The fourth edition of a nationwide initiative to nurture young storytellers was launched on International Children’s Book Day, with education officials hailing the Make A Book Project as a “platform for possibilities” that encourages creativity, confidence and self-expression among students.
The launch, held on Thursday, also the birthday of famed Danish children’s author Hans Christian Andersen, highlighted the growing importance of storytelling in education and national development.
Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw said the project goes beyond a simple literacy programme. “It is really a platform for possibility,” she said, noting that it aligns with the ministry’s push to create opportunities for all students.
She explained that the initiative reflects a broader effort to transform education into a system that is fair, inclusive, relevant and modern, where students are given the tools to express themselves and connect learning to real life.
“When students are given a voice, when students are given a choice, they operate with purpose… They rise confidently, they are creative, and they are authentic,” she added.
Archer-Bradshaw also pointed to the participation trends, particularly among boys, who made up 62 per cent of submissions, describing it as a meaningful shift. She noted that students are fully engaged in the creative process, from writing and illustrating to publishing and sharing their work with real audiences.
Project lead Curtis Padmore explained that the initiative was born out of declining literacy levels seen from his nephew following the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a need for targeted intervention.
“We saw a significant decrease in our literacy numbers… and there needed to be some kind of intervention,” he said.
The project’s first partner outside the National Library Service was the Alzheimer’s Association, which inspired a theme that led to a story about a dragon that sneezed and caused people to forget.
Padmore said, “It was very metaphorical in how it treated memory loss and handled it with a great deal of imagination.”
The partnerships inspired themes chosen for the cohort, such as the Bureau of Gender Affairs, which led to explorations of differences between boys and girls, and the Barbados Banking Association, which brought in the theme of finance.
Now entering its fourth cohort, the project has expanded from a small 2024 pilot with the Barbados Library Service into a national programme supported by multiple partners, with 11 new books to be placed on the library’s shelves. It targets students aged eight to 12, including those in primary schools and first form in secondary school, using technology to support the writing, evaluation and publication process.
The long-term goal is to integrate the programme more deeply into schools and support both students and teachers through innovative tools, Padmore said: “We are evolving into full technology mode now… and we’d love to be deeply entrenched in the schools.”
With new partnerships and themes expected for the 2026 cohort, the initiative would continue to grow while encouraging students to find their voice and develop a love for writing, turning creativity into opportunity and reinforcing the project’s mission as a true platform for possibilities, Padmore added.
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