Carib Scope

标签： Grenada

格林纳达

  • Sandals Grenada hosts Sandals Dive Week

    Sandals Grenada hosts Sandals Dive Week

    Building on the enthusiastic reception of the first ever Sandals Dive Week hosted at Sandals Royal Curaçao in 2023, the Caribbean resort brand has brought its growing community of loyal diving lovers to the shores of Pure Grenada for a seven-day celebration of underwater adventure, community connection, and the island’s unrivaled marine biodiversity. Running from September 14 to 18, the event brought together more than 75 experienced divers, dubbed “Island Insiders,” on a carefully crafted itinerary that highlighted Grenada’s most iconic and spectacular dive locations.

    The curated route took divers to two of the island’s most vibrant natural reef systems: Black Forest and Japanese Garden, where visitors encountered a diverse array of tropical fish, colorful coral formations, and rare marine species. It also included stops at four of Grenada’s most storied shipwreck dive sites: Veronica L, Tyrell Bay, Anina, and Shakem, each offering unique opportunities to explore man-made underwater habitats that have become integral to the local ecosystem. No dive itinerary in Grenada would be complete without a stop at the world-famous Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park, the event’s crown jewel attraction that draws divers from across the globe each year.

    To accommodate the larger-than-usual group of participating divers, the Sandals organization brought in additional dive boats, certified instructors, and support staff from partner resorts across four neighboring Caribbean nations: St Vincent, St Lucia, Barbados, and the Bahamas, ensuring every participant received a safe, seamless, and personalized experience.

    Windell John, Regional Watersports Manager for the Eastern Caribbean at Sandals, shared the core philosophy that inspired the creation of the annual Dive Week series. “Diving is more than just a recreational activity for our guests—it’s a passion that brings people together,” John explained. “So many of our repeat guests choose to return to Sandals destinations year after year specifically for our scuba diving programs, which are one of the many premium included amenities offered at every Sandals and Beaches Resorts location. Our dive community is incredibly active on social media, where they share their experiences and invite friends and family to join this growing network. We created Dive Week as a way to give back to our most loyal divers and create a dedicated space for them to connect over their shared love of the ocean.”

    Beyond leisure diving and social connection, the 2024 Grenada Dive Week also offered guests valuable opportunities to advance their diving expertise through professional development courses offered through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). A standout offering was the Lionfish Specialty certification, which combined classroom education with hands-on experience. During the mid-week Beach Breeze and BBQ Party, the Sandals dive team led educational sessions about the ecological threat invasive lionfish pose to Caribbean reefs, guided participants in sustainable lionfish catches, and demonstrated safe handling techniques for the venomous species. Evenings throughout the week featured guided night dives, followed by Sandals Grenada’s signature live entertainment and curated gourmet dining experiences.

    Kristina Leadbeater, PADI Regional Manager, attended the event in person and praised the high standards of safety and professionalism demonstrated by the Sandals dive team. “The Sandals team has been exceptionally impressive in how they empower visitors to safely explore Grenada’s incredible and thrilling underwater scenery,” Leadbeater said.

    For returning guests like John Bechthold, a multiple-time visitor to Sandals Grenada and certified scuba instructor, the event offered a uniquely meaningful experience even for divers who have explored the island’s sites before. “It was such a special occasion,” Bechthold shared. “I’ve dived all these sites before, but there’s something magical about doing it all again alongside old friends, new friends, and the incredible team that makes every part of the experience seamless. We all love Grenada.”

    Curtis Bailey, Watersports Manager at Sandals Grenada, thanked guests and cross-functional resort teams for the event’s success. “Dive Week created incredible synergy across every department at the resort and with our local suppliers, all working together to deliver an unforgettable experience for our valued divers who chose to join us in Grenada this year,” Bailey said. “We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who played a part in making this event such a tremendous success.”

    The annual event series shows no signs of slowing down: Sandals has already confirmed that the next Sandals Dive Week will be hosted at Sandals St Vincent in the Eastern Caribbean, extending the brand’s commitment to building community among diving enthusiasts while showcasing the best of Caribbean marine destinations.

  • The Sunshine Awards mourns The Mighty Sparrow

    The Sunshine Awards mourns The Mighty Sparrow

    The passing of iconic cultural figure Dr Slinger Francisco — universally known by his stage name The Mighty Sparrow — marks not just the end of an extraordinary life, but the close of a defining chapter in Caribbean cultural history, according to tributes from across the global community.

    For more than seven decades, The Mighty Sparrow stood as the undisputed “Calypso King of the World,” transforming the traditional Caribbean musical form into a multifaceted vessel that blended entertainment, sharp social and political commentary, living historical documentation, and profound cultural expression. His voice, which could make crowds roar with laughter, pause for deep reflection, challenge unjust systems, or celebrate collective joy, has been silenced by death, but his indelible impact on music, culture, and humanitarianism endures.

    Gilman T. Figaro Sr., founder and chairman of the SUNSHINE Awards Organisation, shared that he was honored to be at Sparrow’s bedside alongside the legend’s family during his final transition, an experience he says he will carry for the rest of his life. On behalf of the entire SUNSHINE Awards community, past honorees, Hall of Fame inductees, and millions of people touched by Sparrow’s work across the Caribbean and beyond, Figaro extended heartfelt condolences to Sparrow’s family, the governments and people of both Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada, his close friends, fellow calypso artists, musicians, and the wider Caribbean community.

    Over a 71-year performing career, The Mighty Sparrow built a body of work that stands as an unparalleled cultural archive for historians, sociologists, researchers, and students of Caribbean culture. He mastered everything from searing political commentary and lighthearted humorous numbers to soulful ballads, and even performed in Spanish, Dutch, and Creole to connect with broader audiences. His songs tackled universal themes of the human experience, interpersonal relationships, societal structures, governance, and the defining events of his era, offering future generations an unfiltered window into the political, social, and cultural evolution of the Caribbean and the wider world. Unlike many artists whose work only entertains, Sparrow’s discography serves as a complete documented record of an entire era.

