As the Caribbean faces increasingly frequent and severe hurricanes, floods, and other climate-related disasters, children and youth are stepping forward to support their peers’ mental health and resilience in the face of these mounting threats.
In a groundbreaking initiative, 42 young authors from 23 countries and territories across the region have collaborated with UNICEF and regional partners to create Caribbean Youth Mind Volume II: A Play and Activity Book on Climate Change, Natural Disasters, and Mental Health. Released during a regional workshop held in observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, the publication offers creative, child-friendly tools designed to help children manage stress and maintain emotional well-being during climate crises.
The handbook uses art, coloring, and interactive exercises to promote psychological resilience and teach coping strategies. Many of the young contributors, some as young as nine years old, drew directly from their own experiences with natural disasters, violence, and other life challenges.
The launch event was supported by the Government of Barbados, the Pan American Health Organization, the youth advocacy group Let’s Unpack It, and a regional alliance that includes the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the University of the West Indies, CDEMA, CYEN, and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition.
Bertrand Moses, a UNICEF Child Protection Officer who led the creation of the first volume, said the second installment was inspired by his experiences working in emergency shelters following Hurricane Beryl in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
“As I moved through the shelters interacting with children, one young girl asked if there was anything she could use to write or draw with,” he recalled. “That question stayed with me. I began to think about what resources we could create to help children prepare for and cope with disasters—before, during, and after—and process the mental health impact of climate change. That’s how this project came to life.”
At the event, Barbados Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael, urged youth to challenge stigma surrounding mental health. “I want to see a generation of young people in Barbados leading these conversations. When we hear harmful rhetoric, we must speak up, challenge those assumptions, and begin shifting our culture.”
David Johnson, Chair of Let’s Unpack It, emphasized that mental health is essential to overall well-being. “We must do more to protect the right of every child and adolescent to psychological health and emotional support.”
From a youth engagement perspective, Reginald Burke, Executive Coordinator of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), stressed the importance of including young people in climate resilience efforts. “The Caribbean cannot meaningfully respond to climate change and disaster risk without the involvement of its young citizens. If we’re serious about building resilience, youth must be central to the process. Mental health is still a taboo in many places, but it’s critical. The stress of hurricanes, droughts, or floods takes a toll on children. Caribbean Youth Mind is a powerful tool that helps them understand the climate crisis and its emotional consequences.”
The project includes contributions from youth in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Related Topics
