More than 250 students from 12 Caribbean countries have spent the past week sharing culture and camaraderie in Barbados as part of the CARIFESTA XV Student Jamboree, a regional camp hailed by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley as a living example of integration.
Based at Lester Vaughan School in St Thomas, the camp began on August 21 and was set to end on Friday, but organisers extended the programme to accommodate late arrivals.
Ahead of CARIFESTA XV’s launch, Mottley had urged regional leaders to send students to the Jamboree, calling it a vital opportunity to expose young people to Caribbean culture and deepen integration. Several nations responded, including Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas.
During a visit to the site on Thursday, Mottley encouraged students to see the value in shared experiences beyond the classroom.
“CARIFESTA would not have been the same if we did not pay it forward. Education is not only about what is in a book. Education is about all of these things – coming together and learning about each other,” she told them.
“If I had my way, I would love to see at least a thousand young people from each Caribbean country spending [up to] four weeks in another territory every summer. Because you can’t take for granted what you have, and these shared experiences shape who you become.”
Mottley also used the opportunity to remind students of the importance of character, focus and collective purpose.
“I hope by your interaction with each other and carrying back the story and getting others to interact that you will begin to see that we cannot survive in the world today without each other… Justice and solidarity are critical because in the blink of an eye the circumstances of small states can change, either by man or by nature,” she said, likening the student experience to the importance of these principles at the national level. “That’s what CARIFESTA and CARICOM are about.”
Addressing reporters, Camp Director and Barbados’ Ombudsman Dr Nigel Taylor said the programme was inspired by the Prime Minister’s vision of deeper youth involvement in the regional festival.
“What we have here this morning is the fulfilment of a goal… to have students, fifth and sixth formers from the Caribbean, be part of this initiative,” he said.
“This is the third time Barbados has hosted this event, and it was wise of the Prime Minister to allow students from outside our borders to be an integral part of CARIFESTA.”
Alongside daily shuttles to festival events – including the Grand Market, Youth Village and major performances – the camp hosted its own cultural workshops and local tours to deepen students’ understanding of Barbados.
In total, more than 300 people were involved, including 302 students, 50 chaperones, 12 camp staff, 25 volunteers, and support from security, medical and police personnel. Officials praised the multi-agency effort, which drew assistance from the Barbados Defence Force, Police Service, government security officers and Lester Vaughan School staff. The School Meals Department also played a key role in daily food provision.
As the camp winds down, students say they’ve built lasting friendships and gained a deeper appreciation for the cultures and people of their Caribbean neighbours – an experience organisers hope will leave a lasting impact.
“The CARIFESTA experience has been wonderful,” said Joshua, a student delegate from Trinidad. “From day one, we were greeted by all the other nations, which touched my heart. As the PM said, she wanted the youth Jamboree to be an event where all the youth of the different islands come together as one in unity and bring forward our next generation.”
“My experience at the CARIFESTA Jamboree Camp has been very insightful,” added Jamaica’s Laineann Russell. “I got to interact with persons from the other Caribbean countries and I learnt that even though we are from different islands, we are very similar.”
(SM)
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