Mentor Team

Youth, Theatre and Culture

Serran Clarke is an educator and entertainer. She has earned her experience in the Performing Arts Industry as a television presenter, an actress both on stage and on screen, and has been passing on the wealth of her knowledge to students over the past 16 years. Her motto is " Life boils down to one word - “choice.”

“If you make a mistake, as long as you have life, you have an opportunity correct it.”

Youth Advocacy & Empowerment

Leon Roach is committed to empowerment and engagement of youth in high definition a.k.a. H.D. He believes youth and young people deserve high definition mentorship and resources to lead their HD lives.

He currently serves as an Alderman at Tunapuna Regional Corporation, and works with youth within the La Horquetta community where he defines his work in the community as youth activism.

Bridge Foundation benefited over the years from his leadership of voluntary teams at Jet Blue which refurbished and reconfigured school community rooms into a library for reading and a computer room with donated laptop computers accessible to student and staff.

Community Policing, Youth Mentorship and Sports

Dexter Alleyne has served as Bridge Foundation’s Sports Ambassador for over 8 years and plans to continue for many more years to come.

He is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and has served honourably for 9 years with a strong commitment to uplift the youth in Trinidad and Tobago communities. Attaining a college scholarship, he played on his college football team in the USA, and later played as a Professional Footballer in Trinidad and Tobago (retired) and is currently the Coordinator of the TTPS Commissioner’s Cup and serves as an Executive Member of the Police Football Section.

He spends his time creating programs for youth at TTPS while keeping his football boots on the ground mentoring youth through sports. Dexter at numerous forums explains the connection among education, discipline and sports success.

His values and ambitions have been shaped by his home community, Bournes Road, St. James where he learned the true meaning of the popular terms - “it takes a village” and “each one help one.”   

As Youth Development Officer (TTPS), Public Relations Officer (TTPS), and as a motivational speaker, community leader and mentor, he makes himself available to improve young minds in various forums and shares his experiences to improve young adults decision-making while offering resources to enhance their opportunities.

Art & Culture

Candice Sobers is a conceptual artist, writer, and graphic designer. Her work depicts a myriad of imagery on social issues and cultural influences from Trinidad’s rich heritage. Her chosen technique is collage, utilizing found objects and a variety of paint mediums to tell a story on canvas. Her work is a rich dialogic fabric of visual essays which present her views on matters she is passionate about.

She holds a BA in Visual Arts with first class honors, and in 2016 she successfully completed an MPhil in Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies. Her work has been exhibited in joint exhibitions at the National Museum, Rainy days Ellersie Plaza, In2Art and at the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago. She conducted a practice based research thesis on “Techniques of resourcefulness and Survival Among working class Trinidadians.” This research was formulated into a series including paintings, drawings and a handbook of mixed methods entitled “Threads of Survival.”

To give back to her community, Candice has spent time at the Bridge Foundation for over five years sharing her artistic talent by developing art-literacy tools for reading and writing in Read to Rise classrooms. She is also a Life Skills Tutors for the ‘On the Job Training’ program with the National Training Agency for ten years. She facilitates adults and young adults in the training of essential skills such as goal setting, financial management, stress management, employability skills among twenty other topics. These topics create and overall balance in a person’s life and an introspective point of view.

Art is an essential part of our everyday lives. The well making of what needs to be made is the essence of good art practice. A quest ensued to identify unconventional areas whereby an interdisciplinary union can be established for the enhancement of the practice.

Children’s Books

Stacey Alfonso -Mills safely says that she has always loved reading and writing which began as early as 2 ½ years old. She recognised that she crafted her inner most feelings and teen aged experiences in prose.

Stacey was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago and has been inspired by the people and experiences around her.

She is a proud Trinbagonian and self-published author of three Caribbean-based children’s illustrated storybooks:

·The Boys of Sinclair Hill ‘Fun in the Backyard’

·The Boys of Sinclair Hill ‘The Princess, The Treasure and The Blue Dragon’

·Manatee has a Question

The characters from The Boys of Sinclair Hill books are modeled after her sons, Mathew, Anthony and Alexander, highlighting their love of the outdoors in the Caribbean.   Manatee has a Question features several of the endangered animals of the Nariva Swamp and their environmental challenges.

All three books are written in a read-aloud format and contain Caribbean elements in its storyline and illustrations, allowing Caribbean children to easily relate to the story while inviting non-Caribbean children to learn more about our unique and beautiful country.  

All books have been part of the Read to Rise and Read for the Record primary school programmes, hosted by The Bridge Foundation, and are currently part of the Let’s Read initiative. 

She is often called upon to review children’s books, and she will gladly continue to serve as a mentor for Bridge Foundation’s inspiring authors, while making herself available for reading to children on-line and in various settings.

She is also the Managing Director of a project management company called MAALAN Resources Limited, which offers project support and business communication services. 

She currently resides in Trinidad and Tobago with my family.

Visit her website or FB page below:

www.staceyalfonsomills.com

Facebook@trinikidsbooks