Twenty-one students from Ocho Rios Primary School recently received insight into the dynamic range of creative careers they could pursue as the Sandals Foundation hosted a special Reading Road Trip with social impact creator Joel Nomdarkham for his first children’s book Future Makers: A Guide to 30 Creative Careers.

Future Makers showcases creative professionals from eight Caribbean countries including Jamaica, Barbados, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis, highlighting details about their fields. The school visit forms part of a region-wide effort to engage schools and libraries across the Caribbean through interactive activities, career workshops, storytelling sessions, and hands-on discussions to inspire and empower students on career opportunities that exist within non-traditional spaces. 

With guest speaker Yvette Noel-Schure, Chief Communications Officer at Schure Media Group and head of publicity for multi–Grammy Award-winning artiste Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment, students were captivated by stories exemplifying how their talents and creative interests could propel them into innovative careers.

The book is published by iMagiNation Books, an accessible publishing imprint headed by Latoya West-Blackwood, incorporating embedded multimedia content featuring sign language interpretation. The Sandals Foundation has donated some $5-million to support content production, print and distribution of the first 1000 copies of the book, as well as 1-year licensing and the execution of schools tours in Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, and The Bahamas.