In their recent article, “$8000 grant available for climate justice storytelling by CARICOM nationals,” Dominica News Online announced the call for proposals, by The GAYAP Effect: A Caribbean Visual Storytelling Initiative, for visual arts projects championing climate justice. According to Dominica News, teams of three participants from CARICOM territories will be awarded grants to develop projects that highlight climate justice themes from a Caribbean perspective. Learn more about the initiative and application process below and at The GAYAP Effect.
Project: The GAYAP Effect – a Caribbean Visual Storytelling Experiment
Core Programme: Arts for Development
Thematic Area: Education for Sustainable Development
The GAYAP Effect is the third component under the multi-year project Today Today, Congotay! (2023-2026) funded by Open Society Foundations, where we lean on the Visual Arts to help raise awareness of climate justice issues in the region.
Background
Narratives are more than stories—they shape how we see the world, define what we believe is possible or fair, and influence our daily choices and systems. The narrative approach led by Puentes encourages not just imagining a better future but actively practising it through lived experiences that reflect shared values. Through The Cropper Foundation’s Today Today, Congotay! arts for climate justice project, the Global Narrative Hive is supporting Caribbean communities to experiment with narratives rooted in culture, care, and climate justice. The focus on interconnection highlights how climate justice depends on recognising our shared struggles and building collective, relationship-driven responses across borders and generations.
Framework for Interconnection & Climate Justice
The Caribbean faces urgent questions about how we live together amid the escalating impacts of the climate crisis— longer dry seasons, rising heat, and stronger storms. These are linked to global systems that prioritise profit over sustainability, leaving Caribbean nations vulnerable despite their minimal contribution to the problem. Climate injustice is rooted in colonial legacies, debt, and structural underinvestment, yet dominant narratives still blame individuals for systemic struggles. True climate justice requires recognising these historical inequities and restoring broken relationships—between people, communities, and nature. Caribbean traditions of mutual aid, like Gayap, show how interconnection and solidarity have long supported resilience. But modern life, shaped by digital isolation and transactional relationships, is eroding these bonds. This disconnection undermines our collective capacity to respond to climate challenges. A just future demands renewed investment in community life, shared spaces, and systems of care that empower the most affected and enable cooperation, equity, and shared responsibility.
For more information, see https://thecropperfoundation.org/project/the-gayap-effect/
Also see https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/homepage-carousel/8000-grant-available-for-climate-justice-storytelling-by-caricom-nationals-link-inside/