Youth discounts get thumbs up from businesses

Positive feedback flowed in from participating businesses in the first-ever Youth Discount Day to mark International Youth Day on Wednesday.

Young people between the ages of 16 and 35 were able to receive discounts at participating member businesses of the Small Business Association by presenting a valid identification card. Over 100 businesses participated in the initiative.

The Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) and the SBA signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to observe the day on August 7.

Owner-chef of Beyond Sushi, Tamirah Moore, revealed that they offered 10 per cent discounts to all youth in commemoration of the day’s celebration.

“My expectations for the rest of the day, I really hope that a lot of young people come through and they’re able to realise that, we have a lot to offer here. I really just hope that we get a lot of people come through and they’re able to enjoy the food today.”

Moore, who has been a chef from the age of 16, said the art of the preparing the Japanese seafood cuisine inspired her.

“I was interested in culinary arts and I was very artistic and to be honest, I just really wanted to do sushi because it was really artistic.”

Moore said Beyond Sushi offers California rolls, sushi rolls, sushi sandwiches, sushi burritos and sides for non-sushi eaters

Italia Coffee offered a 20 per cent discount on custom-made beverages at all 10 of its locations for young people who presented identification.

Nikita Abed-Caplen, marketing director of Italia Coffee said: “We were very happy to support Youth Discount Day because we believe young people deserve to be celebrated. Too often, the conversation around our youth focuses on the negative, when there are so many young people across Barbados doing positive things, pursuing their goals and contributing to their communities. International Youth Day gives us an opportunity to shift that narrative and simply say, today we celebrate you.

“As this is the first Youth Discount Day, it is still early to measure the overall response, but we were pleased to see young people taking advantage of the offer throughout the day. Hopefully, as awareness of the initiative grows, we will see even greater participation in the years ahead.”

(LG)