Shaping Education, Youth, and Political Narratives

From 2011–2017, the Virgin Islands undertook major efforts to modernize its education system, expand opportunities for young people, and strengthen national identity. This period also included a highly competitive political environment and, later, the need for digital resilience in the face of crises.

What Barnes & Co did:

1. Served as communications and political adviser to the Minister from 2011 to 2017.
2. Helped conceptualize and develop a youth employment services program that:
   
   • Met young people where they were.
   • Built structured relationships with private-sector employers.
   • Provided on‑the‑job support to increase their long‑term success.
3. Designed the Emerging Fellows initiative for high‑achieving students in sports, arts, and academics, creating financial support for attendance at globally recognized summer institutes to advance their development.
4. Advised on messaging and community engagement around inclusion efforts for differently‑abled children and youth, helping to bring them more fully into community and public life.
5. Supported initiatives to formalize identity markers for the Territory of the Virgin Islands, such as a territorial song and dress, strengthening national pride and cultural cohesion.
6. Helped frame and communicate a strategic shift toward a more digital education system, which later allowed schools to move quickly online after Hurricane Irma and again during COVID‑19.
7. Led narrative and campaign messaging for the 2015 election, which became a benchmark for political campaigning in the Virgin Islands, launching the region’s first dedicated political app and achieving a record vote count for an at‑large candidate.

Project Impact

• Expanded pathways for youth employment, independence, and global exposure.
• Advanced inclusion and cultural identity work at the territorial level.
• Laid communications and systems groundwork that enabled an unusually rapid shift to online schooling in times of crisis.
• Demonstrated the power of clear, values‑aligned messaging in one of the territory’s most successful political campaigns.