HG Christie Supports ‘Art by the Sea Day’ on Cat Island

CAT ISLAND, BAHAMAS – Dozens of Cat Island children, parents and grandparents let their artistic side run free well into the midnight on July 10 as they celebrated ‘Art by the Sea’ at the Independence Family Fun day on Bennett’s Harbour Beach, Northern Cat Island.

The event, sponsored by HG Christie and organized by one of the company’s agents and YME Bahamas Director Nikita Shiel-Rolle, was a part of the day-long festivities where Cat Islanders take part in this expression of creativity, swimming and learning. 

“I was thrilled to be able to facilitate the art by the sea day with the sponsorship from HG Christie because painting by the sea is a beautiful way to spend independence, and when grammy is no longer scared about her grandchildren playing in the water, because I am there in the water with the children, that’s a beautiful day,” Shiel-Rolle said. “Children love the water and learn really quickly but it is even more special when mothers learn to swim and I had the opportunity to work with one of the mothers who did an excellent job and I told her after we wrapped up her session that she is now next on my list to become a certified SCUBA diver. Each Art by the Sea day helps to save a Bahamian from drowning and that is a powerful thing.”

As a part of the festivities, YME Bahamas often sets up a Pop-Up Classroom at different community events with a folding table and chairs and a large tupperware box of art supplies, clip boards, and snorkel gear that allows organizers to facilitate learning experiences at any beach on the island. 

Swimmers and artists as young as three and as old as 70 years of age were participants in the day of fun, which grew from 10 people at 1 p.m to about 75. 

“I loved seeing HG Christie offer support for Art by the Sea Day,” Shiel-Rolle said of the continued support HG Christie continues to offer communities throughout The Bahamas. “I believe that the private sector has an important role to play in supporting the sustainable development of The Bahamas and investing in programs like Art by the Sea that enable Bahamians to tap into our creativity, connect with nature in meaningful and peaceful ways and develop new skills is what we need.  Corporate Social Responsibility in The Bahamas is not just about giving back; it’s about building a sustainable future for our communities and preserving our natural paradise for generations to come.”

YME Bahamas has been teaching Bahamians to swim for 17 years, working with thousands of Bahamians and giving them the opportunity to connect with our ocean world.  As an organization, its mission is to inspire communities to actively participate in the conservation of the environment and natural resources through community projects, ocean science research, and experiential education. The first program ran in Cat Island was in 2011 which conducted a learn to swim and scuba diving training for youth with the purpose to train them to be able to conduct coral conservation research. 

The pedagogy used by YME Bahamas in its experiential education programs is grounded in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) being necessary principles for the lifelong learning education required to build resilience in coastal communities at the front line of climate impacts. 

“There is a huge need not just for Cat Islanders but for everyone that lives in The Bahamas to improve our swimming, not only because it means we get to appreciate the wonders of life below the water, such as our coral reefs and eagle rays, but it is a factor that will save lives,” Shiel-Rolle said. “We’ve experienced the tragedy of Hurricane Dorian, the more comfortable we all are at swimming the better able we are to save ourselves or someone else. This year’s Art by the Sea with HG Christie was an opportunity for us to celebrate Bahamian Independence and be part of painting a future for The Bahamas where we are all swimmers and get to enjoy the beauty of the ocean safely.”

YME Bahamas is focused on leapfrogging Bahamians into a sustainable Blue Economy

that requires strong swimming skills and critical thinking. The organization conducts educational programs, facilitate social enterprise start-ups like Ocean Love Coffee, and through the work of the Cat Island Conservation Institute it has research projects that are co-created with community members and leading Bahamian and International Scientists. Shiel-Rolle said she has a personal mission to see the diversification of The Bahamian economy through the development of Ocean Sciences and a sustainability Blue Economy. The work of YME Bahamas has grown over the years and is now implementing projects and programs in The Caribbean and East Africa.