Raisean, Team

With support from the Team programme, Raisean has moved from withdrawal and isolation to connection and contribution.

Raisean, 24, was among the second cohort of young people to take part in our Team programme in St. Lucia. After completing the programme, every member of the group, including Raisean, went into paid work.

When he first joined the 12-week Team programme, Raisean’s main challenges were around communication and interaction. He was reluctant to engage with others and hesitant to speak up – even about topics where he was particularly knowledgeable. Shy and isolated, these difficulties had previously led him to drop out of college.

Although he had since found work in a call centre to support himself, Raisean didn’t see a long-term future in that field. Determined to work on his skills to give himself the best chance of breaking into his chosen sector – real estate – he took the risk of leaving his job to take part in the Team programme.

‘I joined the program to improve on and develop my skills so that I could better my future,’ he explains.

Embracing new tools and techniques

Our Team programme, delivered by the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, is a full-time personal development programme for 17- to 30-year-olds, focused on building core skills. It combines outdoor and community challenges with classroom learning and work experience placements.

Raisean has embraced the tools and techniques he learned on the programme. With extensive practice around role play, speaking and presenting in small groups, Team has helped Raisean to find his voice.

As he began to feel more comfortable speaking up and engaging with other people, Raisean’s trainers witnessed his dramatic transformation from a shadow on the sidelines to a dynamic contributor – and leader.

‘He did not interact with anyone in the first few days, but as the weeks progressed he became one of the most open and participative,’ recalls the Team leader for Saint Lucia. ‘He has become comfortable in building connections.’

Raisean now works as a sales representative for a building products manufacturer, drawing heavily on his communication skills to engage customers as he measures and prices up roofing projects. His job is enabling him to gain valuable experience in housing construction, and to network with a wide range of contacts in the real estate industry.

Team working in the Caribbean

Prior to launching in St Lucia in 2023, the Team programme had already been active for eight years in Barbados, delivered by the Barbados Police Service, and our Barbadian partner provided support for their St Lucian counterparts as the programme got underway there.

In Barbados, 100% of programme participants in 2023/24 said that they would recommend the programme to others, while the figure for St Lucia was 96%. Team’s success has also been publicly recognised by the police commissioners in both countries, connecting youth engagement with crime reduction. In the coming year, we will build on this success by piloting the programme in Trinidad and Tobago.