continuous governance during the Prime Minister’s travel outside the country, Hon. Dennis Cornwall has been appointed to serve as Acting Prime Minister for the duration of Mitchell’s absence. This arrangement guarantees that all routine government functions and decision-making processes will proceed without interruption while the Prime Minister advances Grenada’s international economic and diplomatic agenda abroad.

    This announcement was released via the Office of the Prime Minister of Grenada, and distributed through NOW Grenada media platform.

  • Grenada victorious over Cayman Islands in Concacaf W Qualifier

    Grenada victorious over Cayman Islands in Concacaf W Qualifier

    On April 14, the Kirani James Athletics Stadium played host to a memorable evening of regional women’s football, as Grenada’s Senior Women’s National Team (SWNT) fought back from an early deficit to claim a hard-fought 3-1 win over the Cayman Islands in Group C of the 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers.

    The visitors got off to a blistering start, with Molly Kehoe finding the back of the net just three minutes into the contest to put Cayman Islands ahead. But Grenada refused to let the early setback derail their game plan. After weathering the initial pressure, the home side gradually found their rhythm, and grabbed the equalizer in first-half stoppage time from Raquelle Mitchell in the 5th minute of added time. Buoyed by the halftime equalizer, Grenada gained momentum as the match entered the second half. In the 63rd minute, Nia Thompson put the home side in front, before 17-year-old Alexis Hypolite, a called-up member of the national U17 squad, sealed the three points with a late strike in the 87th minute.

    This result is far more than just three points for Grenada’s women’s football programme. Competing in the preliminary round of the 2026 Concacaf W Championship, Group C pits Grenada against Costa Rica, Guatemala, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, with only the group winner earning a spot in the final tournament. While Concacaf confirmed ahead of the April match window that Bermuda, Grenada and the Cayman Islands had already been eliminated from contention for the group top spot, the victory still stands as a landmark moment for the development of the women’s game in the country.

    A standout feature of the match was the impact of young emerging talent brought through the Grenada Football Association’s (GFA) youth development pathway. In total, five U17 players were called up to the senior squad for this qualifier, with two delivering standout performances. Alongside Hypolite’s decisive goal, 15-year-old Cara Bisasor turned in a composed display that won over fans and team leadership alike. GFA President Marlon Glean highlighted Bisasor as one of the match’s most influential players, noting she quickly became a crowd favorite during her senior appearance.

    “This result is a meaningful achievement for our programme and our entire country,” Glean said in post-match comments. “We are incredibly proud of how the team responded to the early setback, and this win reflects the steady progress women’s football is making here in Grenada. What excites us most is seeing young U17 players step up and deliver on the senior stage – that’s exactly the development pathway we’ve been working to build for emerging talent.”

    Head Coach Melanie Thomas echoed Glean’s praise, highlighting her side’s mental strength across the full 90 minutes. “The players showed incredible effort, discipline and belief from the first minute to the last,” Thomas said. “We didn’t let that early goal define our match. We stayed calm, worked our way back into contention, and our persistence paid off. Moving forward, we want to carry this same mentality, work ethic and togetherness into our next fixture.”

    Grenada will now wrap up their 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers campaign with an away fixture against Bermuda on April 18, hosted at the Dame Flora Duffy National Sports Centre in Hamilton. For the SWNT, the match offers a chance to build on their positive home performance and close out the qualifying stage on a high note.

    In a closing statement, the GFA extended its gratitude to all supporters, partners, sponsors and stakeholders who have backed the growth of women’s football in Grenada. Tuesday’s result, the association noted, serves as a proud reminder of what this team can achieve, and the GFA remains confident that the programme will continue to go from strength to strength in the coming years.

  • Sirens and Sinners at Art House 473

    Sirens and Sinners at Art House 473

    Tucked inside Art House 473, a former repurposed church that has been reinvented as a serene, chapel-like contemporary art space, the collaborative exhibition *Sirens and Sinners* from creators Asher Mains and Susan Mains unfolds not as a flashy public spectacle, but as a quiet, introspective reckoning with identity, morality and human experience.

    Drawing on decades of creative exploration into masks and the layered personal stories they carry, the exhibition upends the binary moral framing suggested by its title, which evokes ancient myth, traditional morality, and the tension between temptation and transgression. Far from the seductive, dangerous figures of legend, the sirens depicted here do not lure viewers—they confront them. Likewise, the so-called sinners are not portrayed as condemned outsiders, but as deeply, tenderfully human. Most works center mask-like visages that are not generic pre-written archetypes, but cumulative identities shaped by lived experience, layered with the sediment of years of memory and struggle.

    Susan Mains’ contribution to the show carries a particularly distinct sense of temporal layering. Her iconic “little faces” carry an uncanny, arresting weight: miniature in scale yet monumental in emotional impact, they read as both naive and knowing. Rooted in Caribbean masquerade traditions, the works transcend cultural reference to explore internal, psychological terrain, framing faces as thresholds of experience rather than static surfaces. Every small visage feels less like a finished art object than a residue of a lived moment, a faint, persistent trace that refuses to fade completely.

    Asher Mains’ practice offers a compelling spatial and atmospheric counterpoint to Susan’s intimate works. His practice oscillates between abstraction and figuration, weaving the portrait-focused work into broader environmental and narrative contexts. He incorporates found ghost nets—discarded fishing gear that washes up on the beaches of the Grenadian fishing village Calliste—into both his installations and paintings, where the tangled nets hold, caress, and even trap the depictions of sirens. Drawing inspiration from Homer’s *Odyssey* and Derek Walcott’s *Omeros*, the St. Lucian poet’s reimagining of the Homeric epic, Asher crafts a unique magical realist narrative deeply rooted in Caribbean maritime life. If Susan’s pieces are quiet, intimate confessions, Asher’s installations are the resonant spaces where those confessions echo out for viewers to encounter.

