The Ashley Lashley Foundation, with support from the United States Government, has completed a two-day climate resilience workshop in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, part of its regional initiative “Community-Driven Strategies for Stability and Resilience.”
Held at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, the workshop brought together diverse stakeholders to co-create practical climate solutions grounded in lived experience. “Our islands may be separated by water, but our struggles are deeply connected,” said Ashley Lashley, Founder of the Foundation and Youth Advisor to the UN Secretary-General. “Empowerment means putting power in the hands of those living the crisis; youth, women, farmers, fisherfolk. This workshop ensures they’re no longer left out of the room.”
The workshop, held from 4th– 5th September, is part of a broader programme taking place in Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The two-day workshop began with a focus on community, featuring sessions on Community Action Planning and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, along with sector-based focus groups that engaged youth, women, MSMEs, farmers, and other key voices. On the second day, the agenda shifted toward policy and advocacy, with training on messaging and data use, a private sector roundtable on climate resilience, interactive simulation exercises with decision-makers, and a closing session for community commitments and networking.
This initiative supports the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) and the creation of inclusive National Adaptation Plans across the Caribbean. Its ultimate goals include:
- People-centered policy briefs submitted to national governments,
- Regional toolkits for climate adaptation rooted in community knowledge, and
- Sustainable peer networks to foster ongoing collaboration.
“It really shows us that together as people of the Caribbean, our brothers and sisters, when we’re talking about adaptation, when we’re talking about resilience, when we’re talking about climate justice, it's really through three overarching pillars of strength, creativity, and of course, community; And community is what represents the heart of what we as Caribbean people know as resilience,” Lashley emphasised. “That’s how we move beyond talk and toward real, just, and lasting action.”
Founded in Barbados, the Ashley Lashley Foundation champions youth empowerment, climate justice, health equity, and gender inclusion across the Caribbean. Its mission is to centre the voices of the most vulnerable in the decisions that shape their future.
