Students Empowered with Lifesaving Skills Through Street
Fourteen secondary school students from across the Virgin Islands completed a three-day Street Doctors programme that combined lifesaving first-aid with youth leadership, peer facilitation and violence-prevention training. The UK-based charity-funded initiative, supported by the UK Health Security Agency and coordinated locally by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Social Development, aims to place young people at the centre of solutions to youth violence.
Fourteen secondary school students representing Elmore Stoutt High School, Bregado Flax Educational Centre, Claudia Creque Educational Centre, St. George's Secondary School, the Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies (VISTS), and the BVI Seventh-day Adventist School have successfully completed a three-day Street Doctors training programme in the Virgin Islands, the Government of the Virgin Islands said in a press release.
Organisers said the programme, delivered by the UK-based charity Street Doctors and funded through the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), combined practical emergency response instruction with modules on youth leadership, peer facilitation and strategies for preventing violence. According to the government release, the work is designed to empower young people to become peer leaders, positive influencers and advocates for safer communities.
Street Doctors CEO Martin Tilbury told participants that the charity focuses on both the physical and psychological impacts of violence and places young people at the centre of designing and delivering solutions. He said the initiative began in the Virgin Islands with focus group discussions to better understand local youth perspectives, and noted that students who arrived quiet on day one gained knowledge, skills and confidence by the end of the course.
Archer Jr. welcomed the programme and highlighted the importance of international partnerships in supporting youth development and community safety. 'This initiative represents a meaningful investment in the future of our young people — equipping them with lifesaving skills, leadership abilities, and the confidence to guide and support their peers,' he said, commending the collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Health and Social Development.
Chief Education Officer Orlandette Crabbe encouraged graduates to act as role models and to 'pay it forward' by sharing what they learned when they return to their schools. Director of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports Debra Hodge also praised the students for their participation and growth during the programme, calling their work 'phenomenal' in the government statement.
At a closing ceremony on March 4 students presented group projects outlining how they will engage peers back at school. Participants took part in a symbolic exercise attaching 'roots' and 'leaves' to a tree; organisers said the roots represented foundational lessons gained during the programme while the leaves represented the knowledge and positive messages the students intend to share.
The government release, issued by Angelique Lettsome, Information Officer at the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, said the trained students are expected to return to their schools and communities to strengthen a culture of leadership, responsibility and resilience.
Officials described the initiative as part of the Territory's commitment to empowering young people to be active contributors to safer, healthier communities. Residents seeking further information were directed to the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports' contact channels in the government statement.
The Street Doctors programme continues to expand internationally with the aim of equipping young people with practical emergency skills and the confidence to lead peer-based violence-prevention work.
Primary source: BVI Government