The Rotary Club of Barbados South extends heartfelt congratulations to two of our exemplary young Rotarians and Directors on their newest appointments.
Director of Youth Kemi Brewster is now the 2025/26 Barbados Representative on the District 7030 Interact committee.
Director of Public Image Graham Belle is now the President of the Barbados Apiculture Association.
We wish them both continued success in all their undertakings as they continue to make us proud.
We were addressed by our distinguished guest speaker Mrs. Lee Carter on Redefining Literacy - beyond reading and Writing in Special Education.
Mrs. Carter has worked in special needs education for the past 28years. During this period, she completed teacher training for students with neurodiversity, general education, special needs education and psychometric testing. She completed a Masters in Innovation and Learning in teaching. She currently works as in Student Support Services at the Ministry of Education and Innovation Technology as a Peripatetic Learning Support Teacher and a part time tutor at the Erdiston Teachers' Training College for the Neuroscience and Special Education component of the Post Graduate Diploma in Special Education.
Mrs. Carter reminded us that we have inherited a culture of assessing literacy and by extension intelligence based on one's proficiency in reading and writing. She then drew our attention to the evolution of literacy by reminding us of the number of ways in which we use technology to maneuver in the world without engaging in reading or writing using things such as voice notes, GPS, YouTube instruction etc. and the implications for people with special needs.
People with specialized needs are not less capable, they simply require other approaches to achieve their potential. The system of education must therefore provide the support they require in order to give them the opportunity to excel, thereby ensuring that education is not equal but equitable.
When we stop measuring people by what they cannot do and celebrate what they can do, we will unleash enormous potential. Inclusion drives innovation. Mrs. Carter gave us a number of excellent examples of renowned individuals who by traditional standards to assessment of literacy, will be regarded as below par but who have excelled in unparalleled ways. They are well known for their intillect despite dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and blindness.
She encouraged a multi-sensory approach to literacy in which we support individual learning styles, such that we may benefit from the intelligence and competence of all. She advocated for a social rather than a medical approach to assisting people with exceptionality. The Ministry of Educational Transformation has started to insert initiatives into the school curriculum to better support the social needs of all students; any such initiatives, will be slow without the support of and partnership with organizations like Rotary, helping to meet the material and technical needs of the system.
She encouraged us to engage in hiring strategies in our businesses, that take account of exceptionality and rewards it rather than penalize it. A perfect example is the hiring of an autistic individual in spaces where attention to detail is important. The hyper-focus of an autistic individual can be a superpower in such circumstances. She reminded us to take advantage of the value of exceptionality and not be restricted in our assessment of literacy.
She invited us to embrace the expanded definition of literacy proffered by UNESCO which states: Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society. Generally, literacy also encompasses numeracy, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. The concept of literacy can be distinguished from measures to quantify it, such as the literacy rate and functional literacy.
In what can only be described as an amazing coincidence, at this meeting, we had the pleasure of also hosting our District 7030 Learning Facilitator PP Tanya Western from the Rotary Club of Port of Spain Central.
Wednesday September 10th 12:30pm Zoom Business Meeting
Highlights:
The monthly business meeting included presentations on fundraising activities and the upcoming "Dining in the Dark" event
Social and emotional learning sessions have started in 5 schools (Lodge School, St. George Secondary, Princess Margaret, Good Shepherd Primary, and St. Leonard's Boys)
A subcommittee led by PP Steven Broome has been established to assess the inclusive play project
Fundraising committee's plans and objectives for the current Rotary year.
Three main funding sources: fundraisers, grants (district and global), and sponsorships/donations
The outlined objectives include hosting one internal fundraiser (Dining in the Dark), one external funding event (Classical Best of Youth), and potentially a movie night to raise $25,000 to cover the cost of Christmas hampers
District grant applications will be made for 5 projects: Orthopedic Shoe Project, Little Libraries, Accessible Agriculture, Burns Unit support, and Bees as Pollinators
We will continue the global grant application in conjunction with District 5280 for sensory playrooms at Luther Thorne Primary and Eden Lodge Nursery, pending Ministry of Education sign-off
Rtn Glyne suggested direct appeals to the public involving the use of existing infrastructure like SurePay to allow people to easily donate to the club
Rtn Robert proposed that we should pair the Little Libraries project with an existing reading program
Conclusion
The club needs to raise approximately $303,200 for various projects
About 50-55% of funds are already secured or committed
Additional fundraising ideas are welcome to help us to meet our targets
Dining in the Dark Event
Director Graham presented details about the upcoming Dining in the Dark event.