    His list of professional accolades is staggering: he claimed the prestigious Trinidad and Tobago Calypso Monarch title eight times, won the Carnival Road March crown eight times, and took home the Calypso King of the World title twice, in 1985 and 1988. But his influence extended far beyond regional competition trophies. He earned international honors, honorary titles, and global recognition, with dozens of books published exploring his life, his career, and his revolutionary contribution to calypso and Caribbean culture. The SUNSHINE Awards Organisation inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1990, awarded him a Lifetime Achievement honor in 1998, and presented him with the Heritage Award in 2006, recognizing him not just as an entertainer, but as a living cultural institution that carried Caribbean creativity and collective identity across international borders.

    Sparrow’s global reach extended deeply into the African continent, where his connection to ancestral roots was formally recognized during his 1977 tour for the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ‘77) in West Africa. There, he was bestowed the honorary Yoruba chieftaincy title Chief Omo Wale of Ikoyi, a tribute that reflected the profound bond between African heritage and Caribbean cultural expression — a bond Sparrow embodied throughout his entire life.

    Beyond his artistic achievements, The Mighty Sparrow used his platform and his voice to advance humanitarian causes. A standout moment of that commitment came in 1985, when he joined 71 fellow calypsonians for the historic *Calypso for Africa — Now Is The Time* project. The collaborative effort raised funds that were donated through the United Nations to support victims of the devastating 1985 Ethiopian drought and famine, proving that Sparrow’s talent was always rooted in service to humanity, a dimension of his legacy Figaro says deserves equal recognition alongside his chart-topping recordings and global fame.

    Those who shared the stage with Sparrow consistently marveled at his innate performing gift: the moment he stepped into the spotlight, he owned the room. He had an intuitive understanding of his audience, perfect timing, and a deep awareness of the power of every lyric and every gesture. He could connect with thousands of people in a crowd in a matter of minutes, making each person feel as if he was singing directly to them — whether he was challenging their assumptions, making them laugh, or telling a story about the world they shared. That ability was far more than learned technique; it was a rare, natural gift.

    Beneath the legend, the crowns, the sold-out stages, and the international acclaim, was Slinger Francisco: a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. While the world knew him as The Mighty Sparrow, to his family he was simply Slinger, and family always stood at the center of his life. His greatest love and commitment were reserved for his inner circle, a side of the legend Figaro says the world must also remember as it mourns his passing. “As the world mourns the loss of The Mighty Sparrow, his family mourns the loss of a beloved member of their family,” Figaro noted, adding that the entire SUNSHINE Awards community holds the Francisco family in its prayers.

    Sparrow’s decades-long professional relationship with fellow calypso legend Dr. Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool, co-founder of the SUNSHINE Awards Hall of Fame and chairman of its nomination committee, stands as a defining chapter in modern calypso history. The two were brothers in art and friendly competitors on the calypso stage, pushing each other to new creative heights and elevating the entire art form they both loved.
    “Sparrow was not simply a great calypsonian; he was one of the great cultural voices of our time,” Liverpool shared in his tribute. “We competed as brothers in the art, but beneath the competition was a deep respect for the extraordinary gift that God gave him. His contribution to calypso, Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and the world cannot be measured by the number of crowns he won. Sparrow became part of the history of the people. His voice will continue to speak long after his physical voice has become silent.”
    For Figaro, Sparrow’s passing carries deep personal weight. Their connection dates back to Figaro’s childhood, when he was introduced to the young artist at age 7 or 8 by his uncle, fellow calypsonian Young Killer. At the time, Figaro was too young to grasp that he had met a man who would go on to become one of the most celebrated cultural figures in Caribbean history, but that introduction sparked a decades-long personal and professional relationship that eventually led to the SUNSHINE Awards honoring Sparrow’s unparalleled contributions to Caribbean culture.
    Figaro says his final memory of Sparrow is not of the legendary Calypso King, but of the man himself. “I will remember him not only for his God-given talent that he so generously shared with the world, but also for something I witnessed personally during his final hours — his courage and his determination to live. In those final moments, I saw the human being behind the legend. I saw a man who had spent 71 years giving his voice to the world, and who, until the very end, demonstrated an extraordinary determination to hold on to life. That image will remain with me forever,” he said.
    Though The Mighty Sparrow’s earthly journey has come to a close, his legacy will live on in every note of calypso sung by future artists, every academic study of Caribbean society, and every young performer who uses music to speak truth to power. His recordings will continue to entertain and educate, his lyrics will remain a subject of study, his humor will keep bringing joy to new audiences, and his sharp commentary will continue to provoke critical thought. For generations who witnessed his commanding stage presence, his performances remain locked in collective memory.
    The SUNSHINE Awards Organization today salutes Dr Slinger Francisco — The Mighty Sparrow, the Calypso King of the World. It salutes the man, the artist, the humanitarian, the cultural historian, the champion, and the devoted family man. His voice carried the heartbeat of Caribbean culture to every corner of the globe, leaving an extraordinary gift to humanity that no grave can silence.
    May he rest in eternal peace. His voice has left the stage, but his song will never end.

  • Carriacou Open Water Swim as Grenada expands sports tourism offering

    Carriacou Open Water Swim as Grenada expands sports tourism offering

    The tri-island nation of Grenada is taking a major step forward in expanding its niche sports tourism portfolio with the announcement of the inaugural Grenada and Carriacou Open Water Swim, a four-day regional competitive swimming event scheduled to run from November 19 to 22, 2026. Backed by the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA), the new event is a core component of the government tourism body’s broader strategy to draw new visitor segments to the destination, spread economic benefits across all three of Grenada’s islands, and build a more consistent, year-round flow of tourism activity.

    Organized by Jason Gooding of Odessey Timing and Events, the multi-day event will weave together competitive open-water racing with immersive local destination experiences across both main Grenada and the smaller sister island of Carriacou. The packed activity schedule includes a scenic open-water crossing from Carriacou’s Paradise Beach to nearby Sandy Island, guided recreational swimming excursions for less competitive participants, a guided tour of Grenada’s famous underwater sculpture park, and the full lineup of competitive races hosted at Grenada’s iconic Grand Anse Beach. The event will wrap up on November 22 with final races and an awards ceremony held at the Grand Anse Beach venue.

