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Drama spreads message of Caribbean integration to school children
Children Learn About Unified Market
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Photo: Chemonics/Clem Johnson
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School children enjoy a Caribbean Vizion performance in Dominica.
“The program was very informative and enlightening, and provided critical information to the students in a humorous and easy way for students to grasp,” said Miss De. Gallerie, Principal of Chesney George Secondary School, Barbuda.
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Life in the islands of the Caribbean is changing. As countries open up trade policies, they are unifying to meet challenges associated with their new realities. Through the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, the islands are harnessing more resources, increasing individual and regional competitiveness and strengthening their economies.
The process is complicated enough for adults to understand, so how can Caribbean children — the market’s beneficiaries — learn about its importance and influence on their lives? Caribbean Vizion, a local organization that supports free trade, developed an engaging, informative show to teach kids about the change. “The Single Market Shop” is a play that uses humor, song, and dance to convey how the Single Market can have a positive impact on peoples’ lives.
USAID funded nine performances in May and June of 2006 in Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica to school children aged seven to 16. Through these performances, more than 800 children learned about many common concerns of a unified market including crime, drugs, unemployment, and cultural identity. The message was further enhanced by interaction between the cast — who come from the entire Caribbean region — and the audience after each performance.
School principals and teachers hailed the show as a great success. “The program was very informative, enlightening, and provided critical information to the students in a humorous and easy way for students to grasp the concept of the single market”, said Miss De. Gallerie, Principal of Chesney George Secondary School, Barbuda.
Students are now actively talking about what this change means for them. They are sharing the information with their friends and family and positive discussions are taking place. Now, as change continues both young and old are becoming better prepared to participate and contribute to a more unified region.
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