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Across the Caribbean, young people are not waiting for the future to lead change. They are documenting community experiences, generating research, advocating for healthier communities, mobilising their peers and helping to shape the decisions that affect their lives. 

On 10 September 2026, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY), in partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), brought together young leaders, youth allies and institutional partners from across the region for a powerful conversation celebrating youth leadership transforming health and health education across the Caribbean. 

Throughout the webinar, we heard inspiring examples of young people leading research, advocacy and community action, while challenging us to think more deeply about what is needed to move from simply including young people to ensuring they have meaningful opportunities to influence decisions and drive change. 

We also spotlighted the Caribbean Youth Voices – Healthy Caribbean Futures initiative, supported by the Commonwealth Foundation, and shared the journey of young people who helped co-create the Caribbean Youth Voices Handbook — a practical resource designed by and for young people to support their meaningful engagement in health decision-making.

Our Mind. Our Body. Our Wellness calls on the Caribbean to prioritise youth well-being through collective action. By supporting mental health, improving access to nutritious foods, and strengthening prevention efforts, we can create healthier environments where young people are empowered to make informed choices and contribute to the well-being of their communities.

CARPHA: As part of Caribbean Wellness Day 2026, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is inviting people across the Region to get active through the In a Sneakers campaign. 

Running from 14–18 September 2026, In Sneakers encourages Caribbean people to build more movement into their everyday lives by wearing sneakers where appropriate and choosing simple opportunities to be active throughout the day. The sneaker is intended to be a symbol of movement.

In a Sneakers is a regional physical activity campaign designed to show that being active does not always require a gym, sports programme or structured workout. Movement can happen during the activities you already do every day.

Any amount of physical activity is better than none, and physical activity accumulated through everyday tasks counts. The campaign uses sneakers as a simple, visible symbol of the choice to move more and sit less.

HCY Op-Ed: What if creating a healthier Caribbean does not begin with telling young people what to eat, how to exercise or how to live but by giving them the knowledge, confidence and voice to shape healthier choices for themselves and their communities? 

For many young people across the Caribbean, wellness is not simply a matter of knowing what the “right” choice is. It is about whether we have the opportunity and environment to make that choice. We are told to eat healthier, but nutritious food may not always be the most accessible or affordable option. We are encouraged to be active, but safe and inclusive spaces to move are not also available or well maintained. We are told to take care of our mental health, yet conversations about mental wellbeing can still be met with stigma, silence or uncertainty about where to seek support. We cannot keep telling young people to make healthier choices without asking whether we are making those choices practical, affordable and accessible.

This is why the theme for Caribbean Wellness Day 2026 to Engage, Empower and Elevate Youth matters. Wellness is not about individual behavior, it is a shared responsibility that requires a multisectoral approach, supportive cultures and environments, accessible services and inclusive policies that enable young people to thrive.

CARPHA  Media Release: The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) joins its Member States and partners across the Region in observing Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) with a renewed call for collective action to create environments that support the health, wellbeing and development of Caribbean youth. 

Caribbean Wellness Day 2026, therefore places emphasis on empowering young people aged 18–35, to make healthier choices while recognising that the responsibility for youth wellness cannot rest on young people alone. Families, schools, communities, policymakers, the private sector and regional organisations all have a role to play in creating supportive environments where healthy choices are accessible, affordable and encouraged.

Ms. Jenée Farrell, Advocacy Officer, HCC shared, “As young Caribbean people, our wellbeing is connected to so much more than individual choices, it is influenced by the environments we grow up, learn, work and live in. I hope Caribbean Wellness Day empowers young people to take an active role in their wellbeing, while reminding policymakers, institutions and communities to invest in supportive environments that allow young people to make healthy choices and thrive.”

Dr Carla Burnett, second row centre, pictured with winners alongside CARICOM and government officials at the 19th CARICOM Road Run/Walk held on Sunday, 5 July in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
Photo: CARICOM website

CARICOM: On Caribbean Wellness Day 2026, CARICOM Secretary‑General Dr Carla Barnett highlights the vital role of youth empowerment in shaping healthier futures. With the theme “Our Mind. Our Body. Our Wellness. Empowering Caribbean Youth”, she emphasises that wellness is more than the absence of illness; it is a shared responsibility to nurture mental, physical, and social well‑being across the Community. 