Details
A three-course dinner prepared by award-winning chef Dane Sadler where participants will be blindfolded
The event will take place on October 9th at St. Dominic's Catholic Church at 6:30pm with a contribution of $175 per person
The event aims to raise awareness about visual impairment while raising funds for advanced wearable technology for visually impaired students
The registration deadline is September 20th and payment is due by October 1st
The event is primarily internal but members are encouraged to invite other Rotarians and friends
Spaces are limited so early registration is encouraged
Social and Emotional Learning Program Update
The SEL project has finally started in 5 schools
The participating schools are: The Lodge School, St. George Secondary School, Princess Margaret Secondary School and Good Shepherd Primary School (funded by Massy Foundation), and St. Leonard's Boys (funded by WIBISCO)
The program will run from September to November 2025
The program is currently in the teacher sensitization and planning phase
The schools were selected by the Ministry of Education
Inclusive Play Project Status
President Jacklyn Broomes addressed the absence of the inclusive play project from the fundraising list.
Details
She explained that due to concerns about equipment integrity raised at previous meetings, the board has decided to establish a subcommittee to deal with inclusive play
PP Steven Broome will head the subcommittee to assess the current state of the project and develop a plan forward
The project is on hold pending the subcommittee's assessment
No fundraising commitments will be made until the assessment is complete
Outstanding Matters:
Securing the remaining 45-50% of funding needed for planned projects
Finding a location to store 4,000 pairs of shoes for the Orthopedic Footwear project
Obtaining Ministry of Education sign-off on the Memorandum of Understanding for the sensory playrooms global grant
Assessing the integrity of equipment for the inclusive play project
Wednesday September 17th- 6:30pm Zoom
At this online meeting, we were addressed by Ms. Marisa Hutchinson a gender development and environment practitioner on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) concepts, their importance and implementation challenges.
Key takeaway
DEI implementation faces challenges including leadership commitment, unconscious bias, and balancing meritocracy with diversity goals
Definitions and Concepts
Marisa Hutchinson: Defined diversity as relating to identities, experiences, and backgrounds including race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status
she explained equity as focusing on fairness and removing barriers that prohibit equal opportunities, distinguishing it from equality
She described inclusion as making people feel welcome, respected and involved in processes
Importance of DEI
The reasons DEI matters include fairness, diverse perspectives, better outcomes, staff retention, organizational reputation, meeting expectations, and legal/regulatory compliance
Challenges in DEI Implementation
lack of leadership commitment and unconscious bias in the decision making process
legacy systems, mindset changes, and compound effects of multiple diversity factors
The question of embracing diversity without creating resentment or appearing discriminatory
Balancing DEI with meritocracy; to avoid hiring based on diversity factors rather than qualifications (tokenism)
recognizing that DEI doesn't trump meritocracy but requires looking deeper at systemic issues and barriers and their trickle-down effects
Ensuring full participation and inclusion of diverse members beyond mere representation
Conclusion
Marisa emphasized the need to be "intentional" in DEI implementation
She encouraged openness to learning from different perspectives while acknowledging that everyone might have different beliefs
It is important to build teams based on capabilities while eliminating biases
All in all, there was lively discussion and the conversation was all encompassing as regards diversity of all types and not restricted to considerations of disability.
Wednesday September 24th- 12:30pm In-person
At this meeting Rotaract South President Melanie August addressed the club on personal cyber security.
President Melanie is an entrepreneur, former security analyst and proud recipient of a National Humanitarian Award. Her experience as a security analyst was clear as she highlighted the numerous ways in which we make ourselves vulnerable to attack by online criminals and the myriad of mechanisms that are utilized to capitalize on our lack of vigilance.
After a very comprehensive introduction to the tenants of cybersecurity, we came away with knowledge of what constitutes our personally identifiable information, the types of information we need to protect and those things which make us easy targets online.
The mechanisms she encouraged to help us protect ourselves include but are not limited to the following:
1. The use of multi-factor authentication on all accounts
2. Avoid completing online surveys from unknown sources
3. Only download apps from credible sources
4. Always use a VPN on public networks
5. Only use websites with secure URL (https://)
6. Do not open attachments of emails from unknown senders
7. Create and use strong passwords, preferably with at least 15 characters
8. Use unique passwords for all accounts
9. Set social media profiles to private and avoid adding strangers as contacts
These are just a sample of the guidelines provided. We were given a handout with 33 mechanisms to be safe online.
All in all, we received excellent guidance on the highest standards for personal cyber security. Thank you President Melanie.
