The Governor’s Office, through UK Funding, has provided three grants totaling $30,000 to deliver youth empowerment projects in the BVI to 13 to 21 year olds. 

The Governor’s Office invited bids earlier this year and received 12 excellent applications from established non-profit organizations in the Territory which were assessed by a committee from the Governor’s Office and BVI Government. The projects were required to contribute to the delivery of the BVI Sustainable Development Plan goal: Islanders are empowered for a Sustainable Future in an Inclusive Vibrant Society, Living Fulfilling Lives. 

The grants have been awarded to:

• Mentoring Anointed Leaders Everywhere (MALE) – who will run a series of intensive mental health workshops for young men.
• Road Town Boys and Girls Brigade – who will revitalise their programs, with funding used to replace parade flags, drilling equipment, marching drums, uniforms and renew  their websites and online store, amongst other things.
• H. Lavity Stoutt Community College- who will deliver media production development workshops to empower BVI youth.

Governor John Rankin CMG met with the successful applicants on 7^th December to offer his congratulations. The Governor said “I am delighted to announce today funding for three youth empowerment projects. I know these projects will benefit the lives of young people in the BVI. I am grateful for the very high calibre of applications we received and thank everyone involved.”

Additional detail on the projects

Mentoring Anointed Leaders Everywhere (MALE) who will run a series of intensive mental health workshops for young men. The workshops will aim to deliver outcomes on the following areas:

• Better awareness and relationship with self; positive approach to mental health – which will result in a better relationship with oneself, also better relationship with others. 
• Resolution conflict skills - better processing skills to navigate through difficult situations 
• Decision making and goal setting skills - positive approach to mental health result in higher aspirations for careers and fulfilling of dreams. 
• Mindfulness and Meditation – to help manage stress, anxiety, and emotions. 
• Expressive therapy – getting in touch with oneself and answering self-awareness questions through, art, music, and drama. 
• Outdoor activities, games, sports, arts and crafts: Positive approach to mental health result in better assessment and ability to make healthy decisions and choices by getting in touch with nature, hiking with nature and culture walks. 
• Group support and team building – Learning to respect and support others and create a non-judgemental, supportive environment and learning the value of community. The effects of this can trickle and ripple throughout homes, communities, and territories. 
• Coping Skills – Introducing practical skills such as time management, journaling, creative writing, and resolution conflict that are vital to releasing daily stress. 
• Self-care – How to detox, reflection and relaxation techniques, breathing exercises. Assist them in creating healthy boundaries and the importance of taking care of oneself. 

H. Lavity Stoutt Community College will deliver film development workshops. This project will introduce a workshop series in media production to empower BVI youth. The workshop series will focus on developing skills in characterization, media production, and musical expression through practical exercises and research. Workshop participants will learn to identify and utilize platforms for creativity, experiment with diverse performance art forms, foster self-awareness, and promote collaborative teamwork. This initiative aims to cultivate practical skills, fostering participation in global and regional creative industries by opening doors to platforms like Netflix, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube; as well as opportunities to participate in film festivals.  

Road Town Boys and Girls Brigade will receive funds to revitalise their programs, including replacement parade flags and drilling equipment; replacement marching drums; official parade uniforms; non-official uniforms for weekly company meetings and community service activities; special programs uniforms; badges and awards to award members for completing badge work; revitalization of RTGB (RTBB) websites and online store; procurement of materials; and tools to carry out programming such camping, traveling, transportation, first-aid certification and IT. The Brigades are international, interdenominational, uniformed, afterschool, outreach organisations that empower youth and make a difference. 

Notes to editors 

The Youth Empowerment Funding has been provided through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), International Programme Fund which provides funding for Posts to run programmes and projects.