    The 2026 event builds on the success of a smaller pilot open-water swim held in Grenada this past February, which drew a large turnout of international swimmers. Event organizers and tourism leaders have set a long-term goal to develop the Grenada and Carriacou Open Water Swim into a staple, well-recognized fixture on the regional sports calendar, attracting not only elite and amateur competitive swimmers but also their family members, supporting teams, and casual spectators who travel to the islands for the event.

    Carriacou, the northernmost of Grenada’s three main islands, is positioned as a key asset for the event’s long-term growth. The island boasts crystal-clear calm waters, pristine undeveloped beaches, and a dramatic, rugged coastline that is naturally ideal for open-water and endurance swimming events. Its small size and laid-back, intimate character also give the event a unique identity that sets it apart from other regional swimming competitions, making it more memorable for participants.

    Sports tourism represents a high-growth opportunity for Grenada, as it drives incremental visitor arrivals that would not otherwise choose the islands as a travel destination. Unlike traditional beach vacations, sports tourism draws active travelers who often bring family and support teams with them, creating widespread downstream economic benefits that extend far beyond entry fees for the event. Visitor spending from event attendees and their groups boosts demand for local accommodation, independent restaurants, ground transportation, guided excursions, and a wide range of other small local services, supporting jobs and business growth across the islands.

    Kirl Grant-Hoschtialek, Chief of Operations and Acting CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority, emphasized that the decision to include Carriacou as a core host for the event is part of a deliberate strategy to distribute the economic benefits of tourism growth across the entire tri-island state. “As we expand Grenada’s sports tourism offering, we also want to ensure that the benefits of that growth are felt across the tri-island state,” Grant-Hoschtialek explained. “Events like this help increase visibility for Carriacou, encourage greater visitor movement and spend, and create opportunities for local businesses and communities to participate more directly in the tourism economy. It also forms part of the GTA’s broader work to build out a stronger calendar of events and experiences in Carriacou, creating more consistent opportunities to attract visitors and generate economic activity throughout the year.”

    Organizer Jason Gooding noted that active sports travelers today seek more than just a competitive event when they travel for races. “People who participate in sports are often looking for more than the competition itself. They want to explore, experience the destination and combine an active lifestyle with travel,” Gooding said. “Our aim is to create more events that put Grenada and Carriacou on the map for sports tourism and give participants the opportunity to enjoy a true sports holiday while discovering the islands.”

    The Grenada and Carriacou Open Water Swim is the latest addition to a growing lineup of annual events hosted on Carriacou that are designed to diversify the island’s tourism offerings and drive visitor arrivals during traditionally off-peak periods of the year. Other existing fixtures on Carriacou’s event calendar include the popular Lobster, Lambie and Seafood Festival, the annual Corn Festival, the Carriacou Cooldown, the cultural Maroon Festival, and Kayak Mas.

    Through targeted support for a diverse mix of sporting, cultural, wellness, and community-focused events, the GTA is working to expand the overall range of visitor experiences available across Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. This strategy not only attracts a wider range of traveler segments but also ensures that a greater share of total tourism expenditure flows directly to local small businesses and island communities, supporting more inclusive, sustainable economic growth across the entire country.

  • Grenada “deeply concerned” at ongoing situation in Cuba

    Grenada “deeply concerned” at ongoing situation in Cuba

    Against the backdrop of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Grenada’s delegation chair Ingrid Jackson used her address to the global body on Monday to amplify urgent calls for multilateral cooperation on a series of pressing global and regional issues, opening with deep concern over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Cuba. The island nation’s top representative at the assembly drew specific attention to the lasting toll of unilateral U.S. economic pressure and the ongoing energy blockade, policies first ramped up during the Trump Administration when Washington imposed harsh targeted sanctions on Havana in an attempt to force regime change.

    Jackson emphasized that the global community cannot turn a blind eye to the growing hardship facing ordinary Cuban households, with vulnerable groups including children, elderly people and low-income communities seeing their living conditions deteriorate further with every day the diplomatic and economic impasse remains unresolved. “Our humanitarian conscience cannot be indifferent to the circumstances of ordinary households, particularly children, the elderly and other vulnerable persons whose difficulty deepens with each passing day that the present impasse remains unresolved,” Jackson told assembled delegates.

    In line with this humanitarian framing, Jackson called for constructive dialogue centered explicitly on the well-being of the Cuban people, urging a path toward tangible sanctions relief, improved living standards and expanded economic opportunity. She noted that progress requires both Havana and Washington to confront what she described as “very difficult but not insurmountable challenges”: ending punitive sanctions, lifting the decades-long embargo and blockade against the Cuban public, and advancing targeted domestic reforms that support ongoing public well-being — reforms that Jackson confirmed are already underway in Cuba.

    Shifting focus to reform of the UN’s multilateral system, Jackson announced that Grenada joins the entire Caribbean Community (Caricom) bloc in unreservedly backing Guyanese Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigue-Birkett’s candidacy for United Nations Secretary-General. Caricom leaders have formally endorsed Rodrigue-Birkett as the region’s candidate, and Jackson highlighted her extensive track record of diplomatic leadership, including distinguished service as Guyana’s foreign minister and permanent representative to the UN. Her career, Jackson argued, demonstrates unwavering commitment to diplomatic dialogue and cross-border cooperation.

    “The Caribbean has long demonstrated that size does not determine the strength of our ideas, the quality of our leadership or the values of our contribution to the international community,” Jackson said. She added that Rodrigue-Birkett is eminently qualified to represent all UN member states, and her election would mark a historic milestone for the Caribbean, as well as a powerful confirmation that small island developing states (SIDS) can contribute meaningfully to leadership at the highest levels of global multilateral governance.

    Turning next to the ongoing security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti, Jackson reiterated Caricom’s call for the timely renewal of the mandate for the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), alongside full, rapid deployment of the force in close partnership with the Haitian National Police. She stressed that the mission must receive adequate personnel, sustainable financing, modern equipment and full logistical support to carry out its mandate effectively, with clear, enforceable human rights safeguards built into all operations.