Wednesday October 1st-In-person 6:30pm - Honorary Rotarian Dr Kevin Greenidge on BIMPAY
Wednesday October 8th-No meeting (Dining in the Dark on the 9th)
Wednesday October 15th -Lunchtime Zoom 12:30pm - Business Meeting
Wednesday October 22nd- Evening Zoom 6:30pm - Honorary Rotarian Janelle Skinner on Inclusivity
Wednesday October 29th - Evening In-Person Joint Club Meeting 6:30pm
Upcoming Events
October is Economic and Community Development Month
World sight Day - Dining in the Dark - October 9th
World Polio Day - October 24th (Pints and Pizza for Polio)
Meals on Wheels
Red Cross Building Warrens
Thursday October 16th
at 8:30 AM
Bridgetown Feeding
Independence Square Bridgetown
Monday October 27th
at 5:30 PM
Inspirational
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
– Dr Martin Luther King
Club Directors & Officers
President: Jacklyn Broomes
Vice President: PP Stephen Broome
Immediate Past President: PP Terry Hall
President Elect: Kerryann Ifill
Secretary: Ryan Best
Treasurer: Dion Franklin
Director Service Projects: Shem Scantlebury
Director Club Administration: Morexa Martin-Gardiner
Director Rotary Foundation: PP Vivian-Ann Gittens
Director Public Image: Graham Belle
Director of Membership: Carrie-Ann Morris-Searle
Director of Youth: Kemi Brewster
Sergeant-at-Arms: PP Brian Lashley
Rotary International Officers
President - Francesco Arezzo
President Elect - Olayinka Hakeem Babalola
General Secretary/CEO - John Hewko
District Officers
District Governor - Soraya Warner-Gustave (St Lucia)
District Governor Elect - Maurice Saad (Pointe-a-Pitre)
Assistant Governor - Paul Ashby (Barbados)
Let's Celebrate
Belated Birthdays
17th September- Dion Franklin
27th September- Terry Hall
30th September- Hiranand Thani
Birthdays
4th October - Linette Mapp PIS Malcolm Mapp
5th October - Marcel Murell
6th October - Brian Lashley
11th October - Jacklyn Broomes
29th October - Ann-Marie Elcock-Connolly PIS George Connolly
Anniversaries
21st October - Malcolm Mapp and PIS Linette
Rotary Club of Barbados South - Spotlight
Social and Emotional Learning Initiative Begins
After a number of delays, we have officially started our Social and Emotional Learning project in 5 schools. The five schools involved are The Lodge School, St. George Secondary School, Princess Margaret Secondary School and Good Shepherd Primary School (funded by Massy Foundation), and St. Leonard's Boys (funded by WIBISCO).
The teachers involved were introduced to the process in advance. Starting this week, the process continued with the parents and children. The schedule for the start is indicated below. Anyone who is interested in participating but has not yet volunteered, please contact IPP Terry to see how you can help.
SEL Schedule for Week 1 (September 29th - October 3rd)
Tree Planting at Barbados Community College
In our quest to make an impact on the environment, twelve trees were planted on the campus of the Barbados Community College. This initiative was executed after the BCC Convocation ceremony. These 12 trees represent one for each faculty. Just another small installation as we continue to build our relationship with the college.
New Agrokids School
As we continue to expand our impact in our Agrokids program, we recently completed a new shade house and installed a water tank at St Paul's Primary. This shade house and water tank were sponsored by a district grant. Stay tuned for more on Agrokids as we approach our 5th anniversary on World Food Day, October 16th.
Image showing the brand new district funded shade house at St Paul's Primary School
Bridgetown Feeding
Another successful installation of Bridgetown feeding was completed on September 29th 2025. PP Brian, PP Hiranand and PP Marcel provided the meals on behalf of RCBS. A total of 120 meals were distributed. This month, we had an excellent turnout of Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Barbados West.
Thank you to everyone who came out to assist. This project makes a significant impact on the lives of needy Barbadians and none of this will be possible without you.
Celebrating a Record Year for the Rotary Foundation
Thank you for giving to The Rotary Foundation!
Your generosity helped us reach several milestones in 2024-25 that will bring hope, resources, and sustainable solutions to more communities around the globe.
Together, we raised more than US$569 million in the Rotary year that just ended! These funds are more than just donations — they are the means that allow the Foundation to support service projects in communities close to home and around the world.
Together, we reached an incredible goal of surpassing US$2.050 billion for our Endowment. This achievement dramatically enhances the long-term resources available for members to undertake life-changing initiatives far into the future.
Thanks to you, we’ve been achieving meaningful change. In 2024-25 The Rotary Foundation was able to:
Award 1,424 global grants, 468 district grants, and 74 disaster response grants
Renew our agreement with the Gates Foundation, recommitting to the fight to end polio
Award the Programs of Scale grant to an initiative that works to build peace in Colombia
Partner with Symbiosis International University to create a Rotary Peace Center in India
Because of you, Rotary members are able to address the world’s toughest challenges. This means helping people access clean water, education, health care, and disaster relief, while working steadfastly to eradicate polio.
