Camille Henry School
The Camille Henry School, located in Castries, St. Lucia, was awarded a property grant by the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The school received 42 children’s books, including Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson and A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead. These books will increase the selection currently available to the children of the Camille Henry School.
Carmy Joseph- Foreign Press Center Reporting Tour
Carmy Joseph received a cultural grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown to participate in the Foreign Press Center’s (FPC) “Women’s Empowerment” reporting tour in Washington, D.C., from April 30 through May 6, 2011. This grant supported Ms. Joseph’s travel expenses and an expense allowance during the program. However, prior to the trip Ms. Joseph required an “I” visa, so the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown gave her an additional cultural grant, valued at US$683.00, to travel from St. Lucia to Barbados to acquire the requisite visa.
Castries Comprehensive Secondary School- No Witness, No Justice
Castries Comprehensive Secondary School received a property grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The school received two iPads, an iTunes gift card valued at US$25, two iPad Smart Cases, and two Apple Care Protection Plans. The iPads were given to the school for use in the No Witness, No Justice Project. Castries Comprehensive Secondary School is located in Castries, St. Lucia.
Hands Across the Sea
Hands Across the Sea, Inc was awarded a cultural grant by the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown to purchase non-fiction and reference books geared towards young adults with remedial reading skills. The books were distributed to school libraries in rural or outlying areas in Antigua and Barbuda; Grenada; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Hands Across the Sea co-founders, Harriet and T.L. Linskey support Caribbean students by sailing around the region delivering books. In February 2013, Bonne Terre Preparatory School in St. Lucia received a book donation, through Hands Across the Sea.
“It’s a Fact”
Vividview received a human rights grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The grant was used to produce and create 105 copies of a ten minute animated video about drug resistance and education for the series “It’s a Fact.” In the video Sgt. Carl Williams of the Royal Barbados Police Force teaches primary school children, aged five to eleven, about drugs, drug related crimes, and peer pressure. The funds were also used to produce 3,750 copies of a magazine addressing “Drug Abuse and Resistance Education” (DARE) themes.
Junious Brickhouse- Black History Month
As part of the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown’s Black History Month calendar of events, urban dancer Junious Brickhouse received a cultural grant to hold dance workshops in Barbados and St. Lucia. Mr. Brickhouse, who has held such workshops in the Caribbean in the past, seeks to engage young people through these events. His programs highlighted the many contributions African-Americans have made to American culture. Mr. Brickhouse’s events were held in St. Lucia from February 24-28, 2013 and in Barbados from February 28-March 3, 2013.
No Witness, No Justice
As part of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded the Office of the Attorney General a US$55,565.00 grant to support the No Witness, No Justice initiative. The grant funded a training program for teachers and students across the region to teach them how to implement No Witness, No Justice in their schools. Participants also learned to utilize social media to build lasting and effective youth networks. Through No Witness, No Justice Caribbean children learn about citizen involvement, how American youths participate in their communities and how they can participate in their own countries and communities. No Witness, No Justice also serves to build a virtual connection, under the CBSI Youth Network, between Caribbean and American children wherein each can learn about the other’s experiences and communities.
Regional Youth Seminar 2011
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) a cultural grant. The funds were used to pay the travel expenses of six youth delegates, one each from the six OECS nations, to attend the Regional Youth Seminar 2011 in Barbados. The grant was also used to fund the rental of a U.S. Embassy Bridgetown booth at the Youth Expos, the seminar’s culminating event. The youth delegates were selected from organizations such as National Youth Ambassador Corps (Antigua & Barbuda), Dominica National Youth Council, National Youth Ambassadors Programme (Grenada), St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association, RYC and National Youth Council (St. Lucia), St. Vincent and Grenadines Youth Council. The seminar was held August 11-13, 2011.
RISE Youth Center
RISE received a cultural grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown to support the creation of a youth space in St. Lucia where young people can gather to participate in productive activities outside of school. Through the space youths will learn marketable professional and life skills. Participants will receive career and financial planning advice, job interview counseling, application writing, computer and public speaking training. The youth space will also provide Caribbean Examination Council School Based Assessment assistance. These programs are designed to empower young people and encourage them to make responsible choices when faced with vulnerable situations.
Royal St. Lucia Police Force
The Royal St. Lucia Police Force received Encase V6 Cyber Software as a property grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The software is used in investigations requiring cyber forensics and is part of a larger effort to improve security capabilities in the Caribbean region.
St. Lucia Crisis Centre Corporation
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded the St. Lucia Crisis Centre Corporation a human rights grant to increase the support they can provide to vulnerable families. Students may receive homework assistance, access to computers, skills, literacy, and numeracy training; while parents are taught parenting and life skills. The funds were used to purchase necessary supplies for the center, including computers, tables, printers, a DVD player, a file cabinet, a white board, bookshelves, and a computer based literacy program.
Urban Artistry Dance Troupe
Six members of Urban Artistry Dance Troupe received cultural grants from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The grants funded the travel expenses of the individuals, so they could participate in a series of performances in Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The troupe also held workshops and conducted outreach activities in each of the three countries they visited. Urban Artistry Dance Troupe teaches children life lessons through their dance programs. The grantees were Junious Lee Brickhouse, Olyuwatoyin Sogunro, LaTasha Chanel Barnes, Emily Wessel, Brent Talley, and Baronhawk Poitier Williams.
Vieux Fort Primary School
Vieux Fort Primary School received 48 new books through a property grant from Embassy Bridgetown. Visiting American dancer, Junious Brickhouse presented the books to the school as part of his trip to St. Lucia to celebrate Black History Month 2013. The books include Bury Me Not in the Land of Slaves by Joyce Hansen and Tell Me A Story, Mama by Angela Johnson.
Vide Bouteille Primary School
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown gave the Vide Bouteille Primary School a US$525.00 property grant. The school received 39 well-known American children’s books, including Should I Share My Ice Cream by Mo Willems and E-mergency! By Tom Lichtenheld. Vide Bouteille is located in Castries, St. Lucia. The grant was provided in order to improve the list of publications which the school presently has and share American culture with the young students.
Women’s Empowerment Tour- Meridian International Center
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded Meridian International Center a cultural grant to support the travel expenses of journalists and enable their participation in the Foreign Press Center tour on “Women’s Empowerment.” The tour included meetings with government officials, NGOs, community groups, and media representatives to highlight women’s issues. The meetings were geared towards shedding light on gender based violence. The tour lasted from January 29 to February 4, 2012.
“You’re A Star, Stella!”
In keeping with efforts to expand human rights awareness in the Caribbean, the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded Do the Right Thing Limited a grant to produce a booklet geared towards teaching children about domestic violence and the steps they can take to stop it. Do the Right Thing Limited revised a booklet entitled “You’re A Star, Stella!,” produced by Voice UK, to suit the needs of children in the Caribbean. The booklet tells the story of a young girl who witnessed domestic violence and told her teacher, who contacted the police. Programs such as the “You’re A Star, Stella!” project are aimed at reducing physical abuse throughout the Caribbean.