    These security interventions, Jackson argued, are a critical foundation for creating the conditions necessary to hold credible, free, fair and inclusive elections led entirely by Haitians, strengthen national governance institutions and restore constitutional rule to the country. Rejecting common narratives that frame Haiti as a failed state, Jackson emphasized that the country holds an unfulfilled promise to its people that the international community must honor with purposeful, sustained action rather than temporary pity. Even as the global community prioritizes resolving the security crisis, she added, life-saving humanitarian assistance must remain a core pillar of all intervention efforts.

    Jackson framed the 81st UNGA, which convenes under the official theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all,” as occurring at a moment of unprecedented global transformation. While the interconnected challenges facing the world are complex, she noted, they also present a rare opportunity to renew global commitments to cooperation and craft practical, people-centered solutions that improve quality of life across all nations.

    For Grenada, Jackson explained, restoring trust in multilateralism requires moving beyond empty rhetorical declarations to tangible, actionable delivery. “Restoring trust means demonstrating through our actions that international cooperation produces results. It means listening to one another. It means respecting the voices of small states as much as those of large ones. It means building genuine partnership, and it means ensuring that every country has the opportunity to pursue its legitimate development aspirations,” Jackson said.

    Grenada approaches the UNGA with a spirit of partnership, optimism and constructive engagement, Jackson confirmed, and remains firmly committed to the core purposes and principles of the UN Charter, international law, peaceful dialogue and the peaceful resolution of cross-border disputes. “In an increasingly interconnected world, cooperation is not merely desirable, it is indispensable,” she said, adding that the systemic transformation global leaders advocate for internationally must also be reflected in domestic policy agendas.

    At home, Jackson outlined, Grenada is advancing an ambitious, long-term development roadmap ahead of its 75th anniversary of independence, rooted in an unwavering commitment to people-centered transformation. For the small island nation, this means building climate and economic resilience while expanding opportunity, growing the national economy while protecting fragile ecosystems, and embracing digital and technological innovation while upholding core human values.

    As a SIDS, Jackson noted, Grenada has extensive firsthand experience building resilience to external shocks, but decades of experience have made clear that resilience cannot be built after a disaster strikes. “We must invest before the storm, prepare before the emergency bill, before the damage is done and finance resilience before countries are forced to borrow simply to rebuild what they have lost,” she said.

    This proactive approach requires expanded global cooperation on climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, climate-resilient infrastructure and accessible climate financing, Jackson argued. She pushed back against framing SIDS as merely victims of climate change, noting that these nations have emerged as global leaders and laboratories for innovative resilience-building strategies.

    Climate action remains one of the most critical areas where collective global effort can drive profound, positive change, Jackson emphasized. Grenada remains fully committed to strengthening resilience and advancing sustainable, low-carbon development, but she warned that policy ambition without tangible implementation is nothing more than empty aspiration. For vulnerable climate frontline states, she added, global climate commitments must be paired with reliable access to the financial and technical resources needed to deliver on those promises.

    Jackson called for climate financing to be made more accessible, predictable and responsive to the needs of frontline states. “Our objective should not simply be to help vulnerable countries recover from the next disaster. Our objective must be to transform vulnerability into resilience and resilience into sustainable opportunity,” she said.

    This shift toward vulnerability-aware development must also extend to reform of the international financial system, Jackson argued. She welcomed growing global recognition that national development and vulnerability cannot be measured by income alone, noting that the United Nations’ Multidimensional Vulnerability Index offers a critical framework to more accurately account for the unique structural challenges facing SIDS.

    Grenada’s vulnerabilities, like those of other small island states, are shaped by disproportionate exposure to climate change, extreme natural disasters, volatile external economic shocks and other structural barriers that cannot be adequately captured by per capita income metrics alone. For this reason, Jackson encouraged all UN member states, development partners and international financial institutions to adopt vulnerability-informed approaches to development financing. Expanded access to concessional financing, climate finance, disaster risk financing and innovative financial instruments, she argued, can help vulnerable nations move from chronic vulnerability to proactive resilience, and from post-disaster recovery to long-term, sustainable inclusive growth.

  • Child Month Celebrations 2026

    Child Month Celebrations 2026

    A month-long national observance dedicated to prioritizing children’s welfare is set to kick off across Grenada in October 2026, organized jointly by the Child Month Committee and the local Ministry of Education. Running from October 1 through to October 31, the initiative will retain the existing theme “My Health, My Safety: Our Responsibility!” for a second consecutive year, a decision made to reflect the theme’s enduring relevance and ongoing importance to child welfare work across the country.

    Organizers note that keeping the same theme creates space to deepen public awareness around core components of child welfare: physical and mental health, personal safety, and overall holistic wellbeing. It also reinforces the message that upholding children’s rights and supporting their development is a shared collective responsibility across all sectors of society. The 2026 observance will center its programming on five key priority areas: child nutrition, access to and uptake of routine vaccination, safe and responsible use of digital technology, intentional parental involvement in child development, and prevention of child abuse.

    A full slate of public and community events has been scheduled to mark the national celebration. The official opening will kick off October 1 with a keynote address from the Governor General, followed by a formal media launch of the initiative the next day, October 2. A national interdenominational church service will be held at the Corinth Seventh-day Adventist Church on October 3, with a formal policy message from the Ministry of Social and Community Development and Gender Affairs scheduled for October 15. Public street marches will take place during the week of October 12 to 16, and faith communities across the country will mark Child Sabbath and Child Sunday on October 17 and 18 respectively.

    Additional community events include a public blanket evening and bonfire at Pearls Playing Field, located near the island’s old airstrip, set for October 22. Throughout the entire month of October, local media outlets will run dedicated public sensitization programming aligned with the Child Month theme to amplify key messaging. Community organizers will also host family-focused health walks open to parents and children, and sell commemorative Child Month t-shirts to students and adult participants. The national observance will draw to a close on October 31 with closing remarks from the Minister for Education.

    Organizers have issued a call for local churches, primary and secondary schools, and licensed daycare centers across the country to develop their own contextually relevant activities that center the 2026 Child Month theme, engaging both children and their caregivers in important conversations around child wellbeing. The Ministry of Education has also publicly expressed its appreciation for planned coverage from local media professionals, noting that widespread reporting is critical to expanding the reach and impact of the initiative’s core messaging around child health, safety and collective responsibility.