“The voice of CARICOM youth matters. The choices made and actions taken by young people today will impact the future of our Region. Young people must be encouraged to continue to speak up for healthy food choices and safe spaces for physical activity,” affirms the Secretary-General.

St. Martin News: Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) will be observed across the region on Saturday, September 12, reminding Caribbean communities to take action and maintain healthy lifestyles under the theme “Our Mind. Our Body. Our Wellness. Empowering Caribbean Youth.” 

CWD 2026 focus is on young people, their physical and mental well-being, and creating environments that allow Caribbean youth to make healthier choices. 

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) 2026 message emphasizes that the future health of the Caribbean is strongly influenced by the choices, opportunities and environments being created for young people today.

Inset: Aaliyah Lara, Healthy Caribbean Youth member from Trinidad and Tobago and a medical student at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine

HCY Op-Ed: The room grows quiet as a newborn’s first cry cuts through the air. Within moments, the baby is placed gently against its mother’s bare chest, fingers unfolding as it adjusts to the world outside the womb. Guided by instinct, the newborn slowly turns towards the breast in search of its first feed. It receives colostrum, the thick, golden first milk filled with nutrients and antibodies that help protect the most vulnerable new life. This is the “golden hour”. The first hour after birth, when skin-to-skin contact and the early initiation of breastfeeding can support bonding and give a newborn a strong, sustainable start to life. It is a moment that appears simple and natural, yet for many mothers across the Caribbean, it is not guaranteed. 

World breastfeeding week has been celebrated August 1st-7th every year since 1992 initially started by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). This celebration highlights the importance of breastfeeding to growing infants.

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Sagicor: Hosted by Dr. Kenneth Connell, President of the HCC and Deputy Dean of Recruitment and Outreach at the UWI Faculty of Medicine, The Wellness Effect is a video podcast series designed to educate our communities about the dangers of NCDs. It will show the impact on not just their physical but their financial wellbeing. The series is a partnership between Sagicor, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the UWI Faculty of Medicine.

Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman
Photo: Haroon Greenidge

Nation News: About 17,000 students in Barbados’ primary school system are now able to benefit from the Government’s national breakfast programme.

Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman said the initiative, launched with the new academic year, is aimed at ensuring children do not start the school day hungry. 

“We would go across the country around 9.30, 10. There were too many children with their heads on the desk,” he said. “When you ask the question, why is it that they’re like that? They’re hungry.” 

He said the breakfast initiative was part of Government’s wider education transformation programme, alongside infrastructure upgrades, technology and teacher training.

Related Media: 

Barbados TODAY: New school breakfast earns praise, first-day gripes

Barbados TODAY: Minister sends strong warning to food companies targeting school children

On 21 July 2026, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY) and the CARICOM Youth Desk hosted Speak. Shape. Lead: Youth in Caribbean Health Decision-Making, bringing together youth leaders, policymakers, civil society organisations, and regional partners from across the Caribbean to strengthen dialogue on meaningful youth engagement in health governance. View the Caribbean Youth Voices page and webinar recording here.

A key highlight of the event was the official launch of the Guidance Note for the Meaningful Engagement of Youth, Including Young People Living with Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), in Health Decision-Making. Developed through extensive consultations with young people, young people living with NCDs, allies, and regional stakeholders, the Guidance Note provides practical recommendations for governments, civil society organisations, and development partners to strengthen meaningful, inclusive, and sustained youth participation in health decision-making.

The event marked an important milestone in advancing meaningful youth engagement across CARICOM and reaffirmed the collective commitment of regional institutions, governments, civil society, and young people to ensuring that youth voices are heard, valued, and reflected in health decision-making.

 We invite you to endorse the Guidance Note here.

Read or download the press release

EarthMedic and EarthNurse are not-for-profits with global scope, with special focus on climate-vulnerable regions, anchored in the Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS), and based in Trinidad and Tobago and England, UK.

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Caribbean Wellness Day 2022 – Reimagine Healthy Spaces

The Caribbean Community is celebrating Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) 2022 under the theme “Our Neighbourhood, Our Health”. In commemoration of the day, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), are calling on the region to “Reimagine Healthy Spaces” around three main themes – Active Societies, a Smoke Free Caribbean and Healthy Schools.