The Bridgetown Hub of the Global Shapers community was recently launched by Founding Curator of the Hub, Niel Harper, Managing Director at Octave Consulting Group, and Advisory Board Member of the Caribbean Cyber Security Centre, who is also a Fellow to both the British Computer Society and the Internet Society.

He brings his expertise in information technology management, cybersecurity, ICT regulation and policy and leadership development by working with the initial group of Global Shapers on initiatives focusing on mentoring, education and career development for the youth of Barbados. Thus far, three Global Shapers have been recruited for the Bridgetown Hub. They are Kemar Saffrey, Toni Thorne and Sade Jemmott. The next recruitment drive for the Bridgetown Hub will begin in early-May.

In a statement to local media, Mr. Harper said, “Barbados has a wealth of exceptional young people involved in a diverse range of professional activities. My goal is bring these progressive individuals together to act as a catalyst towards social and economic change. We have a very dynamic and vibrant Hub in Bridgetown, and these young leaders who have been recruited are committed to serving their country. They will also be able to collaborate with like-minded individuals in other cities across the Global Shapers international network.”

The Bridgetown Hub will concentrate on projects related to leadership and career development, life skills, gender equality and youth engagement in politics and civic activities. Thus far, they have delivered a Youth Forum in conjunction with the #Betterbim Movement and also partnered with the Internet Society to promote a suite of online identity protection tutorials. The Hub is currently working on a mentoring network project which aims to partner with primary, secondary and tertiary institutions to pair young people with mentors who can help them grow as individuals and also provide them with career counseling underscoring the importance of networking, resource sharing, sound career planning and lifelong learning.

The Global Shapers Community is a worldwide network of Hubs developed and led by promising young leaders who want to build on their achievements and entrepreneurial drive to make a positive contribution to their communities. Nominated under the age of 30, Shapers form a multistakeholder community and come from a variety of backgrounds including business, government, civil society, journalism, social entrepreneurialism, arts and culture.

The Global Shapers Community is an initiative of the World Economic Forum and is independent, neutral, non-political and not for profit.