CHOGM Outreach Programme Visits More Than 50 Schools Across Antigua

More than 50 government and private primary and secondary schools across Antigua have been visited through the National Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Task Force’s schools outreach programme.

Launched on September 21, the initiative has taken presentations to communities across the island, including Old Road, Freetown, Willikies, Five Islands, Greenbay and Cedar Grove.

Everton Barnes, Co-Lead of the National Task Force’s Media and Public Affairs Committee, said grouping visits by geographical area has allowed the team to reach several schools each day.

He explained that the team identifies schools within a particular region and visits up to five in that area, helping to maximise the programme’s reach.

Barnes credited Joshuanette Francis of Good Humans 268 as a driving force behind the initiative, noting that she has participated in every school visit so far.

The presentations explain the Commonwealth’s role and its composition as a voluntary association of 56 nations, many of which are former British territories. Students also learn about the significance of CHOGM, with presentations adapted to suit primary and secondary school audiences.

According to the outreach team, feedback from students and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive, with some teachers saying they also gained new knowledge from the sessions.

Monday’s visits included Baptist Academy’s primary and secondary schools, the Lutheran School and Minoah Magnet Primary. The programme is scheduled to continue on Tuesday with stops at Princess Margaret School, Grace Christian Academy, Wesleyan Junior Academy, Better Chance Primary and the Adele School.

Francis also uses the sessions to promote recycling, displaying a national flag made with discarded bottle caps arranged to represent its colours.

She encourages teachers to incorporate CHOGM-related activities into subjects such as mathematics, English and geography, extending the programme’s educational value beyond the presentations.