Over 50 students from the Five Islands Primary School joined over 300 children across nine Caribbean islands who stepped out of the classroom and into nature this Earth Day, as the Sandals Foundation rolled out a Caribbean-wide guided mindfulness programme designed to build environmental awareness and support mental well-being.
The activity which took place at Wallings Dam and Johnson’s Point coastline enabled students to connect directly with the island’s ecosystems engaging in breathing exercises, nature walks, sensory observation and discussions. The programme also sought to reinforce the role of nature in healing the body and mind as well as explore the everyday actions young people can take to protect their natural resources.
“By combining mindfulness with environmental education, we wanted to encourage students to slow down, be present, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of nature which is around them,” says Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation. “We also wanted to share with students that sense of responsibility and power they each have to protect their community’s natural resources and the services those resources support.”
A Grade 4 student, reflecting on the experience, shared how much she enjoyed discovering Antigua’s natural treasures, especially learning about the different plants and the history of the Wallings reservoir and dam, describing the day as both fun and eye-opening.
The experience was just as meaningful for the Sandals Foundation Ambassadors at Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa, a team of 10 volunteers led by Public Relation Manager, Leon Norville. He said “the energy from both students and adults was incredibly motivating and witnessing the curiosity and engagement throughout the tour made the initiative deeply rewarding.” He also highlighted the valuable insights shared by Tour Operator Refica Attwood of the Wallings Nature Reserve, who brought the island’s history, flora, and cultural stories to life along the journey.
Grade 4 teacher Annetta Alexander-Hunt emphasized the educational value of the outing, explaining that it gave students a deeper appreciation for the ingenuity of past water catchment systems like the Wallings Dam, especially during times of drought. She also pointed out how the experience helped students better understand the importance of mangroves in protecting coastlines and supporting marine life. “The resource materials provided during the tour will play a key role in reinforcing these lessons back in the classroom, extending the impact of the field experience.”
More than 300 students across Antigua, Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Curacao, and Jamaica visited national parks, mangrove forests, Beaches Resorts gardens, and or national conservation areas, fostering a disengagement from digital devices and allowing time to decompress and connect with nature.
The activity, which fosters positive mental wellbeing forms part of the wider range of conservation work of the Sandals Foundation which has to date engaged 177,526 people in environmental education, planted 28,117 trees, outplanted 38,156 corals, invested in programmes that monitor the safe hatch of 221,392 sea turtles, and supported 23 marine and terrestrial protected areas.
The Sandals foundation is a registered charity in Jamaica with the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies, a CRA registered charity in Canada, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States and a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England & Wales that was created in March 2009 to continue and expand upon the philanthropic work that Sandals Resorts International has undertaken. It is the culmination of over four decades of dedication to playing a meaningful role in the lives of the communities where we operate across the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation funds projects in three core areas: education, community and the environment. One hundred percent of the monies contributed by the general public to the Sandals Foundation go directly to programs benefiting the Caribbean community. To learn more about the Sandals Foundation, visit online at www.sandalsfoundation.org or follow us on Facebook, and Instagram.