Jamilia Crooks-Brown, Digicel Foundation’s Special Needs and Education Programme Manager (right), shows Leo, a student at St. Christopher’s School for the Deaf, and his mother, Karen Murphy, some of the items in his new backpack, courtesy of the Foundation. Watching with joy is Natalee Walker (left), the school’s guidance counsellor
As the new school year approaches, the Digicel Foundation is helping to ensure that students with special needs head back to the classroom equipped and empowered. The Foundation visited three special needs institutions to hand over back-to-school supplies as part of its ongoing commitment to inclusive education. The schools visited include the Salvation Army School for the Blind in Kingston, Catherine Hall Primary Special Education Unit in St. James, and St. Christopher’s School for the Deaf in St. Ann.
Each school received essential school supplies such as backpacks, writing tools, notebooks, and other learning materials tailored to meet the needs of students living with disabilities. “Every child deserves a fair start, and for students with special needs, access to the right resources can make a world of difference,” said Jamilia Crooks-Brown, Special Needs and Education Programme Manager at the Digicel Foundation. “The visits are part of the Foundation’s wider back-to-school outreach, aligned with its core mission to create a world where no one gets left behind.”
Since 2004, the Digicel Foundation has invested over US$12.09 million in special needs and has built or renovated 21 special needs schools, trained over 390 teachers, parents, and caregivers, and impacted more than 170,000 lives. “We are especially proud to stand with our special needs community as the new school year begins,” added Crooks-Brown. “We’ll continue to advocate for inclusive education, invest in accessible learning spaces, and celebrate the potential in every child.”
How coding initiatives encourage educated youth to stay local
A student adjusts a humanoid robot during the fifth annual Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp presented by Brightstar. The hands-on curriculum, developed in partnership with the Mona Geoinformatics Institute, is part of a STEM initiative aimed at fostering innovation and technological literacy among Jamaican youth.
FOR decades, the Caribbean has watched its brightest talents migrate to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, pursuing opportunities that seemed unattainable at home. However, a quiet revolution is unfolding across our islands, one that is transforming the story of Caribbean youth and their future prospects.
Brightstar Lottery’s fifth annual Brightstar Coding & Robotics Rock! Camp, which took place from July 14 to 25, 2025, is more than just a technology education programme — it’s a strategic investment in increasing brain gain in our region.The concept of “brain gain” has become increasingly relevant as Caribbean nations recognise that retaining educated talent is crucial for sustainable development. Unlike traditional approaches that focus solely on economic incentives, Brightstar’s innovative camp tackles the root cause: the perception that meaningful technology careers do not exist in the Caribbean.
“We’re not just teaching students to code — we’re showing them that the Caribbean can be a launchpad for global innovation,” explains Debbie Green, general manager of Brightstar Jamaica. “When young people see that they can build cutting edge robotics projects right here in Jamaica, work with international partners like the Mona Geoinformatics Institute, and collaborate with peers across the Caribbean, they begin to envision a future where staying home means staying ahead.”This year’s camp brought together over 40 students from five Caribbean locations — Jamaica, St Kitts, St Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands. The programme’s theme, ‘Coding Opens Doors’, took on greater significance when viewed through the lens of regional development. These doors do not only lead to individual opportunities — they open pathways to transforming entire economies.
The multi-island approach is especially crucial. Instead of creating isolated pockets of expertise, the programme fosters a connected network of young innovators who view themselves as part of a larger Caribbean tech ecosystem. This interconnectedness is essential for brain gain as it shows that remaining in the Caribbean does not mean working in isolation.Amarez Huggins Delashley, from the camp’s 2024 cohort, notes, “The camp helped me to solve problems more easily; this made me think logically and solve complex problems. For example, solving a Rubik’s cube, putting together a complex puzzle, etc, the robotics camp taught me multiple shortcuts which are now helping me to easily access and use computers.”
The economic implications are profound. Traditional Caribbean industries — tourism, agriculture, and financial services — are increasingly reliant on technology. Young people trained in coding and robotics are not just prepared for hypothetical future jobs, they are enabled to innovate within existing industries and to develop entirely new ones.“We’re witnessing the emergence of a generation that sees technology as a tool for Caribbean empowerment, not escape. These students are learning that they can build international-standard solutions while addressing uniquely Caribbean challenges. That’s the foundation of sustainable brain gain,” says Green.
The camp’s collaboration with the Mona Geoinformatics Institute enhances academic rigour and local relevance in the curriculum. Students are not merely acquiring generic programming skills, they are investigating how technology can tackle Caribbean-specific issues such as climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and sustainable tourism.
“Our partnership with Brightstar represents a critical shift in how we approach technology education in the Caribbean. By providing coding and robotics training in real Caribbean scenarios — from hurricane tracking, general software development and coastal monitoring to environmental stewardship — at MGI we help students see that some of the most exciting technological opportunities exist right here at home. These young innovators are not just learning to code, they are learning to build solutions for the Caribbean and beyond.”
Fun fact: Students from other islands are already envisioning projects that could assist with oil spill clean-up — something that is very important for our environment here.The programme’s success is measured not only by the technical skills gained but also by the changed perspectives about the Caribbean’s potential. Participants leave with more than just coding knowledge, they carry a vision of the Caribbean as a place where innovation thrives and where young talent is nurtured.
The broader After School Advantage programme, which operates 38 centres across the English-speaking Caribbean, provides the infrastructure for this transformation. These centres ensure that the camp’s impact extends well beyond two weeks, establishing year-round communities of learning and innovation.
Programmes like Brightstar’s camp offer a path forward that does not require choosing between progress and place. By investing in technology education that is both world-class and locally relevant, Brightstar is not just training programmers — they are cultivating the architects of our region’s digital future.
The true measure of success for initiatives like this will not be reflected in graduation statistics or job placement rates, but in the young Caribbean professionals who, in 10 years’ time, will be leading technology companies, developing innovative solutions, and mentoring the next generation — all while calling the Caribbean home.
Students at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation’s Mandeville branch participate in one of the level II sessions during the 2025 Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp presented by Brightstar..
Jamaica Highlights 