GRAND CAYMAN (GIS) – This month’s Brac Spring Weekend, hosted by the Youth Services Unit (YSU), was a busy 48 hours of discussion, exploration, camaraderie and play. Held on Friday, 9 and Saturday, 10 March 2018, teenagers and young adults from across Cayman Brac and several from Grand Cayman took part in a range of free events designed to foster friendship, fuel fun and talk about issues of the day with peers. The annual initiative’s gold sponsor was the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, Agriculture and Lands.

Minister for Youth Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly attended all of the events and was accompanied to several of them by Councillor Barbara Conolly.

“The entire weekend was wonderful,” said Minister O’Connor-Connolly. “I would like this to happen more frequently because it engages so many people on the Brac and provides plenty of wholesome family entertainment. It is a superb vehicle for galvanising families and youths in community building.”

“It was wonderful to see the Cayman Brac community, especially the youth, engaged in positive activities that enhance their lives,” said Councillor Conolly. “The Youth Services Unit did a great job of organising events that provided fun and enriching opportunities for participants.”

Brac Spring Weekend featured six team building events, opening with an interactive youth forum at Layman E. Scott High School sponsored by the Ministry and Cayman National Bank. Attended by around 50 young people from Cayman Brac and hosted by representatives of the Cayman Islands Youth Assembly, the forum was moderated by the Cayman Islands CARICOM Youth Ambassador Team (CICYAT).

Attendees discussed teen relationships with a focus on how these impacted on health and safety, academics and gender. The information shared at the Brac Youth Forum will be used to further inform the Youth Assembly’s largest forum which will be held in Grand Cayman later this year.

“The issues facing the youth of Cayman Brac are similar to that of the issues facing the rest of the youth right across the country,” said Andrel Harris of CICYAT. “The more we discuss them the more likely it is that solutions will be found. The youth forum provided an avenue for Cayman Brac’s youth to express themselves without fear of judgment or persecution and I hope that we, as a country will help to find solutions to these issues.”

Camille Angel, Jessica Moore, Shantelle Young and Tayvis Walters from CICYAT helped lead the youth dialogue.

Cayman Islands Youth Assembly President Brianna Bodden also took part. “Brac Spring Weekend was a resounding success,” said the Cayman Prep student and Proud of Them honouree, “It was a great opportunity for everyone to meet and talk about things that shape our lives and enjoy the organised activities.”

Sports fans were drawn to the high school’s basketball courts to watch for the 3/3 basketball tournaments. Both the Junior and Senior tournaments played to enthusiastic crowds. Following a tough competition, with five teams battling it out for the finals, the senior division winners were the “Winnerz” of Grand Cayman.

“The Pips” of Cayman Brac won the junior competition. The victors were given trophies courtesy of Winners Circle and a year’s bragging rights, with the senior winners also getting 10 cases of Gatorade from Progressive Distributors.

“The Unit delivered a weekend jam-packed with activities that invigorated and engaged multiple generations in the Brac,” said Youth Services Coordinator James Myles. “It would not have been possible without sponsorship from our community partners and the Ministry, as well as the community coming out to participate.”

Saturday, 10 March was the busiest day of the Brac Spring Break with the YSU hosting events between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. The first event was the scavenger hunt. Starting from the Aston Rutty Civic Centre, nine teams of five took part. Using their cars and the clues they received, the hunt took them all over the island. The hunt was won by Team Hamiltons. First, second and third place teams won cash prizes courtesy of The Credit Union, with Team Hamiltons winning $300 and a one-night stay courtesy of Cayman Brac Beach Resort. Second place won $150, and third place won $75.

The civic centre was the indoor venue for the hotly contested dominoes tournament. A total of 32 players took part, divided between Team Grand Cayman and home side Team Cayman Brac. The trophy, courtesy of Winners Circle, was won by Team Cayman Brac who triumphed 166-107.

The YSU also hosted a Car & Bike Show with Sound-Off in the Aston Rutty carpark. With several of the Brac’s most “souped- up” vehicles on display, the crowds had a number of horse power, of both the two and four-wheeled variety, to admire. The sound off was won by Josh Dixon and his Volkswagen Passat, which was ear-splittingly loud enough for attendees to grimace with glee. Winner of “Best Bike” went to Ruggerri Walton with his blue Suzuki GSXR 1000, and winner of the “Best Car in Show” was Edmund Hydes with his white 1963 Ford Falcon. All automotive winners received trophies awarded by Rubis Cayman Islands.

Brac Spring Break 2018 closed out with a chilled out social at South Side Public Beach. The evening’s Brac Beach Bonfire was a fitting way to end to what had been an action-packed two days. Friendships were forged, issues discussed and gender gaps were bridged.

The annual event’s silver sponsors were Cayman National Bank, the National Youth Commission, Progressive Distributors Ltd., Credit Union, Winners Circle, Rubis Cayman Islands and the Cayman Brac Beach Resort.