Cricket legends to mentor students in new programme

More students across the island will soon have the opportunity to get a deeper appreciation for Barbados and West Indies Cricket, thanks to an innovative program being put in place by Cricket Legends of Barbados Inc.

Speaking during a media conference at the company’s headquarters at Fontabelle, St Michael today, general manager Julia Caine described the Legacy Talks programme as a national youth engagement effort, which seeks to engage the island’s youth in various wholesome discussions on numerous topics.

She said the initiative began in January and has hosted four secondary schools and one tertiary institution to date.

“Our Legacy Talks is designed to connect students across Barbados with experience from our past Barbadian West Indies players, coupled with industry professionals to contribute in expanding conversations beyond cricket, which include discipline, education, career pathways and personal development; all these to provide students with broader career exposure,” Caine said.

She said the initiative builds on the success of the already established Fun Time with the Legends program, which began in 2024 and has already impacted 18 schools across Barbados, with another five slated for the upcoming school term.

“Together these programs reflect Cricket Legends of Barbados’s growing commitment to structured youth engagement at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

“While Legacy Talks is a relatively new initiative, we are optimistic about its growth and potential. Our sessions are designed to be more in-depth and discussion driven with topics tailored to suit older students, as they transition from higher education and prepare for the workforce,” Caine explained.

The most recent session was facilitated by cricket legend Carlisle Best, who is also a longstanding former employee of the Central Bank of Barbados. He engaged students from the Barbados Community College and the Alleyne School in a session on financial legacy, delivering practical insights and fostering meaningful dialogue.

Chairman of Cricket Legends, Joel Garner strongly believes cricket has not been given the exposure it deserves in the media. 

He pointed to the fact that young people were now more focused on electronic devices. 

“So what we’ve been trying to do is to try to get back into the schools. 

I think that we made some mistakes in the past where we weren’t as visible as we should have been, in terms of promoting the game and having partnerships with different businesses around the place,” Garner said.

“We need to have more partnerships, not only with the Ministry of Education but also with the Ministry of Sport, where we can make a meaningful contribution to the development of cricket, not only at junior level but right through the entire island.”

Garner noted that the outreach efforts by the legends were not confined to schools.

“We also had dealings with the Barbados national team where we entertained them on a few occasions, had sit down talks to get them to relax, to understand what it takes to get to the top and when you get to the top, continuing and building on whatever you’ve got so far,” he said.

Cricket Legends of Barbados shareholder Dwayne Smith, reflected fondly on his introduction to cricket via his uncle at a very young age and hopes more players will follow in his footsteps.

“I probably didn’t get the results that I really would have wanted, but I know I’ve learned a lot from cricket and cricket has done everything for me. Cricket has taken me places I don’t ever think I would have gone. I’ve been to Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, you name it.

“It’s not a bad thing to get into because cricket has done every single thing for me. Cricket gave me a house, gave me a car, gave me all the fancy things that I could want, and it has taught me a lot when it comes to dealing with the outside world,” Smith said.

(KH)