Workshop Shapes Climate Solutions Through Vulnerable Voices in SVG

A photograph of participants who attended the workshop, along with Ashley Lashley, founder of the Ashley Lashley Foundation (centre, in a black and white pantsuit). Photo courtesy: The Ashley Lashley Foundation.

By S.Browne. Updated 10:40 a.m., Thursday, September 11, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Ashley Lashley Foundation, in collaboration with the United States Government, hosted a two-day workshop under the theme Community-Driven Strategies for Stability and Resilience on 3rd and 4th September 2025 to provide a space for vulnerable voices affected by climate change to share their challenges and co-create practical strategies for climate resilience in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Founder of the Ashley Lashley Foundation and Youth Advisor to the UN Secretary-General, Ashley Lashley, explained that National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) are not always inclusive. She said: “Fishermen, farmers, women, youth, and persons with disabilities were not a part of the consultatory process, and when people are excluded, the plans may look good, but they don’t work in reality, especially when you’re marginalising the very groupings that are affected the most.”

She further emphasised that empowerment truly means people shaping solutions that affect their lives and owning these solutions. “So this project for us is designed to deliver just that,” Lashley said. She also highlighted the outcomes of the workshop: “The outcome for us is pretty clear after this two-day consultation. We want to submit a report to the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ensuring that we provide recommendations that are real and people-centred. We’ll be developing a toolkit in each of the three Caribbean regions (Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada) for climate adaptation built from our very own experiences.”

On the first day of the workshop, participants explored local challenges and the role of National Adaptation Plans for a country. Presentations were delivered on the NAP process, and participants were grouped by sectors including youth, women, farmers, fishers, and persons with disabilities and provided with guided questions that allowed them to share their lived experiences and provide practical suggestions for community-driven solutions.

The second day focused on policy and actionable solutions. Sessions included training on communication strategies to reach wider audiences and guidance on creating effective policy briefs. Participants also engaged in simulation exercises to apply their policy briefing skills. In the afternoon, a private sector roundtable brought together NGOs such as the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Conservation Fund (SVGCF) and other partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to discuss their roles in climate resilience, share successes and challenges, and provide strategies for supporting community initiatives.

The insights gathered from the workshop were submitted to the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday to inform the 2025–2035 National Adaptation Plan, helping ensure that future policies are grounded in the experiences of those most affected by climate change.

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Barbados, the Ashley Lashley Foundation (ALF) is a registered non-profit organisation operating under the motto “Let No Obstacle Be Greater Than the Cause.” The foundation centres on youth empowerment, public health, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. Their current regional initiative, held under the theme “Community-Driven Strategies for Stability and Resilience,” is supported by the United States Government and runs from May to September 2025 in Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. The programme focuses on stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and the promotion of sustainable climate adaptation strategies.

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