Community Impact Programme Showcases Entrepreneurial Talents in Festive Season Exhibition

Aspiring entrepreneurs who honed their skills in the Community Impact Programme toasted a successful showcase at the Community Development Department on Thursday, as the event highlighted their creativity, determination, and potential for thriving businesses this festive season.

The exhibition and marketplace marked the culmination of a 12-week programme at seven community resource centres, offering courses in cosmetology, hair braiding, nail technology, and soap making, among other skills.

Acting Chief Community Development Officer Yolande Skeete said the programme was partly to boost participants’ sales.

“This is just a snippet of what would have been done during 2024, but the exhibition at this time is to showcase the products and have some publicity for the participants and of course, some sales as well,” she said.

Skeete revealed that more community and resource centres will participate in a larger exhibition next year at Sky Mall, in February.

“The participants are excited; they’re excited to have the opportunity to showcase their products and, of course, to get some sales as well,” she said.

One of the participants, cosmetologist Marisa Bynoe, completed the hair braiding course, learning knotless braids, box braids, rope twists, island twists, natural hair styling, and feeding cornrows. She described her experience as tremendously refreshing.

“My aim was to enhance my qualities and get better at learning what they’re doing. I can say going to the programme, my style and quality have increased by, I would say, by ten,” Bynoe said.

She hopes to see an influx of customers for the upcoming holidays.

“Thus far, since I’ve been here, I’ve had a couple of persons ask a lot of questions. So I’m hoping that for the Christmas season, I can see a ramp-up in the number of clients I have from coming here today.”

She advised Barbadians to participate in the free courses: “Take part in all of these activities that the community centres have to offer because there’s nothing like being self-employed and, you know, given what we went through in COVID, COVID told us that you needed to be self-sufficient.”

The cosmetologist added: “This will help especially persons who are finishing school. There’s the CAPE [Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination], there are so many things that can be done at the community centre, and they will encourage all persons to get involved.”