  • Addressing low self-esteem in primary school students in Grenada

    Addressing low self-esteem in primary school students in Grenada

    For 25 years, a veteran Grade 1 teacher at a northern Grenadian primary school—speaking anonymously as Ms. Antoine—has watched young learners navigate the classroom. In recent years, she has documented a troubling, growing trend that holds back student potential across grade levels: deeply rooted low self-esteem that alters how children participate, interact, and engage with learning.

    Antoine’s classroom observations paint a clear picture of the issue. Many students shut down mid-activity when asked to share their work, even when their answers are correct. Overwhelmed by a paralyzing fear of being wrong, they fall silent rather than risk a mistake. When a class is offered an incentive for strong performance, few students step forward to claim they can earn the reward; instead, peers only name the handful of students universally viewed as top achievers. In social interactions, some children even allow peers to mistreat them just to gain approval, then deny the incident when it is reported, too insecure to advocate for themselves.

    “You can see their full potential sitting right there, but low self-esteem creates a barrier that stops them from performing at the level they are capable of,” Antoine explained. She also linked the rise in classroom conflict and violent responses to poor emotional expression, a side effect of low confidence that prevents children from articulating their needs.

    To understand how to address this issue, experts first break down what self-esteem actually is. Psychotherapist Robert Phillip explains that self-esteem grows from self-concept—how a person defines and sees themselves. “Self-esteem is our emotional reaction to that self-view,” Phillip said. “If we perceive ourselves positively, we develop positive self-esteem. If our self-concept is negative, that translates directly to low self-esteem.”

    Antoine suspects the roots of poor self-concept in young children often begin in the home, the first and most foundational learning environment for young learners. These negative self-perceptions do not just harm academic outcomes; they also erode children’s ability to communicate their thoughts and feelings openly to others.

    A deep-rooted cultural stigma around making mistakes also exacerbates the problem. For many children—and even adults—mistakes are treated as a catastrophic failure rather than a tool for growth. Phillip pushes back on this harmful narrative, noting that mistakes are a critical part of learning: “Mistakes give students the chance to step back, assess what went wrong, and return with a more thoughtful, refined approach. They make us stronger and more capable over time.”

    Recognizing that this unaddressed mental health and confidence gap in Grenada’s primary education system demands action, a local family of educators has launched a new initiative to meet the need. On August 17, the Denis and Janice Thomas Foundation (DJTF)—founded by the prominent Grenadian educator family from Black Bay, St. John—officially launched its mission at Grand Roy Government School, focused on fostering healthy self-esteem and overall well-being for primary-aged students. As an opening gesture, the foundation donated 52 laptops to principals from six local primary schools to support learning access, but building confidence remains its core priority.

    Speaking for the foundation, Annette Thomas—daughter of the late Denis Thomas and Janice Thomas, and a retired educator herself—said the foundation’s work grew from decades of on-the-ground experience with struggling students. “Time and again, we saw children who were misunderstood simply because they learned, communicated, or behaved differently from their peers,” Thomas explained. “Too often, they were labeled rude, disruptive, or even unteachable, when what they really needed was support, understanding, and a safe space to be themselves.” She added that this unmet need is a critical gap in Grenada’s education system that requires targeted attention and investment.

    While the foundation works to drive systemic change, Phillip emphasizes that parents and teachers play the most critical daily role in nurturing positive self-esteem in children aged 5 to 12. The core goal, he says, is to teach children to accept themselves, understand their own unique traits, and recognize that shortcomings do not eliminate the potential for success.

    Phillip outlines practical, daily steps that adults can model and teach to build healthy confidence. At home, he recommends parents avoid negative self-talk about their own bodies, intelligence, or mistakes in front of their children, and openly acknowledge their own errors to model that mistakes are acceptable. Parents should also model healthy boundaries—for example, showing children it is appropriate to rest and say no when overwhelmed—and prioritize praising hard work and persistence over only celebrating wins. Additional steps include avoiding comparisons between siblings, limiting digital exposure that fuels unhealthy social comparison, addressing sibling rivalry and bullying early, spending dedicated one-on-one time with each child to reinforce their value, encouraging individual talents and interests, validating children’s feelings, and allowing children to make choices and experience safe failure so they learn to adapt and try again.

    For educators, Phillip recommends many of the same approaches: implementing clear anti-bullying rules such as no-teasing policies in the classroom, highlighting each student’s unique strengths instead of focusing only on academic performance, avoiding cross-student comparisons, acknowledging effort and growth over just final results, and creating a classroom environment where students can safely make mistakes and learn from them without judgment.

  • Caribbean trade & development thoughts: Part 1

    Caribbean trade & development thoughts: Part 1

    For generations, small open economies across the Caribbean have grappled with a persistent, defining question: How can these nations move beyond overreliance on tourism to build diversified, resilient economic foundations? While that question remains as relevant as ever, rapid shifts in the global trading system have rewritten the terms of the conversation. Today, some of the world’s most valuable cross-border exchanges no longer require containerization, ocean shipping, or port clearance—they flow seamlessly across borders through digital networks. This transformation unlocks an unprecedented opportunity for Caribbean economies, but the core challenge is not merely adopting more digital technology. Instead, it is leveraging digitalization to build competitive, high-value export sectors that can compete on the global stage.

    Breaking geographic barriers to trade
    Small island developing states have long faced structural disadvantages rooted in limited geographic scale. Domestic consumer markets are small, production runs are constrained by low demand, and steep shipping costs push up the price of physical exports for customers in major North American and European markets. These geographic realities have been difficult, if not impossible, to overcome through traditional trade strategies. Digital trade, however, upends this equation.

    A knowledge worker based in Grenada can now deliver accounting services, business consulting, graphic design, custom software development, market research, online education, digital marketing, and a host of other professional services directly to clients in Canada, the United Kingdom, or any other market—without relocating or shipping physical goods across the Atlantic. This is not just a convenient use of technology; it is international trade in its fastest-growing modern form. A September 2026 joint report from the World Trade Organization, Inter-American Development Bank, and World Bank finds that exports of digitally delivered services across Latin America and the Caribbean have grown fivefold over the past 20 years. Even so, the entire region accounts for just 2% of global digitally delivered service exports today, leaving massive room for growth. The report projects that targeted digital expansion and policy reforms could boost the region’s digitally deliverable service exports by an average of 4.5% per year—a projection that demands urgent attention from Caribbean policymakers.

