A dozen students from London’s SV Academy are here for a two-week cultural immersion programme, aimed at broadening their horizons through experiences with traditions including steel pan music.
Now in its third year, the UK Department of Education-funded initiative focuses on students aged 14 to 16 who face challenges in mainstream education. This year marks the first collaboration with the National Peace Programme, championed by Minister of State in the Office of the Attorney General with responsibility for Crime Prevention, Corey Lane.
At a meet-and-greet ceremony at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment’s Haggatt Hall offices, Lane emphasised the importance of youth involvement in addressing global issues.
“There is a phenomenon that we are having across the Caribbean and the world, in relation to climate change, youth employment, crime and violence, and the absence of the youth voice spells a disaster,” he said.
He encouraged the visiting students to engage actively with their Barbadian peers, including members of the Barbados Youth Parliament, to share ideas and cultures.
Orlando Clement, principal of SV Academy, explained that the school works with young people with dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, who have difficulties in mainstream settings, or those at risk of being drawn into gangs and drugs.
Sonia Ramanah, the academy’s director and safeguarding officer, outlined the programme’s focus: “We raise aspirations for all young people and inspire them predominantly through music and media. Every year, we put together a special programme which we call Music Bridges Culture, which brings together young people from London and young people from the Caribbean.”
The students’ itinerary includes workshops with the National Peace Programme, visits to schools and youth groups, and cultural excursions such as a trip to the Oistins Fish Fry and a tour of the island.
Collaboration with the island’s institutions has been key to the programme’s success.
“This year, we’ve been working with St Leonard’s Boys School, and they’re amazing. Our students go there, and pretty much become students. They’re learning how to play the steel pan, how to cook Bajan cuisine,” Clement noted.
“These are all amazing things that they would never have an opportunity to do in the UK, and a lot of them are saying to me that they don’t want to go back. So we’re going to have a problem when we get to the airport,” the principal added.
As the programme continues to evolve, organisers hope to reciprocate by hosting Barbadian students in the UK in the future, further strengthening cultural ties between the two nations.
