Girls aged 12 to 17 spent the day confronting some of the toughest issues facing their generation — bullying, self-esteem, gang violence and sexuality — during a mentorship workshop hosted by the Ricardo Barriteau Drue Foundation at Hodges Bay Resort & Spa yesterday.

The workshop, titled “I am, I will,” was held under the patronage of the Halo Foundation and featured a lineup of speakers including members of Team Antigua Island Girls, police officers, senators, and Her Excellency Lady Williams, wife of the Governor General.

Nicola Barriteau, mother of the foundation’s namesake, the late Ricardo Drue, who died on December 12, 2023, said the goal was to remind young women of their worth during a particularly vulnerable stage of life.

“We know that this time is a difficult time for them, hormones are raging, their perception of life is different, social media is a killer,” Barriteau said. “We really just wanted to address some of those important and urgent issues with them today.”
She said the broader aim of the day was to affirm that every girl has value, regardless of the path she chooses.

“Ensuring that young women in Antigua and Barbuda and across the region understand that they are important, they are enough and they can be whatever they want to be,” she said.

The workshop is part of a growing body of programming from the foundation, which Barriteau said was established in 2023 to carry out a vision her son had before his death — creating opportunities for young people to pursue arts and entertainment, even when they can’t afford formal training.

“Not everyone is able to afford the lessons or training for their children,” she said. “So the foundation was formed to give children in Antigua and Barbuda, and by extension we can move across the region, a home where they can apply their trade, hone their skills and embrace arts and entertainment.”

Previous initiatives include a 2025 workshop for boys addressing crime and gang violence, which brought in two formerly incarcerated men to speak candidly about the realities of a life of crime, and a 2024 series of “legacy workshops” connecting young people with figures from the arts and entertainment world.

Barriteau said the foundation’s next goal is to secure a permanent centre dedicated to arts, entertainment and empowerment programming.

“Instead of us going to them, they can come to us and we embrace it,” she said.
Anyone interested in donating or getting involved with the foundation can email [email protected].

The nonprofit says it remains committed to realising Ricardo Drue’s vision through the Ricardo Barriteau Drue Foundation for Arts, Entertainment, Innovation, and Empowerment, headquartered in Antigua and Barbuda.