    Services take center stage as the new global trade frontier
    The global economy has undergone a quiet structural shift, and it is now overwhelmingly a services-driven economy. Data from UN Trade and Development shows that services made up 27% of all global exports in 2025, with digitally deliverable services growing an average of 7.1% annually over the past decade. Today, these digital services account for 56% of all global services exports. This is no marginal trend—it signals a permanent reshaping of global trade composition. For centuries, international trade has been defined by physical goods: manufactured products, agricultural commodities, raw materials, and merchandise. Today, however, countries increasingly trade intangible value: expertise, data, creativity, specialized professional knowledge, and technology. This shift is uniquely promising for Caribbean economies. These nations have never suffered from a lack of talented, skilled workers. The longstanding challenge has been converting that existing talent into exportable economic value that reaches global customers.

    Bridging the gap between digital access and export capacity
    It is critical to draw a clear line between basic digital access and the capacity to export digital services. A country can have widespread smartphone penetration, general consumer internet access, and high social media adoption, and still capture almost no economic value from international digital markets. Digitalization alone does not automatically generate new export sectors. For Caribbean businesses to succeed as global digital exporters, they need a range of enabling foundations: reliable high-speed digital connectivity, affordable cross-border payment systems, clear and supportive regulatory frameworks, accessible financing for small and medium enterprises, specialized digital skills, robust cybersecurity protections, access to global market intelligence, and the tools to reach customers outside national borders.

    The WTO’s latest regional assessment of digital trade echoes these priorities, identifying digital infrastructure, regulatory policy, cross-border payments, export promotion, firm-level capabilities, digital skills, and access to capital as core determinants of successful participation in digital trade. This makes clear that digital trade is not just an issue for information and communications technology ministries—it is fundamentally a trade policy priority that requires coordinated, cross-government action.

    Unlocking Caribbean digital export potential
    The range of possible digital exports from the Caribbean is far broader than many regional leaders and business owners assume. From accounting and architecture to legal support, software development, digital marketing, graphic design, research and data analysis, online education, creative content, financial services, consulting, and technical support, there is a wide spectrum of knowledge-based services that Caribbean professionals can offer global clients. Beyond these existing talent pools, the Caribbean also holds a vastly underutilized asset in its global diaspora. For decades, the diaspora has primarily been viewed through the lens of remittance inflows, but its economic potential extends far beyond that. Diaspora members can act as international clients, investors, mentors, business partners, and market connectors that open doors to foreign customers. A forward-thinking Caribbean export strategy must therefore expand beyond asking “What physical goods can we produce?” to also ask “What knowledge and expertise can our people sell to the world?”

    The critical, underdiscussed role of data and measurement
    Another key issue that has been largely overlooked in regional conversations is accurate trade measurement. If policymakers lack clear data on what digital services Caribbean firms are exporting, which global markets they are accessing, how much revenue they generate, and what barriers they face, it is impossible to design effective, targeted export policies. Improved services trade statistics are not just a technical concern for statisticians—they are a core component of national economic strategy. UN Trade and Development has repeatedly emphasized that better measurement of services trade is critical to understanding how services drive competitiveness, economic diversification, and long-term development. For small economies, any economic activity that is not measured is easily sidelined in policy prioritization.

    Leveraging regional cooperation to overcome scale limits
    Caribbean nations must also look beyond individual national borders to build competitive digital export sectors. A single small island economy lacks the scale to independently develop every digital platform, training program, professional network, and export promotion initiative needed to compete with larger global players. Regional cooperation offers a solution to this constraint. Caribbean nations can work together to harmonize digital standards, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, build shared cross-border payment systems, coordinate regional cybersecurity frameworks, develop joint skills training programs, host regional business matchmaking events, and launch collective services export promotion campaigns.

    The WTO’s recent regional study also highlights that deepening intra-regional digital trade remains a largely untapped opportunity. Current intra-regional digital trade volumes across the Caribbean are far lower than in other major global regions. For decades, Caribbean regional integration has focused almost exclusively on trade in physical goods, but the next chapter of regional integration will increasingly center on services, data, talent mobility, and digital transactions.

    AI amplifies the urgency of action
    The rapid rise of artificial intelligence adds a new layer of urgency to this conversation. AI has the potential to cut the cost of delivering many professional services and dramatically boost worker productivity, which could be transformative for small Caribbean economies looking to enter global markets. But AI also risks widening existing digital divides. UN Trade and Development has warned that developing economies with inadequate digital infrastructure, persistent skills shortages, and gaps in digital productive capacity could fall further behind as the global digital economy evolves. This makes clear that the Caribbean cannot afford to treat digital policy as a simple matter of expanding consumer internet access. The next critical challenge is building the productive capacity to turn digital connectivity into export value.

    Shifting from digital consumers to digital exporters
    The core question facing the Caribbean today is no longer whether the region will participate in the digital economy—every country in the region is already integrated into digital networks as consumers. The critical question is how the region will participate: Will it remain largely a consumer of foreign technology, foreign platforms, and foreign digitally delivered services? Or will it emerge as an exporter of Caribbean knowledge, creativity, professional expertise, and intellectual capital? For small states, digital trade offers an opportunity that traditional trade has long made out of reach: the chance to compete globally without first achieving massive domestic economies of scale. But this advantage will not materialize on its own. It requires intentional, coordinated policy action: digital infrastructure must be paired with workforce skills, skills must be connected to affordable financing, financing must be linked to export opportunities, regulation must balance innovation support with consumer protection, and regional integration must move from rhetoric to practical collaboration.

    The next generation of Caribbean trade policy must move beyond the traditional priorities of goods exports, tourism promotion, and general investment attraction. It is time to ask a more ambitious question: What can Caribbean people sell to the world when geography is no longer the primary barrier to trade?

    The answer could become one of the most transformative economic diversification opportunities available to small Caribbean economies. Digital trade is not just about getting more people connected to the internet. It is about building more competitive, resilient, and diversified economies that can deliver sustained growth for decades to come.

