March 2024

On March 24th, CYEN in Barbados held its 2nd general meeting for the month of March. During the meeting, members had the opportunity to hear about workshops other members participated in and discuss ways in which CYEN can further participate in the proposed projects/activities. Members were also updated about the plans for the March social, the Agrofest research and the ISMUN meeting. There was also a very dynamic discussion on whether monkeys are a problem in Barbados to which an array of views were presented and some of which were even challenged.

Into the thick of it! On March 23rd, some of our members in Barbados embarked on a journey along the southeast coast of the island to the HARP gun Christ Church and Foul Bay, St. Philip. During the walk members learnt the history of the gun, enjoyed the lovely view and breeze of the southeast coast as well as learnt about some of the flora which were present and their usage. Additionally, there was also lots of laughter and team building exercises along the way.

Of course! It’s #WorldWaterDay What does World Water Day mean to you? Every drop counts towards a peaceful future. On #WorldWaterDay, let’s join hands in leveraging the power of water for peace and harmony. Together, we can create ripples of positive change that flow far and wide. #CYENBarbados #WaterForPeace #ShareYourThoughts #WaterFor Peace #SustainableFuture Here is what our CYENers had to say!

It was all smiles and laughter today! No other than Dr. Andrew Simmons graced the CYEN Caribbean Office on March 22nd with his presence today. ✨ Dr. Simmons was one of the people at the start of CYENs inception. Here he is pictured catching up with, the Executive Coordinator, Mr. Reggie Burke, who was also around CYEN from its inception!

CYEN participated in a pre-consultation meeting for the upcoming Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Global Children and Youth Action Summit (GCYAS). CYEN was represented by NC, Shannon Weekes. The preparatory process for the SIDS Conference and its Children and Youth Summit includes a series of Children and Youth Pre-Consultations under the theme “Empowering Youth Voices for Sustainable Development in SIDS Regions” in each of the three SIDS regions, the Caribbean, AIS, and the Pacific leading towards the development of actionable projects and a 10-year Commitment Call to Action Outcome Document to present to leaders during the 1st Ministerial Meeting of SIDS4. The Barbados Youth Development Council facilitated Barbados’ Pre-Consultation Meeting which occurred on March 16th, 2024, at the Ministry of Youth Sports, Community Empowerment, Division of Youth Affairs Office, Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, St.Michael. During the consultation, issues which youth are passionate about were discussed, programmes aimed at youth development within Barbados amongst others topics were also discussed. NC Shannon Weekes also shared some findings from CYEN’s Agrofest research which dealt with Youth and Sustainable Development within Barbados. It is our hope that this consultation will be able to contribute to the shaping of actionable projects within SIDS regions.

On March 15th, members Jahdae Parris and Tyeisha Bradshaw attended the national inception workshop for the GEF-funded project ‘Reducing the threats to endangered reptiles from habitat loss and Invasive Alien Species (IAS) through enhanced biodiversity governance and strengthened bio-security in Barbados,’ or ‘Conserving Barbados’ Endangered Reptiles (CBER)’ for short. The CBER project, which was formally initiated this year, aims to improve policy and governance to reduce threats to biodiversity as well as conduct targeted interventions to conserve endangered reptile species in Barbados. During the workshop, CYEN members along with other participants discussed the project in detail which included the budget, the various reptiles the project will target as well as the proposed sites for project activities execution.

CYEN continues to educate future generations! On March 12th, National Coordinator Shannon Weekes, Administrative and Logistics Officer Jahdae Parris and Member Kareem Maloney gave a presentation to the Kolij (Harrison College) Environmental Club on threats and protection of marine ecosystems. We had fun interacting and engaging the students. Now they know how they can help protect our marine ecosystems, do you?