Doing Good in the World starts with people like you. Thank you, for your generosity.
Sincerely,
The Rotary Foundation
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
More than 30,000 set to gather in Taipei for Rotary International Convention in June 2026
TAIPEI (17 Sept. 2025) – While in Taipei this week, Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo announced that more than 30,000 Rotary members and participants from over 120 countries will gather in Taipei, Taiwan 13-17 June 2026 for the membership service organization’s annual international convention.
The Rotary convention is expected to inject US$50-55 million into the local economy, and drive significant business for Taipei’s hotels, restaurants, retailers, and tourism attractions. Taipei was selected as the site of the 2021 Rotary convention, but the event was cancelled because of the COVID pandemic.
Held in a different city each year, Rotary’s international conventions serve as a hub for members and participants to connect and learn from each other and a range of experts on how to take action to address issues in their communities and promote health, peace, and prosperity in communities across the globe.
“Rotary conventions are powerful moments of unity, where people from every corner of the world come together to connect, celebrate service, and spark new ideas for creating a healthier and more peaceful future,” said Arezzo. “We’re honored to welcome the global Rotary family to Taipei in June 2026, and I look forward to reconnecting with old friends and making new ones as we share in the joy of our collective work to uplift communities around the world.”
In June, convention attendees will transform the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and the Taipei Dome into an energized hub and cultural mosaic as the global network of volunteers gain inspiration from more than 100 humanitarian projects on exhibit and from world class speakers.
“Taipei City is very happy to welcome over 30,000 Rotary members from all over the world to the Rotary convention next year,” said City Mayor Wan-An Chiang. “Taipei is ready, and will extend our warmest hospitality to all the Rotary members to ensure that they have an unforgettable and fruitful visit in our city.”
Organized by Rotary International in conjunction with local Rotary members, the convention presents an opportunity to showcase Taipei’s culture, food, and attractions. “Rotary in Taipei and across Taiwan is thrilled to welcome Rotary members and participants from around the world back to Taiwan since we last hosted the Rotary international convention in 1994,” said Rotary Host Organizing Committee Chair, Jackson Hsieh. “I’m excited to share Taipei’s vibrant culture, innovative cuisine, creative and friendly spirit and highlight the positive and lasting change Rotary brings globally and locally.”
Rotary’s members throughout the world develop and implement sustainable, community-driven projects that fight disease, promote peace, provide clean water, support education, help mothers and children, grow local economies and protect the environment. Over the last 100 years, US$5.5 billion has been awarded through The Rotary Foundation – Rotary’s charitable arm that helps clubs work together to perform meaningful, impactful service.
In Taiwan, Rotary members are engaged in a wide range of community service projects that bring science education programs to rural schools, support Indigenous communities through environment and vocational training, tackle e-waste through computer refurbishing and donation programs, provide meals and companionship to senior citizens, and much more.
Registration is open for the 2026 District Conference in St Lucia
Rotary District 7030 Conference 2026 – St. Lucia Awaits!
Save the Date: 22nd to 25th April 2026 Location: Stunning Saint Lucia
Get ready to Experience Rotary in Paradise at the 2026 District Conference!
From vibrant culture to breathtaking views, this conference will be a celebration of Service, Fellowship, and Impact. Don’t miss your chance to connect, collaborate, and create lasting memories with Rotarians from across our District.
The Rotaract Club of South Barbados has been quite busy contributing to our society for Basic Education and Literacy month. Through cooperating with social workers, they donated school uniforms to two children.
Additionally, they hosted a booth at the Barbados Community College Convocation event to introduce new students to RCSB while joining RCBS in a tree planting exercise at the BCC compound
In addition to these, they took on an amazing educational/beautification exercise by decorating the quadrangle of the infants department of Bay Primary School with fun educational game templates which will allow the children to be educated through play. Well done Rotaract South. Your community service projects are genuinely making a beautiful impact on society.
Images from the community outreach project at Bay Primary
Please click the images below to find out more about our club members
Past Presidents
Paul Harris Fellow
Honorary Rotarians
THE OBJECT OF ROTARY
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and in particular, to encourage and foster:
First: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
Second: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
Third: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business and Community life.
Fourth: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service
THE FOUR WAY TEST
ROTARY GRACE
RCBS Banking Information
Club Account: CIBC Rendezvous 09616-1625923
Charitable Trust Inc. Account: CIBC Bridgetown 09606– 1001168072
Mailing Address: Club Secretary, G.P.O Box #995, Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies.
Rotary Club of Barbados South Charter Banner