History of the Corn Islands Youth Organisations
The first social organisation dedicated to youth welfare in the Corn Islands was the Health Brigade Group (Brigadistas de Salud), founded in 1981 by Nuvia Downs Zamora, a local nurse. Its primary objective was to raise awareness of common health issues. Today, the group operates under the administration of the Ethel Kandler Primary Hospital on Corn Island.
In 1997, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) established the Community Backpack Program (Mochila Comunitaria), introducing strategies to develop leadership skills among young people within the community.
In 2005, the Austrian non-governmental development organisation Horizont3000 founded the Caribbean Coast Campaign Against AIDS Association (Asociación Campaña Costeña Contra el Sida – ACCCS) in Nicaragua’s Southern Caribbean region. Its principal aim was to work with adolescents, young people, women, and parents on issues related to sexual education, teen pregnancy prevention, and HIV/AIDS. Although headquartered in Bluefields, ACCCS also operated on Corn Island.
In 2006, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) began funding ACCCS and implemented the Habilidades para la Vida Program (Life Skills Programme), designed to empower adolescents and young people with essential life skills. Through the programme, ACCCS trained young people, who then formed “promotores pares” (peer promoters) and “clubes de adolescentes” (adolescent clubs) to share knowledge with their peers. UNICEF concluded its funding in late 2009, but the programme continued until December 2011 under the local leadership of Candida Fuller Downs, a nurse on Corn Island.
In 2009, following the establishment of newly elected municipal governments in Nicaragua, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with support from the Association of Municipalities of Nicaragua (AMUNIC), the Regional Councils and Governments of the Caribbean Coast, and the Embassy of the Netherlands, launched the Programa Voz Joven (Young Voice Program).
The programme aimed to implement Law 392 (Nicaragua’s Youth Law), mandating that national and municipal governments promote youth empowerment initiatives. Voz Joven also encouraged municipalities to establish dedicated spaces or facilities where adolescents and young people could engage in recreation and access information.
In 2010, the local government of Corn Island founded the Municipal House for Adolescents and Youth (Casa Municipal de Adolescentes y Jóvenes – CaMAJ), located within the Culture House and established under the administration of Mayor Cleaveland Webster. Ms Sherilee Taylor served as the technical coordinator of this space.
Through CaMAJ, Voz Joven promoted the sexual and reproductive rights of adolescents and young people using workshops, art, theatre, music, and other recreational activities. The programme concluded in late 2013, after which the local government restructured CaMAJ into the Secretariat for Young People, which later became part of the Juventud Sandinista 19 de Julio (Sandinista Youth), an organisation that had existed nationally since August 1979.
In 2013, the Foundation for Autonomy and Development of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (FADCANIC), with funding from USAID, established the Education for Success Program on Corn Island. This programme aimed to prepare young people for life through vocational courses, workshops, and other developmental strategies. It concluded in May 2018, under the local coordination of Ms Shorly Antonio.
Also in August 2013, a group of young people, supported by a project funded by BICU University and Global Communities, founded the Concejo Municipal de Adolescentes y Jóvenes (Municipal Council of Adolescents and Youth – CoMAJ). The council was established under Law 392, with the objective of promoting the welfare of children, adolescents, and young people on Corn Island, collaborating with local authorities and advocating for policies benefiting the youth sector.
CoMAJ operated as a self-managed space with support from the municipal government and BICU University. In mid-2014, Shayron Tower, serving as the second president of CoMAJ’s Directive Board, led a process of organisational self-sustainability. Under his leadership, CoMAJ received official recognition from the Corn Island Municipal Council, launched the first Municipal and International Youth Week (2014), obtained an office, and founded Juventud al Aire, the first local television programme for adolescents and youth, which Tower directed from 2015 to 2017.
The presidents of CoMAJ’s Directive Board included: Lincon Quinn, representing the Juventud Sandinista 19 de Julio (August–December 2013); Wendel Sjogreen, representing the Student Government of Ebenezer Baptist High School (December 2015–January 2017); Stanley Guill, representing the Federación de Estudiantes de Secundaria of the Alva Hooker Downs National Institute (January 2017–August 2018) and Shayron Tower, representing the Municipal House for Adolescents and Young People (Interim President December 2013–February 2014; officially elected March 2014–December 2015). The Corn Island Municipal Council of Adolescents and Youth was dissolved on 1 August 2018.
In June 2013, the Murales RAAS Movement (now Murales RACCS Foundation) established its presence on Great Corn Island. Led regionally by artist Michael Hammond, the movement began operating locally under the coordination of Shayron Tower for nearly two years, before local leadership transitioned to Kyra Quinn in 2019 after the organisation obtained legal status.
On 15 December 2015, Shayron Tower founded the Generations of Change Youth Movement (GECAMCI), officially launched in January 2016. This initiative worked in tandem with CoMAJ until its closure in August 2018. GECAMCI focused on the development of adolescents’ and young people’s skills, education, and the prevention of substance abuse and discrimination, among other social concerns.
In 2016, the Ródrigo Campbell Foundation began operations on Corn Island, promoting culture, sports, art, and environmental stewardship. Since its inception, the foundation has distributed over 10,000 toys to children on Great Corn Island and Little Corn Island.
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) continues to work with youth, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and teenage pregnancy prevention, through its Community Network, engaging young people from various neighbourhoods and schools.
For many years, local churches have also provided spaces for adolescents and youth to participate in community service while learning Christian values. Notable examples include the Adventist Church Scout Association and the Youth Fellowship Group of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
On Little Corn Island, young people have established their own organisation, the Safe & Healthy Youth Group, focused on youth empowerment and community service initiatives such as beach clean-ups.
