Building the Future of Creative Social Enterprise in the Caribbean

 

The AMPLIFY Connect Fellowship & Accelerator is East Yard’s flagship training initiative, designed to support creative entrepreneurs in developing socially impactful ventures that use creativity to drive sustainable development. The program bridges cultural expression with strategic business practices—empowering participants to build campaigns, products, and experiences that make a difference.

 

Note: Applications for the 2026 cohort are currently closed.

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What is Creative Social Enterprise?

Creative Social Enterprise sits at the intersection of creativity, commerce, and community impact. It uses tools from the cultural and creative industries—fashion, media, art, music, food—to address urgent social issues like unemployment, gender-based violence, environmental harm, and community resilience. Globally, the creative economy contributes over $2.25 trillion to GDP and employs millions. Yet in the Caribbean, creatives often lack access to systems that help them scale impact and ensure financial sustainability. AMPLIFY Connect responds to this gap with structured learning, mentorship, and real-world application.

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Fellowship Overview (Cohort 3 - 2026)

Running from January to November, 2026, the AMPLIFY Connect: Creative Social Enterprise Fellowship 2026 is funded by the JB Fernandes Memorial Trust I. The almost year-long program, had invited 6 previous Fellows to continue their journey with East Yard Enterprises.

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This new phase is designed to go deeper—moving from ideas and frameworks into real-world social impact products, youth mentorship, and community-based product roll-out. The returning Fellows, were invited not simply to participate, but to lead, model, and multiply.

This cycle's focus on Social Impact Product Development centers—the intentional design and creation of physical products that generate positive change for people, communities, or the environment, while remaining financially viable and scalable.

 

This is not philanthropy. This is about embedding social purpose into the entire product lifecycle—from concept to sourcing, delivery, use, and beyond.

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