Pinelands Creative Workshop is a diverse program operating in an under-served area of Barbados. They exist to uplift community members to level the educational field and help the Pines compete for an opportunity to learn at the best schools. They also provide job training and experiences to expand career opportunities to teenage and adult members.
Barbados is a thriving island situated in the Caribbean. It mainly relies on tourism dollars and therefore offers many opportunities centered around the service and entertainment industries. Pinelands Creative Workshop offers many classes to help its community compete for jobs in these sectors.
Earlier this year through their FiND (Facilitating Inclusive Development in Communities) program members were able to participate in classes to hone their skills in the restaurant industry. They took part in bartending and mixology classes and also cookery classes. Leandria Knight was excited to expand her skills as a chef, most specifically as a pastry chef. Pinelands understands that bridging training with real world opportunities helps their members stand out in the field.
Recognizing the importance of entertainment in a highly tourist area, Pinelands emphasizes development in dance, theatre, music, and backstage production. Just last month Barbados hosted Carifesta a huge festival that Pinelands took part in. They took advantage of visiting cultures and brought many classes and workshops into the Pines.
Ronique Holden took part in several of the workshops offered focused on the cultures of Trinidad and Cuba. It was an opportunity to learn more dance styles, build stamina, and learn about neighboring cultures. It was also a way to highlight the importance of preserving and promoting folk culture and traditional Caribbean arts. Through the arts Pinelands works to inspire and engage the community. "It's what keeps us alive," reports Shelly Durant-Forde, a founding member of the program.
One of the main projects of PCW is to work with students to help them prepare for secondary school placement tests. They have introduced a program known as the Multi-Dimensional Approach to Inclusive Development which is an after school program for students in the community.Teachers and mentors work with students to strengthen academic foundations.
Bikes for the World has been donating bikes to Pinelands Creative Workshop for 20 years. In fact we are nearing 20,000 bikes! PCW receives one to two shipments a year. The bike project creates jobs for mechanics and in the bike store front where they sell bikes at a reasonable cost to the community. The bikes help with transportation and to support healthy lifestyle choices. The proceeds from sales help to support the overall costs within the project, ultimately allowing projects like those mentioned above to thrive.