Empowering Youth Attending the Barbados Youth Climate Action Summit and Expo
Each member of the strategic communication team encourages Barbadian youth to take climate action.
Who is Ashley Lashley?
The Ashley Lashley Foundation, a Barbadian non-governmental organization, promotes health, advances gender equity, and addresses environmental challenges in Barbados, the Caribbean and beyond. Founder Ashley Lashley, a former beauty queen in Barbados, began advocating for sustainability, climate justice and health literacy for youth when she was 16 years old. The Ashley Lashley Foundation envisions a world where every individual has access to education, healthcare and a safe and healthy environment to thrive in.
As the impacts of climate change become increasingly problematic, the annual Barbados Youth Climate Action Summit and Expo hosted by the Ashley Lashley Foundation in the fall empowers youth to advocate for a more resilient future.
Our Work Together
The Barbados Youth Climate Action Summit and Expo serves as a dynamic forum for young leaders, environmental enthusiasts, and change-makers from across Barbados to come together and tackle climate change from a holistic approach, including tourism, energy, waste management, food and water conservation, ocean and climate action.
By participating in a series of group discussions, interactive workshops and engaging activities, youth at the Summit and Expo gain a deeper understanding of climate change, develop practical skills to stand up against it and create meaningful connections.
While in Lexington, Virginia, the strategic communication team met with Ashley Lashley via video conference. Along with her colleague, Channal Holder, Lashley presented the Foundation, her communication needs for the organization and the Barbados Youth Climate Action Summit and Expo.
Once in Bridgetown, Lashley, Holder and the strategic communication team brainstormed a reflexive audiovisual project: W&L students share their viewpoints about and experiences of climate change in Barbados to motivate youth attending the Summit and Expo to act. Using visual media, the strategic communication team crafted a “time capsule” with their thoughts, feelings and reflections over the course of the three-week visit to Barbados.
What We Learned
The strategic communication team recorded their adventures, including scuba diving, ziplining, and everyday activities like going on a morning walk or grabbing a midnight snack at Chefette. By visiting places youth might recognize, the team wanted to come across as relatable and approachable. Additionally, team members interviewed each other, sharing their perspectives to convey authenticity. Overall, the video sought a balance between fun and acknowledgement of the weight of climate change affecting youth.
By showing W&L students in solidarity with Barbadian youth, the strategic communication team hopes its time capsule becomes part of a larger movement catalyzing climate action.
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