    *This commentary is by Kamisha L. Redhead, a Grenadian international trade and development professional focused on trade policy, sustainable transport, small-state development, and economic resilience. The views expressed are the author’s alone and do not represent those of her employer or any affiliated institutions. NOW Grenada is not responsible for content contributed by external commentators.*

  • Gaea Conservation Network launches Community Monitoring Project

    Gaea Conservation Network launches Community Monitoring Project

    A groundbreaking community-centered conservation initiative is kicking off in Grenada, led by the Gaea Conservation Network Incorporated (GCN) to address critical gaps in wildlife data and foster long-term sustainable species management across the island nation’s protected areas.

    Over the course of 12 months, the Community-Anchored Monitoring for Priority Species project will build the first comprehensive national baseline dataset for two of Grenada’s most at-risk endemic species – the critically endangered Grenada Dove and critically endangered Grenada Frog – alongside ecologically and economically important game species including armadillo, manicou, Mona monkey, and iguana. At its core, the project moves beyond traditional top-down research by empowering local community members with the training and tools needed to lead long-term monitoring of their unique natural heritage.

    To mark the official launch of the initiative, GCN has organized two public educational walks that are open to all interested community members, nature enthusiasts, and tour guides seeking to expand their eco-tourism offerings. The first, focused on the Grenada Dove, will take place at 6 a.m. on October 17 and 18 at Perseverance and Mount Hartman, two key habitats for the endemic bird. The second event, a guided night walk to spot the elusive Grenada Frog, will kick off at 6 p.m. on October 24 at Grand Etang. Those interested in participating can register for either event by contacting GCN directly at 405-8995.

    Beyond public outreach and community training, the initiative includes a unique collaborative component that integrates the traditional ecological knowledge of Grenada’s hunting community into formal wildlife management. Working in partnership with the Forestry and National Parks Department, GCN is formalizing the role of local hunters’ on-the-ground knowledge of wildlife distribution, incorporating that insight into the department’s official harvest management frameworks to create more accurate and effective population policies.

    The project comprises three interconnected data-gathering components, and all collected information will be analyzed by GCN before being shared with the Forestry Division to inform evidence-based conservation decision-making. For the Grenada Dove, the initiative will update outdated population and range data while embedding local communities into ongoing long-term monitoring efforts. For the Grenada Frog, the project builds on existing research conducted by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee by creating a sustainable pathway for continued community-led monitoring that extends beyond short-term academic research. For game species, the collaborative data-gathering with hunters will give forestry officials an unprecedented clear understanding of current harvest pressure, allowing for more balanced, sustainable population management.

    This new project builds on the success of GCN’s October 2025 Grenada Dove Conservation Action Planning process, which brought together government agencies, academic researchers, and local community partners to co-design a 10-year national conservation strategy for the species. That earlier planning effort was supported by leading conservation organizations the American Bird Conservancy, BirdsCaribbean, and Re:wild. A similar Conservation Action Planning workshop focused on the Grenada Frog is scheduled for October 6–7, 2026, with funding through the G-CREWS project, and the baseline data collected through this new monitoring initiative will directly inform that workshop’s outcomes.

    “Protecting Grenada’s priority species is a shared responsibility. Management is strongest when the communities who live alongside these landscapes are part of it. This project puts the tools of monitoring directly into the hands of community members and turns their participation into data that decision-makers can actually use,” explained Dr. Jody Daniel, President of Gaea Conservation Network.

    The initiative receives core funding from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM) through the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) as part of the Caribbean Regional Architecture for Biodiversity (CRAB) Project. It is implemented by Gaea Conservation Network in partnership with the Grenada Sustainable Development Trust Fund, with additional financial support from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund. Work focused on the Grenada Frog also receives support through the Climate-Resilient Water Sector in Grenada (G-CREWS) project, which is jointly financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) via its International Climate Initiative (IKI), and the Government of Grenada. The 7-year G-CREWS project is implemented by the Government of Grenada, the Grenada Development Bank, and the National Water and Sewerage Authority (Nawasa) in partnership with the German Development Corporation (GIZ).

    Gaea Conservation Network is a Grenada-based organization working to advance local biodiversity conservation through science-driven monitoring, habitat restoration, and community-centered education. More information about the organization and its work is available at www.gaeaconservation.org. Additional public information about the priority species included in this project is hosted on the Grenada Biodiversity Hub, available at www.grenadabiodiversity.org.

    This content was shared by GCN; NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for contributor opinions, statements, or media content. To report any abusive content, visit the platform’s official reporting portal.

  • Dignifying health

    Dignifying health

    Dignity is a concept that is intuitively linked to respect, but its meaning in healthcare extends far beyond surface-level interactions. Centuries ago, philosopher Immanuel Kant offered a foundational framing: material objects carry a price tag, but inherent, irreplaceable dignity belongs to all human beings. For seriously ill patients, that dignity is not an inherent constant—it is shaped profoundly by how caregivers and healthcare systems choose to engage with them. As leading Canadian psychiatrist Dr Harvey Chochinov, who has dedicated decades to studying dignity in end-of-life and critical care, observes: a patient’s own sense of dignity rises or falls based on how they perceive they are viewed by the people caring for them. This makes dignity a collective responsibility: it is not merely something an individual carries, but something that other people and institutional systems either nurture actively or erode inadvertently.

    To assess how well a healthcare system upholds human dignity, observers need not look only at isolated incidents of mistreatment. The broader, collective perception of how the system treats patients, and what patterns of behavior it allows to persist, acts as a far more reliable barometer of its core values. While institutional culture can be measured through dozens of quantitative metrics, dignity stands out as uniquely lasting: its impact stays with patients long after they recover from illness or complete a clinical appointment. When repeated violations of dignity become normalized within a system, patient trust—the foundation of effective care—quickly erodes as a consequence.

    When systemic failures around dignity are identified, the first question is where to begin building a better model. Dr Chochinov developed a simple, actionable framework to guide this work, called the ABCD of dignity-conserving care. The first pillar, Attitude, centers on the core assumptions caregivers bring to every interaction: do they see the whole person first, or only the disease they are treating? Second is Behaviour, which refers to small but meaningful acts of respect—asking a patient for permission before beginning an examination, knocking before entering a hospital room, or maintaining appropriate personal space. Third is Compassion: a deliberate recognition of a patient’s fear, pain and suffering that shapes every clinical decision. The final pillar, Dialogue, emphasizes engaging with the life, experiences and priorities of the person behind the illness, rather than limiting conversation exclusively to symptoms and treatment plans.

