Developing Future Leaders On A Foundation Of Community and Unity
Leadership Programs & Services
The CUD Leadership Development Training Program was established to help smart and savvy leaders, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and all other members of the deaf community develop the leadership skills needed to achieve personal and professional success.
Our LDTP will open your mind to new and diverse perspectives, and help you build powerful connections with thought leaders from deaf communities across the globe, including Jamaica and other locations within the Caribbean diaspora. Participants will learn leadership skills and strategies that can be applied within the workplace, school, community service, policy change efforts, family, entrepreneurial ventures, and many other real-life situations.
By building stronger leaders, we also hope to encourage individual and collective input on policies and perspectives that will shape the future of the deaf community, where our voices are always stronger together than alone.
Together, we can create possibility from impossibility, as we create opportunities from oppression.
The core components of the CUD LDTP are:
The CUD LDTP is more than just a leadership program, it is a welcoming and inclusive environment where professionals build partnerships, and strangers build friendships. Our strong leaders will be equipped with the skills needed to develop vibrant and resilient communities that value diversity, compassion, empathy, and integrity.
As our Leadership Program continues to expand, we will rely on community feedback and participant assessments to continuously improve our programs to meet the growing educational needs of the deaf community.
CUD – Education Initiatives and Scholarships
CUD believes that every member of the deaf community holds the potential to learn valuable and marketable skills, and with our Education Initiatives and Scholarship program, we desire to increase awareness on the importance of continuing education for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Even as adults, the process of learning never stops, and education is the key that opens the door to a successful future.
On April 29, 2023, CUD was the first to host “Join the Conversation: How to Build the Power of Community, Partnership, and Disability in the Caribbean”, an impactful discussion centered on the importance of advancing educational opportunities for the deaf community in the Caribbean and diaspora. This was an eye-opening conversation, as deaf students and adults shared their struggles of financial hardship, academic barriers, lack of community support, and limited accessibility to higher education. These struggles are often made more complex by discrimination, poverty, and systemic oppression that prevents successful achievements, personal empowerment, and professional growth. At the end of the discussion, one thing was clear. The education system in the Caribbean needs to change to meet the needs of the deaf community.
Through our Education Initiatives and Scholarship program, we seek to provide deaf individuals of all ages with access to advanced academic development, entrepreneurial training, and professional career opportunities, as well as scholarship support to ease the financial burden. We will work with deaf adults to help them expand their knowledge and advance their education, while also providing encouragement and financial support as they continue their journey to future success.
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CUD is passionate about our long-held dream of giving the deaf community access to competitive sports programming where disabilities are celebrated, and individuals of all abilities are welcomed without barriers.
The CUD sports program initiative was inspired by a seminar hosted by CUD on November 18, 2021, entitled “How to Build a Sport Community”. This relevant and engaging seminar featured a panel of deaf sports leaders from diverse countries throughout the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, and Guyana. These experienced leaders shared their personal journeys with the participants, while giving a voice to the valid concerns and frustrations that have arisen after years of being marginalized and underrepresented by the Caribbean sports community.
Led by community support, sponsorship funding, and collaboration with Caribbean sports professionals, CUD seeks to give the deaf community a sporting chance to move beyond the basics of rudimentary instruction, with programming that teaches advanced principles and competitive sports techniques for purposes of professional development.
Are you ready to develop your sports skills, improve your physical fitness levels, and enhance your love of the game, all while having fun, building friendships, and gaining self-confidence? You’ll learn from other players, share skills and tips, and build memorable experiences as you help the deaf community make a powerful impact in the world of global sports.
Through participation in the CUD competitive sports program, players will achieve development in the following areas: