P-27 Children and youth as agents of change in school health promotion: participatory lessons from the Caribbean
Author(s):
C Henry, DD Ramdath, I Rashid , S Whiting , J White
Country(ies) Of Focus:
- Dominica
- Trinidad and Tobago
Year of Presentation:
2026
Objective: This comparative case study examines two
youth-engaged school health initiatives - Photovoice in
Trinidad and Tobago and the Healthy Bakes Challenge
in Dominica - to explore how participatory approaches
strengthen school health promotion.
Methods: A combined socio-ecological, empowerment, and hidden curriculum framework guided the analysis. In Trinidad and Tobago, nine senior secondary students completed Photovoice training, documented their school environments, and participated in SHOWeD-guided focus groups. In Dominica, a national school food environment assessment informed a youth-led healthy recipe reformulation initiative developed with the Ministry of Education and partners. Data sources included photographs, narratives, focus groups, surveys, interviews, and project documentation.
Results: Four themes emerged from the Photovoice case studies: school lunch as an equity mechanism; health promoting environments; vendor food safety concerns; and beverage choice imbalances. In Dominica, youth demonstrated leadership and creativity in reformulating culturally relevant snacks, influencing dialogue on school nutrition standards. Across cases, a youth empowerment cycle was observed, whereby youth identified problems, co-generated solutions, and influenced system-level practices.
Conclusion: Youth participation strengthened school health promotion, enhanced cultural relevance, fostered intergenerational partnerships, and contributed to institutional and policy shifts. Embedding participatory methods within Caribbean school systems offers a promising pathway for sustainable health promotion and youth flourishing.