Sandals Foundation Reading Road Trip with Canadian Broadcasters Creates Cultural Mix at Enid Capron Primary School

Turks and Caicos Islands – Beaches Turks and Caicos and the Sandals Foundation recently teamed up with Canadian broadcasters and their families to deliver a memorable Reading Road Trip experience at Enid Capron Primary School in Five Cays, Providenciales. The visit blended literacy support with cultural exchange, giving students rare one-on-one time with international media personalities while nurturing a love for reading.

Enid Capron Primary is one of the Sandals Foundation’s adopted schools in Turks and Caicos and has benefited for years from infrastructural upgrades, learning resources, and recurring volunteer initiatives. The Reading Road Trip programme, a flagship “voluntourism” excursion, invites resort guests to step into local classrooms to read with students, support literacy, and donate books and supplies. The recent installment, featuring Canadian radio and television personalities brought added energy and global visibility to the school community.

Broadcasters and their families boarded the same style of school buses local children use, reinforcing the programme’s emphasis on authenticity and genuine community connection. Once on campus, they were guided into classrooms of early-grade students, where storybooks opened for small-group reading sessions, questions, and lively discussions.

“The Reading Road Trip model centres on interaction rather than performance, and the presence of Canadian broadcasters made that interaction especially dynamic,” says Orville Morgan, Public Relations Manager Beaches Turks and Caicos resort. “Accustomed to connecting with audiences through microphones and cameras, these media professionals instead found themselves sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with children, helping them sound out words, explore new vocabulary, and build confidence in reading aloud. It was a memorable experience.”

The day also provided a cultural exchange as students asked questions about life in Canada, snow, and what it is like to work on radio or television. Broadcasters and their children also learned about local customs, school life in Providenciales, and the importance of education on an island where tourism remains the primary industry. Songs, and impromptu show-and-tell moments helped bridge the geographic gap, turning the classroom into a space of shared curiosity.

Vice Principal Nelene Swann expressed her satisfaction with the day’s activities, noting that the format allowed students to deeply connect with the visiting broadcasters in a meaningful way. “This kind of individual attention—whether through reading a single page together or answering a child’s question about a story—can significantly boost a student’s motivation to learn.” Swann added, “one central goal of the Reading Road Trip is pairing academic support with human connection so that children feel seen, heard, and valued in their learning environment.”

For the Canadian broadcasters and their families, the experience added depth to their holiday, offering a hands-on way to give back while learning about the island from the perspective of its youngest residents. Many volunteers who participate in Reading Road Trips report that they would “do it again in a heartbeat,” citing the joy of connecting with children and seeing firsthand how donated books and simple classroom interactions can make a tangible difference. As the group waved goodbye and boarded the bus back to the resort, they left behind not only books and school supplies, but also an impression of global friendship that students and educators at Enid Capron Primary are likely to remember long after the stories read that day have been returned to the shelf.

Photo Captions

Insert: A team of Canadian broadcasters share a group photograph with students at the Enid Capron Primary school during a recent Reading Road Trip to the institution