The Hon. Charles Griffith, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment joined the outgoing CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Ashley Lashley and His Excellency David Commisiong, Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM, as they presented the first badges to Chief Commissioner of the Barbados Boy Scouts Association Trevor Jones and their representing Boy Scouts.

The Girl Guides Association of Barbados and the Barbados Boy Scouts Association, now have a new badge to add to their suite of skills, knowledge and experiential based achievement system.

Created by Barbados' outgoing CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Ashley Lashley, the CARICOM Badge is a legacy initiative intended to deepen youth understanding and engagement in Caribbean development while fostering a stronger sense of regional identity.

Speaking at the Launch, Ashley Lashley shared her vision of the badge targeting girls, young women, boys and young men 11 to 25 years old, focussing on fostering a strong Caribbean, identity, a deep appreciation for our regional cultures and a commitment to advocacy and active citizenship.

Emphasising that the initiative was more than just earning a badge, Lashley stated that it was about young people growing and developing as leaders, thinkers and Caribbean change-makers.

   

In delivering the Feature Address, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, the Hon. Charles Griffith M.P., lauded the outgoing CARICOM Youth Ambassador for her, vision, passion and dedication to her work, noting that though her tenure officially came to an end in 2024, she still persevered and delivered the CARICOM Badge, as promised.

 

Citing the initiative as a historic legacy project that will transcend the shores of Barbados and embrace the nations of CARICOM, the Minister affirmed that Government was committed through his Ministry, to function and support proactive work, to facilitate the needs and aspirations of all young people in Barbados.

 

Calling on the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Associations, the Youth Minister identified the need for their presence in all primary schools across Barbados, to have "our young people involved in structured activities that would benefit them and benefit country".

Committing to supporting a recruitment campaign of the two Associations, Minister Griffith stated his intention to ask the Ministry's officers to assist them in "swelling the numbers that are currently involved" in their organisations.

The Ceremony also saw the endorsement of the introduction of the CARICOM badge via video presentation by Secretary General to CARICOM, Dr. Carla Barnett and other regional leaders including the Hon. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.

His Excellency David Commisiong, Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM presented the first badges to Chief Commissioner of The Girl Guides Association of Barbados Jenifer King and Chief Commissioner of the Barbados Boy Scouts Association Trevor Jones and their representing Girl Guides and Boy Scouts.

The badge targets members aged 11 to 25 in the associations, covering Girl Guides, Ranger Guides, Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts.

Its syllabus includes learning about CARICOM’s history and goals, participating in a Geography Challenge on CARICOM member states, hosting a Cultural Carnival within your unit, where you showcase the music, food, fashion, and spirit of a chosen CARICOM nation, engaging in advocacy workshops to help young people use their voice for impact, volunteering 2 to 5 hours on a local advocacy project — from gender equality to environmental protection and the #IslandAccentConnect Challenge, a digital movement celebrating the rich and diverse accents of our region a reminder that our differences are our superpower.