The Hon. Tinee Furbert, JP, MP, Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, has praised Bermuda’s young leaders following her participation in the PeerForward Summer Leadership Workshop held at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where fifteen students from Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy joined more than 100 students from across the United States and Bermuda in an intensive four-day leadership experience.
The Bermuda delegation included fifteen PeerForward student leaders, four school advisors from Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy, and three Mirrors staff members. The Hon. Minister of Education, Diallo Rabain attended the opening ceremony. The workshop also celebrated two important milestones, the 30th Anniversary of PeerForward and the fifth year of the international partnership between PeerForward and the Mirrors Programme in Bermuda.
Minister Furbert attended the workshop to observe the programme in action and to encourage Bermuda’s student leaders as they prepare to return to their schools to lead their peers toward higher educational aspirations and career success.
Speaking to participants at the gala celebration, Minister Furbert said the experience reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to investing in youth leadership.
“Being here today with more than 100 young people brings me tremendous joy. Seeing young people leading other young people toward college and career goals is exactly the kind of leadership we want to foster. Peers teaching peers, challenging one another, and holding each other accountable to achieve their goals is both inspiring and impactful.”
The Minister said she was particularly struck by the level of engagement demonstrated throughout the workshop.
“What I found in the room today was engagement, real engagement. Ideas were developing in every corner. I saw teamwork, collaboration, critical thinking and young people planning for their futures together. This is the type of learning that truly lands and changes lives. I wasn’t just impressed, I was encouraged.”
She added that the workshop reflected the very outcomes the Government seeks to achieve through youth development initiatives.
“I was able to connect what I witnessed today with what we say we want to accomplish in Government. What we are teaching about leadership, aspiration and opportunity is already alive in this room, and it is working.”
Minister Furbert challenged the students to return to Bermuda and their states ready to make a difference in their schools and communities.
“Continue to lead. What you take back to your homes and schools matters, not only to your peers but to our entire community. Your leadership has the power to influence others to believe in their potential and pursue opportunities they may never have imagined.”
The Minister also acknowledged the commitment of the Mirrors Programme, Berkeley Institute, CedarBridge Academy, and PeerForward for sustaining the initiative over the past five years.
“I commend everyone who has shown up year after year to bring this programme to Bermuda. Thank you to the Mirrors team, our school partners, and PeerForward for your unwavering commitment to our young people. The investment you continue to make is creating opportunities that will have a lasting impact on the lives of Bermuda’s future leaders.”
Recognizing the diversity of participants, Minister Furbert congratulated students and educators from Bermuda, Boston, Florida, Philadelphia, New York and Maryland for coming together to learn from one another.
She observed that despite their different backgrounds, students quickly realized they shared many of the same experiences.
“You discovered that your pressures are similar, your deadlines are similar, and your aspirations are similar. Those shared experiences have created friendships and networks that will continue long after this workshop. Those relationships will become a source of encouragement and accountability when you return to your schools in September.”
The PeerForward programme is founded on evidence that positive peer influence is one of the strongest drivers of college attendance and career readiness. Research consistently demonstrates that one of the most influential people in a young person’s life is another young person. Similarly, a student’s decision to pursue post-secondary education is strongly influenced by whether their friends also plan to attend.
Through PeerForward, students are equipped to become trusted leaders who encourage, mentor and motivate their peers toward higher education, career planning and personal success.
Since becoming an international PeerForward partner five years ago, the Mirrors Programme has worked closely with Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy to develop student leaders who promote a culture of aspiration, leadership and service throughout their schools.
As the students prepare for the new academic year, they return to Bermuda with strengthened leadership skills, expanded international networks, and renewed confidence to inspire their peers to pursue college, career and lifelong success.