    What unifies the entire exhibition is its deliberate refusal to offer easy answers. There is no clear moral axis, no didactic narrative that draws a hard line between virtue and vice. Instead, *Sirens and Sinners* puts forward a far more unsettling core thesis: the categorical lines between good and evil, purity and corruption are porous, perhaps even entirely illusory. Viewers are left to navigate a creative landscape where allure and guilt, innocence and complicity coexist in the same quiet gaze.

    It is this commitment to ambiguity that gives the exhibition its quiet, enduring power. In an era that constantly demands rigid clarity, quick labels, fixed positions and loud public declarations, *Sirens and Sinners* insists on the value of uncertainty. It does not invite viewers to judge the figures on display, but to recognize them—to see something uncomfortably familiar in their layered, weathered faces. In the end, the exhibition does not demand audiences answer who the sirens or sinners are. Instead, it poses a far more subtle, probing question: when you look long enough at these faces, can you still tell the difference between them?

  • Silversands National Learn to Swim Week a success with 800 swimmers

    Silversands National Learn to Swim Week a success with 800 swimmers

    Last Saturday marked the successful conclusion of Get Grenada Swimming’s 12th annual national swim week, a milestone made possible only through the coordinated effort of site supervisors, certified instructors, corporate sponsors, community volunteers, and local supporters who have sustained the program for more than a decade.

    Now a beloved community tradition, this year’s initiative expanded access to free swim instruction across the entire island nation of Grenada, opening 15 separate teaching locations that spanned from the northern town of Sauteurs along the main island’s Grand Anse Beach all the way to the island of Carriacou. Unlike many paid aquatic programs, Get Grenada Swimming opens its lessons to all interested participants aged five and older, welcoming both children and adults to build critical water safety skills at no cost.

    As the program’s major corporate partner this year, Silversands Management reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to the initiative. “Naguib Sawiris and Silversands are delighted to continue supporting Deb Eastwood and the entire Get Grenada Swimming team as they carry out their exceptional work teaching children to swim and stay safe in Grenada’s waters,” a representative from Silversands shared. “Over 12 years of this life-changing program, their work has likely saved countless lives by equipping young people with the competence to enjoy our beautiful coastlines confidently. We are deeply grateful to the entire team for this essential, community-focused work.”

    Program director Deb Eastwood highlighted the collaborative problem-solving that allowed the initiative to overcome an unexpected logistical hurdle in Carriacou this year. Just 48 hours before the start of swim week, more than 30 additional participants registered for lessons, leaving the island with only one assigned instructor to serve a surge in demand. In a show of cross-island community spirit, two volunteers from mainland Grenada quickly arranged travel on the Osprey ferry to Carriacou to lend their support for the full week of instruction. The last-minute teamwork paid off: the 2026 Carriacou swim week taught 55 total participants, marking the highest local participation number in the program’s history.

    Setting this year’s event apart from previous iterations was a new, added component: a hands-only CPR training workshop hosted at Camerhogne Park. The interactive session was met with enthusiastic feedback from both younger swimmers and adult participants, who valued the opportunity to add another life-saving skill to their knowledge base.

    Eastwood emphasized that none of the program’s 2026 milestones would have been achievable without collective community and corporate investment. She extended special thanks to major sponsor Silversands, alongside additional supporting partners including Budget Marine, True Blue Blue Resort, Ting/Star Malt, Spice Island Marine, Acado, Flow, Pure Grenada, and Waggy-T.

    Looking ahead, the organization has already opened registration for its next Learn to Swim Week, scheduled to run from July 6 through July 10, with sponsorship from Sandals. Interested participants can sign up today through the program’s official website, www.getgrenadaswimming.com.

    Beyond the annual week-long intensive events, Get Grenada Swimming continues to offer free weekly swim lessons every Saturday at 11 accessible locations across Grenada and Carriacou. Current weekly locations and local contact information are as follows:
    – Birchgrove – St Andrew (Mello’s Complex): Contact Lovell Alexander at 416-1226
    – Cabier Beach – Crochu, St Andrew: Contact Abigail Fletcher at 449-6091
    – Carriacou – Paradise Beach: Contact Sophia Ireland at 535-6992
    – Grand Anse – Umbrella’s Restaurant (9 am–11 am): Contact Deb Eastwood at 404-5237
    – Grand Mal Beach – Across from SOG (10 am–12 pm): Contact Kevin Phillips at 421-1835
    – Grenada Marine, Corinth at 9 am: Contact Catherine John at 459-2393
    – Grenville – Telescope Beach: Contact Francis Williams at 449-3773
    – Gouyave – St John, near Fish Market (12 pm–2 pm): Contact Sharm Ashton at 422-9893
    – Paraclete – Lime House: Contact Kester Roberts at 403-6358
    – Sauteurs – St Patrick Breakwater (9 am–11 am): Contact Nixon Edwards at 537-3035

    For more details on upcoming events, registration, or opportunities to volunteer or donate, visit the Get Grenada Swimming official website at www.getgrenadaswimming.com, contact Deb Eastwood directly by phone at 404-5237, or send an email to info@getgrenadaswimming.com.