Brac Spring Weekend a community success
Scavenger hunt team (L-R) Joshua McLean, Tagh Wilson, Brittney Bodden, Emmanuel Scott, Keanu Oliver and Carter Houston
(CNS Local Life): This month’s Brac Spring Weekend, hosted by the Youth Services Unit (YSU), was a busy 48 hours of discussion, exploration, camaraderie and play. Held on Friday and Saturday, 9 and 10 March, teenagers and young adults from across Cayman Brac and several from Grand Cayman took part in a range of free events designed to foster friendship, fuel fun and talk about issues of the day with peers.
Minister for Youth Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, whose ministry was the annual initiative’s gold sponsor, attended all of the events and was accompanied to several of them by Councillor Barbara Conolly.
“The entire weekend was wonderful,” said O’Connor-Connolly in a press release. “I would like this to happen more frequently because it engages so many people on the Brac and provides plenty of wholesome family entertainment. It is a superb vehicle for galvanising families and youths in community building.”
Conolly added, “It was wonderful to see the Cayman Brac community, especially the youth, engaged in positive activities that enhance their lives. The Youth Services Unit did a great job of organising events that provided fun and enriching opportunities for participants.”
Brac Spring Weekend featured six team-building events, opening with an interactive youth forum at Layman E. Scott High School sponsored by the ministry and Cayman National Bank. Attended by around 50 young people from Cayman Brac and hosted by representatives of the Cayman Islands Youth Assembly, the forum was moderated by the Cayman Islands CARICOM Youth Ambassador Team (CICYAT).
Attendees discussed teen relationships with a focus on how these impacted health and safety, academics and gender. The information shared at the Brac Youth Forum will be used to further inform the Youth Assembly’s largest forum, which will be held in Grand Cayman later this year.
“The issues facing the youth of Cayman Brac are similar to that of the issues facing the rest of the youth right across the country,” said Andrel Harris of CICYAT. “The more we discuss them the more likely it is that solutions will be found. The youth forum provided an avenue for Cayman Brac’s youth to express themselves without fear of judgment or persecution and I hope that we, as a country will help to find solutions to these issues.”
Camille Angel, Jessica Moore, Shantelle Young and Tayvis Walters from CICYAT helped lead the youth dialogue.
Cayman Islands Youth Assembly President Brianna Bodden also took part. “Brac Spring Weekend was a resounding success,” said the Cayman Prep student and Proud of Them honouree. “It was a great opportunity for everyone to meet and talk about things that shape our lives and enjoy the organised activities.”
Sports fans were also drawn to the high school’s basketball courts to watch the 3/3 basketball tournaments, with both the junior and senior tournaments attracting enthusiastic crowds.
“The unit delivered a weekend jam-packed with activities that invigorated and engaged multiple generations in the Brac,” said YSU coordinator James Myles. “It would not have been possible without sponsorship from our community partners and the ministry, as well as the community coming out to participate.”
The second day of events included a scavenger hunt, dominoes tournament, and car and bike show.
The weekend closed out with a social at South Side Public Beach.
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