UWI FIC First Year Experience Programme Leads Community Clean Up,
Collects More Than 4,000 Pounds of Garbage
The UWI Five Islands Campus, Antigua and Barbuda, Tuesday April 14, 2026. –The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus led a large scale community clean up on April 12, 2025, through its First Year Experience Programme, collecting more than 4,000 pounds ( 2 tonnes) of garbage across the Five Islands community.
The initiative brought together first year students, faculty, staff, community volunteers and sponsors in an effort to clean the surrounding areas of the community. Volunteers covered multiple locations, including the stretch from Pensioners Roundabout to the Green Apple Cafe, from the Royalton Antigua back gate to Green Apple Cafe, and from Hawksbill Beach to Green Apple Cafe.
Campus officials said the scope of the clean-up reflects the campus commitment to being an active partner in the community where it is located.
The First Year Experience Programme is designed to support new students as they transition into university life, with a focus on academic integration, personal development and civic responsibility.
The programme emphasizes learning beyond the classroom and encourages students to engage with social issues from the start of their university experience.
“The First Year Experience Programme is geared toward out of classroom learning and helping our students adjust not only to their new academic environment but also to the realities of today’s world,” said Rhajhel Brown, coordinator of the First Year Experience Programme at the Five Islands Campus. He noted that this initiative was supported by several partners including Royalton Antigua, Akhimo Group, Rotaract Club of Antigua, Adoptacoastline, Green Apple Café and the Governor General’s Deputy Sir Clare Roberts.
Campus leaders also praised the initiative. Campus Registrar, Dr. Camille Samuel said the clean-up demonstrated the university’s positive impact on the surrounding community. “The Five Islands Campus has impacted the community, and it is our hope that our staff and students will continue to help change the community of which we are a part,” Samuel said.
Samuel said the campus administration remains committed to supporting future community engagement initiatives, noting that the clean-up is part of a broader and ongoing effort to contribute to the well-being of the Five Islands community and Antigua and Barbuda.
University officials said programmes such as the First Year Experience reflect the campus goal of producing “The Ideal UWI Graduate” who are not only academically prepared but also socially responsible and actively engaged in national development.
About The UWI Five Islands
The UWI Five Islands, established in 2019 as the fifth campus of The University of the West Indies, represents a significant milestone in Caribbean higher education. Located in the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, this institution brings world-class education to the heart of the Caribbean.
As part of The University of the West Indies system, which has been consistently ranked among the best universities in the world by the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE), The UWI Five Islands upholds the same standards of academic excellence that have made The UWI a beacon of educational achievement in the region.
The campus offers a comprehensive range of over 45 degree programs spanning both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across four distinguished schools: School of Humanities and Education, School of Business and Management, School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, School of Science, Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
The campus is also proud to house The Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy (COBE), reflecting the institution's commitment to marine science research and sustainable ocean-based economic development—critical areas for Caribbean nations.
Learn more at www.fiveislands.uwi.edu
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The,” hence The UWI.)
