Beaches Resorts Teen Advisory Panel Review Brand and Are First to Experience #IslandImpact, a New Student Service Hours Program
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA – Members of the Beaches Resorts Teen Advisory Panel (TAP) gathered last week at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa for their first official meeting and comprehensive site inspection of facilities and exclusive Beaches Resorts brand offerings. TAP members were also the first to participate in Island Impact, a new program that allows students to earn community service hours while on vacation, an initiative inspired by the members.
According to Chief Teen Officer, Sabrina Stewart, teens are not passive guests but often have exacting opinions about the family vacation. “Ask us,” says Stewart. “We know what we like, what excites us and we want to be part of the planning process.”
Stewart played host to the teens, escorting them on a comprehensive visit at the resort that included a review of different room categories, restaurants, watersports and Beaches’ signature opportunities such as visits to the Xbox Play Lounge and Club Liquid. CTO Stewart also presided over a brainstorming meeting on ways that Beaches might address issues important to teens such as places to gather without set hours, different programming for tweens and older teens and new food trends. Teens also expressed an interest in the trend of voluntourism and were the first to experience Island Impact.
Created by Beaches Resorts in partnership with the non-profit Sandals Foundation and facilitated through Island Routes Caribbean Adventures, Island Impact gives full time students the opportunity to earn up to 10 community service hours while vacationing at any Beaches Resorts in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos. Opportunities to serve include: “Reading Road Trip,” a literacy outreach campaign in conjunction with locally supported schools; beach, park or community clean-up projects; computer skills tutoring and mentorship; assistance at special interest local youth camps and “Pack for a Purpose®,” an opportunity to collect and deliver five pounds of much-needed school and toiletry supplies. Five service hours are awarded per once weekly voluntourism excursion and five for Pack for a Purpose. Eligible students receive a certification of completion for their efforts, which can be applied to their school’s community service requirements.
TAP members who visited Turks and Caicos began their visit “Packing for a Purpose,” and each filled and traveled with a backpack full of school supplies such as pens, pencils and colored paper for Ianthe Pratt Primary, a local Providenciales school for children ages 5 to 12 years. The TAP members had the opportunity to deliver their supplies in person and visited the local students as part of “Reading Road Trip”, also an experience under the overall Island Impact voluntourism umbrella.
“We had an amazing week learning what makes Beaches Resorts such a great place for teens to vacation, and of all the things we did – Island Impact with the Sandals Foundation will always be one of my greatest memories,” said Beaches TAP member and star of ABC’s hit comedy Black-ish, Marcus Scribner.
Island Impact officially begins July 1, 2015. To participate and be eligible to earn community service hours, teens must be full-time students, registered guests of Beaches Resorts and at least 13 years of age. A parental waiver must be signed for students under 18 years. There is a non-refundable US$25 per person, per excursion fee which covers roundtrip transportation and material costs. For more information and to book an Island Impact experience, go to http://www.beaches.com starting July 1st.
Designed as a forum for influential teen members to provide real insight into making the Beaches Resorts Luxury Included® experience even better, the new Teen Advisory Panel met for the first time at Beaches Turks & Caicos earlier this week. Click here to see how TAP members spent their time.
