Long-time guest of Sandals Resorts International Shirley Seals partnered with the Sandals Foundation to support the Exuma Community Youth Band in The Bahamas, promoting youth engagement through music, with a donation of over USD $20,000. This philanthropic contribution has provided new uniforms and instruments for band members, helping to facilitate the band’s training, performances, and competitions.

The Exuma Community Youth Band (ECYB) was originally created with the aim to develop a music program for young people in the Exumas between the ages of eight (8) and nineteen (19) but had been inactive for the past five (5) years. Since 2021, ECYB has worked to revitalise the community through workshops and music lessons for children. The ECYB attracted its first sponsorship from the Sandals Foundation through guest at Sandals Emerald Bay, Shirley Seals, following a performance at the resort in December 2021.

On April 27, the ECYB debuted their new uniforms and a new sousaphone in a showcase at the 68th Annual National Family Island Regatta, the largest and oldest of the many yearly Bahamian wooden racing sloop regattas taking place in Elizabeth Harbour, Exuma.

Sousaphonist and Trumpeter in the Exuma Community Youth Band, Dashawn Bowe, said the uniforms made all the difference.

“The band got to wear our very first uniforms at the 68th National Family Regatta, an event that I have always dreamed of performing at. This band has been one of the greatest things to impact my life and has created a pathway for us by giving us exposure,” he said.

Section Leader, Kassidy Burrows, says the band’s success is a combined effort, bolstered by good leadership.

“Our band is like a family now; We've been through highs and lows, but we've gotten the privilege of creating a community. Amidst challenges, Exuma Community Youth Band continues to develop and get better and better each time, which can only be the result of teamwork, dedication, and good leadership,” she said. “As a section leader who's been here for quite a while, I must say, our band has come a long, long way. I can't wait for what lies ahead of us,” she continued.

Band Coordinator, Kelalrico Burrows, says he and the ECYB instructors are proud of the progress that band members have been able to make with the support of sponsors like Shirley Seals and the Sandals Foundation.

“Our endeavour is to ensure that no matter what happens, we will find the resources necessary to keep these children engaged and ensure that they get the kind of assistance they need to build musical capacity and keep music alive in The Bahamas,” he said. “The ECYB allows these children to see that they have the ability to create; It helps with their self-esteem…knowing that they are able to produce something collectively, as a team,” he continued.

The Exuma Community Youth Band operates as a non-profit youth organisation providing a disciplined, nurturing environment to its members, using music to drive productivity and positive change among young people in The Bahamas. Officially re-established in the summer of 2021 with twenty-one (21) children, the ECYB has now grown into a community of over one hundred (100) members, each with a dedication to facilitating musical capacity and passion in their participants.

The Sandals Foundation is committed to the development of Caribbean youth, with several projects tailored to their mentorship, creative expressions, skills, and livelihood training. Guest support remains a critical component of its network, making numerous life changing projects possible.