Barbados

We didn’t really know what to expect when we put Barbados on this year’s itinerary. Our previous tours have only touched upon the Caribbean, so it was time venture out into the West Indies and see what we’ve been missing. We weren’t sure how much people would know about human rights in Barbados. But, it turns out they’ve been playing our public service announcements on national television for years and really know their stuff! People all over the island immediately recognized our work and were interested in Youth for Human Rights.

We found ourselves in meeting after meeting with high-level officials and were invited to a special event at “Independence Square” in Bridgetown, the capital. We were also officially invited to join the National Youth Expo 2009 Parade to kick off a series of youth-focused spring vacation camps. Perhaps most importantly, though, we were able to appoint Reverend Michael Steele of Hope Transplant Ministries to be our honorary ambassador for Youth for Human Rights International in Barbados. Reverend Steele will work with the local community to promote human rights education and get our booklets and public service announcements even more widely distributed on the island. This is a big step and Barbados is now the 84th country on our growing lists of countries with YHRI groups internationally! As a kind gesture and wonderful finale to our stay, Reverend Steel invited us to his wedding, which was a truly spectacular experience. Bajan (the local term for all things Barbados) weddings are definitely something special!

Music performed by Morning Star Ministries, Barbados