News

The YMCA of the Cayman Islands and Saxon Insurance are partnering together to offer “Teen Lead On”, a leadership programme for 15 teens ages 13 to 17 taking place from 17 to 21 August. Comprising a variety of workshops and seminars, Teen Lead On will utilise the Ropes Challenge Course and other adventure-based elements across the island to provide teens with specialty leadership training. Teens will also be provided with ongoing volunteer opportunities that both serve the community and further develop their leadership competencies. In an effort to remove financial barriers, participation fees will be covered in full by Saxon.

Interested teens will have to complete a short, written application and go through an interview process in order to be considered for the course. Participants who successfully complete the programme will receive an official YMCA Leadership Certificate that will assist with school and job applications. Additionally, the cohort will be provided with opportunities to volunteer within YMCA programmes, with an expectation that they serve a minimum of 40 hours within 6 months of programme completion. Volunteer opportunities include after-school, day camp, sports, ropes course and swim lessons.

“The Y is pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to teens this summer through our partnership with Saxon whose passion for, and commitment to education and youth align with the Y’s mission. The over-arching goal of the “Teen Lead On” programme is to develop and strengthen the leadership skills of participating teens using the experiential learning model,” said Gillian Smith, Executive Director of the YMCA Cayman Islands. “Globally, the Y has a rich history of leadership development programming. Our focus on social, emotional and cognitive

youth development helps youth and teens learn, grow, and thrive. We believe that this course will have a lasting impact and benefit for the youth who complete it, and we thank Saxon for this generous grant.”

“At Saxon we take pride in our continued involvement in programmes that focus around youth development, so it was only natural to partner up with the YMCA and the Teen Lead On Summer Program. Having already launched the Saxon Investment Club and Driver’s Ed to teens across the Cayman Islands we fully support any programme that focuses on leadership and development to the future leaders of Cayman.” said Crystal Gomez, Marketing Manager of Saxon. “We look forward to building a long-term relationship with such a reputable organisation as the YMCA with the Teen Lead On programme being the first step of many towards serving our community.