Announcing Our First DEEC Program Ambassadors

Rising From Within: Meet Our First DEEC Program Ambassadors

At Sustainable People & Communities Inc. (SPCI), we believe real youth leadership doesn’t start with a title. It starts with integrity, how you show up when no one is watching.

Through the “Developing Employable, Entrepreneurial Citizens” (DEEC) Young Adult Challenge, run in partnership with the Barbados YMCA, we’ve been walking with a small group of young adults as they confront some heavy realities: low self-worth, fear of failure, procrastination, anxiety, and even more sobering, learned helplessness and hopelessness about the future.

Over the last few weeks, we asked them to do hard internal work:

• look in the mirror beyond appearance,
• question the labels they’ve carried,
• and face their mental health honestly.

Out of that process, something beautiful started to emerge:
Young women and men quietly lead by example.

Today, we’re proud to officially announce our first DEEC Program Ambassadors.

Why “Program Ambassadors”?

This program is not designed to give lectures, a webinar, or a photo-op.
It’s a live social enterprise lab where young adults are expected to think, talk, and act differently.

We chose to appoint Program Ambassadors to:

• recognize consistent effort and character,
• give young adults practical responsibilities
• and build leadership from within the cohort.

Ambassadors are selected based on:

• reliability,
• willingness to serve,
• respect for others,
• and a clear desire to grow.

DEEC Program Ambassador – Admin & Peer Support

Our first Ambassador is Abilla Clarke, a sixth-form student who joined the program looking to build confidence and gain work experience.

 

From the beginning, she has been:

• consistently present,
• willing to assist with small but important tasks,
• and quietly supporting her peers in the room and online.

Because of this, she has been appointed as:

DEEC Program Ambassador – Admin & Peer Support

In this role, she will:

• assist with onsite administration during sessions (attendance, simple organization, supporting the flow of the class),
• help with WhatsApp follow-ups and gentle reminders,
• and model the DEEC values of respect, effort, and honesty.

For her, this is not just a title. It’s practical leadership training and a line of experience for her future studies and career.

DEEC Program Ambassador – Outreach & Support

Our second Ambassador, Kiara Greaves, joined the program already carrying heavy life experiences and a clear desire to keep pushing forward, even in difficult circumstances.

She has consistently:

• engaged deeply in the sessions,
• spoken up with courage, insight, and maturity,
• and offered to help behind the scenes where needed.

Because of this, she has been appointed as:

DEEC Program Ambassador – Outreach & Support

 

In this role, she will:

• support program outreach and communication under the direction of the Program Director,
• help with follow-ups and simple coordination tasks as we build partnerships and visibility,
• and represent the program as someone who knows its impact from the inside.

This appointment is also part of her own journey of rebuilding her path and story. It gives her evidence of leadership, resilience, and service that can support future opportunities, including further study and scholarships.

What This Means for the Program

These Ambassador roles do not mean these young women are “better” than their peers.

What it does mean is:

• In DEEC, effort matters.
• Consistency is noticed.
• Growth is rewarded with responsibility, not just applause.

It also marks the beginning of a deliberate pathway:

Participant → Ambassador → Future Peer Mentor / Trainer

Our goal is to build a program team from within, so that young adults who have done the inner work can eventually help guide the next cohorts, keeping the program practical, relatable, and grounded in lived experience.

Protecting What Matters Most

Because DEEC deals with real mental health struggles, we are careful about:

• what we share publicly,
• how we protect participants’ stories,
• and how we use images and media.

Our ambassadors are being equipped, supported, and developed, with clear boundaries and the option to step back if it ever becomes too much.

What’s Next

In the previous Module, Participants were skillfully coached on how to discover their purpose by Alignment, taking a deep dive into their knowledge they have acquired or need to acquire, the things they loved and wanted to do from a child and what are their strongest of the four personality traits, and how to shape these findings into making better choices in their careers and a pathway forward. We are happy to report that now no one cann make excuses, they all have discovered their own purposes, no copy cats and can now be separated from walking around and dropping themselves in spaces which does not inspire them but as they fight like a people in quicksand to navigate as square pegs in round holes, That is over for them, they are now ready to move forward.

In our new module of  the DEEC Young Adult Challenge, “Developing the Progressive Mindset: From Survival to Growth,” starting this Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the Barbados YMCA, which will be focused on helping participants:

• move from just surviving to actively shaping their own lives,
• think critically about their choices and spaces,
• and take responsibility for leaving every environment better than they found it.

Our new Ambassadors are part of that story, not as finished products, but as young women who have decided to lean in, step up, and grow.

We’re excited to see how they develop and how their leadership will open doors for others.

If you’d like to support this work, through sponsorship or partnership, please reach out to:

Dr. Ashley C. John
Founder & Executive Director – Sustainable People & Communities Inc.
Program Director – DEEC Young Adult Challenge
[Email: info@sustainablepeoplebb.org] | [Phone +246-287-7435]