U.S. Embassy Donates Books to St. George Secondary School

Juanita Lynch (right), of the U.S. Embassy presents books to Sonia Callender, librarian of St. George Secondary School

Bridgetown, Barbados, Monday, January 24, 2011  - The United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and the Barbados Youth Action Program teamed up to give a book boost to the St. George Secondary School Monday.

The Embassy gave 56 books to the school, a donation that was coordinated by the Barbados Youth Action Program (BYAP).  BYAP is an outreach group that seeks to dissuade youth from engaging in destructive and anti-social behavior. The group, several of whose members are ex-offenders in the United States, now works to encourage young people to follow a positive path in their lives, away from negative behaviors.  BYAP has received a small start-up grant from the Embassy and works closely with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in addressing critical youth-related issues.

In recent years, the Embassy has made book donations to schools, governmental units, community organizations and groups a central plank in its educational and cultural outreach efforts.  It has given over 2000 books to schools and libraries across the Eastern Caribbean in the last three years.