    Unlike large capital investments in new hospital wings or expensive novel therapies, this framework does not require massive direct spending. Because the benefits of dignity-centered care are less tangible than clinical outcomes, it is easy for policymakers and healthcare leaders to default to blaming poor individual performance—writing off undignified care as a problem of rude nurses or dismissive doctors. It is true that poor interpersonal conduct can stem from personal character, and systemic challenges do not excuse bad behavior or eliminate the need for accountability. But systemic pressures dramatically increase the likelihood of harmful, undignified interactions.

    None of the four ABCD pillars can be implemented consistently without structural support. Attitude and open dialogue require unrushed time with patients—a luxury a primary care physician juggling 40 waiting patients simply cannot afford. Consistent respectful behavior and intentional dialogue require ongoing training, clear institutional incentives and formal accountability mechanisms, since natural interpersonal dispositions vary widely between people. Compassion can only flourish when care teams work in supportive environments that prioritize staff well-being; low morale and chronic burnout make sustained empathy nearly impossible. More often than not, staff exhaustion manifests not as intentional cruelty, but as the indifference that comes from being stretched too thin.

    Sociologist Nora Jacobson, who has researched patterns of dignity violations in healthcare, confirms that undignified care is rarely random. It emerges predictably in the contexts that define most healthcare interactions: when patients are already physically and emotionally vulnerable, when an inherent power gap exists between care providers and care seekers, and when clinical staff operate under chronic systemic pressure. Objectively, these three conditions are present in nearly every healthcare setting. Illness by its nature strips patients of security and control, making them vulnerable. Patients seeking care always hold less power, information and institutional authority than the clinicians treating them. And healthcare is, by its very nature, an inherently high-stakes, high-pressure field.

    These structural conditions mean that the risk of widespread undignified care is baked into modern healthcare systems by default. While dignity-centered care does not require large financial outlays for new technologies or facilities, it is not free. It requires sustained investment in three key areas: sufficient clinical time per patient, work environments that support staff well-being, and ongoing training for care teams. When healthcare systems fail to deliberately make these investments, they default to a pattern of undignified care as an inevitable outcome.

    It has long been held that the moral character of a society can be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. By that same logic, the success of a healthcare system can be measured by how consistently it upholds the dignity of every patient. Every clinical interaction is an opportunity for the system to not only recognize a patient’s inherent dignity, but actively protect it from erosion. When access to dignified care depends on individual luck rather than intentional systemic design, that system has failed its core purpose—and failed all of us who rely on it when we are most in need.

    This commentary comes from Dr Ishma Harford, a practicing medical doctor and Commonwealth Scholar with a master’s degree in Health Analysis, Policy and Management. It is published as part of *The Health Imperative*, a non-partisan educational column focused on health systems, health policy and their broader societal impacts. NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for opinions and statements shared by contributing authors.

  • Condolences on the passing of Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow

    Condolences on the passing of Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow

    The Caribbean cultural community is in mourning this week following the death of Slinger Francisco, the globally celebrated calypso icon better known by his stage name The Mighty Sparrow. The Grenada-born performer, who built his legendary career across the Caribbean and the world, leaves behind an unmatched legacy that reshaped calypso music and defined regional cultural identity for generations.

    In an official statement of condolence, Senator the Honourable Adrian Thomas, Grenada’s Minister for Tourism, the Creative Economy and Culture, joined the people of Grenada, Carriacou, Petite Martinique, and cultural communities across the Caribbean in honoring Sparrow’s life and work.

    Born in the rural coastal community of Grand Roy, St. John, Grenada, Sparrow spent the bulk of his career and made his permanent home in Trinidad and Tobago. Despite his relocation early in his career, his Grenadian origins have remained a point of enduring national pride for the island nation.

    More than just a musical performer, Sparrow was a multi-faceted artist: a gifted storyteller, incisive social commentator, and globally recognized cultural ambassador for the Caribbean. His songwriting drew directly from the lived experiences of Caribbean people, weaving together stories of struggle, triumph, everyday humor, and collective hope into every composition. Through his commanding vocal delivery, sharp one-of-a-kind wit, and masterful command of language, he elevated calypso from a popular musical genre to a dynamic platform for public education, political critique, social awareness, and communal celebration.

    Many of his best-known works – including the iconic tracks *Jean and Dinah*, *Dan Is the Man*, *Education*, and *Slave* – have long outgrown their status as popular music to become foundational pieces of Caribbean cultural heritage. These compositions preserve the voices, histories and collective memories of generations of Caribbean people, remaining culturally relevant decades after they were first recorded.

    For Grenada, Sparrow’s life and career carry particular symbolic weight. His trajectory from a humble rural upbringing on a small Caribbean island to international stardom that redefined regional culture is a testament to the extraordinary artistic talent nurtured in the Caribbean’s small island nations, and the outsized, lasting impact that artists from the region can leave on the global cultural landscape.

    Minister Thomas emphasized that Sparrow’s enduring legacy underscores the critical importance of three core priorities for Caribbean cultural policy: preserving the region’s unique musical heritage, investing in working local artists, and educating younger generations about the pioneering creators who laid the foundation for modern Caribbean culture.

    On behalf of Grenada’s Ministry of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, as well as the government and people of Grenada, Minister Thomas extended sincere condolences to Sparrow’s immediate family, close friends, fellow calypso artists, the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, and the broader Caribbean cultural community.

    “May we all find comfort in the cherished memories of a son of the Caribbean whose life and artistry enriched our collective cultural heritage and whose contributions will continue to resonate across generations,” Thomas wrote in his statement. “The Mighty Sparrow may have sung his final song, but his voice will forever echo in the hearts of Caribbean people. His music, his message and his remarkable legacy will continue to inspire generations yet to come. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

    This statement was published via contributor platform to NOW Grenada, which notes that it does not take responsibility for the content or opinions shared by contributing authors.