PHILIPSBURG:--- K1 Britannia Foundation recently celebrated its 5th year anniversary having been established as a maritime foundation locally on February 27th, 2014. K1 has grown to house several charitable projects in the fields of Disaster Relief, Foster Care, Volunteerism and Second Chance – helping vulnerable and at-risk youth. Co-Founder Priya Thirumur introduced the basis of the foundation through conversation with the Court of Guardianship that highlighted the need to support vulnerable and at-risk youth. 5 years later, K1 has grown to encompass a network of passionate team members, dedicated local and international volunteers, and unwavering partners that strive to create solutions for evolving challenges faced by our vulnerable youth.
A large part of whom and what the foundation is today is the volunteer program. In 2014, Program Manager Iris Hakkens jump-started the volunteer program with the hopes to get the people of St. Maarten active in creating solutions for issues on the island. K1 opened up the program to anyone looking to get involved, but mostly attracted a lot of creative, young students wanting to be a part of solutions. Atoya D’Aguiar, one of K1’s consistent volunteers, mentioned “Volunteering has changed my life by connecting to others. It’s good for your mind and body and brought fulfillment to my life. While volunteering with Coach Tom at Player Development, I got an opportunity to prove myself, meet people and gain a father.”
Today the volunteer program comprises a network over of 1,000 local and international volunteers. Many of K1’s Program Managers started as volunteers, and K1 has drawn persons and international organizations like Menzies Aviation who participated in innovative fundraising activities while actively participating in volunteer activities on the island.
Coach Tom Burnett of Player Development and beneficiary of the program stated, “K1 is an amazing group of young people who freely volunteer their time and energy to make the community a better place. At Player Development that means they read with the children, play with them and help the children grow.”
Since the beginning, the Foster Care program has been a very large part of the foundation. As these children are some of the most vulnerable in our society, K1 aims to provide mentorship and experiences to these children to aid in the personal development of each child. The purpose of the program is to provide experiences to improve their emotional, social, and problem-solving skills, but also to guide them through positive role modeling.
In its early years, when K1 Britannia Foundation focused closely on working with foster homes, the foundation then partnered with the Court of Guardianship to also mentor children currently in and transitioning out the justice system. This transformed into what is today, K1’s Second Chance program; which is a program tailored to this group of youths to provide them with a “second chance” at life. K1 has been involved with a large number of youths assisting with job training, social development and mentoring. Tony Dunkerly alongside with K1, started the Work, Training & Social Development Program (WTSD), for 16-18-year-olds to provide them with the tools and training needed to become dynamic members of society.
Richelda Rodriguez- Emmanuel, Former Director of the Court of Guardianship shared, “K1’s Second Chance program, a first of its kind, is able to help children transitioning from the justice system. This program has given them the opportunity to grow and develop and receive various certifications in job training. I’ve personally seen youth through the Court of Guardianship grow and develop from this program, in very personal ways.”
For the first time last year, K1 was able to send King, its first youth abroad to the UK. As the pilot program, King is taking part in a 1-year apprenticeship in boatbuilding and other maritime training. This program is also in conjunction with K1’s Scholarship Fund. The Fund has been set up to award training opportunities for local youth who cannot afford to do so themselves. K1 has also worked with Kidz at Sea to provide youth with maritime training; 9 youth have now graduated and gone on to work in the maritime field. Ongoing at this very moment, is a fully sponsored carpentry course that was made possible by K1 in collaboration with NIPA and sponsors such as Holland America Line, NRF, and Menzies Aviation to give youth the opportunity to advance in the construction field.
Mr. Spadaro of Maho Group kindly mentioned, “With compassion at its core, K1 Britannia Foundation is an organization that The Maho Group is proud to support. From their unwavering humanity and heart -especially toward children, whom are the pillars in which our society will move forward - the organization and its leaders are committed to consistently exceeding the fellowship that defines our very community here in Sint Maarten.”
Over the years, K1 has also set up a mentorship program and sustained the Annual Christmas Angels Program that started since 2014. The program has become a tradition that encourages the community to take part in giving back to the most vulnerable in our community.
The devastation on St. Maarten caused by Irma opened a gap and a role needed to be filled right after the storm hit. K1 along with its volunteers worked closely with the Coast Guard, Government of St. Maarten and other entities to provide relief and aid to those who needed it the most. From this, K1 has now set-up an official Disaster relief team called K1 DIRECT on St. Maarten and on Curacao.
The K1 Britannia Foundation would like to thank all of its partners, sponsors, and volunteers that have contributed to the growth of the foundation.
SMDF kindly mentioned, “K1 Britannia has made a positive contribution to St. Maarten’s youngest residents. In extending grants to K1 Britannia, SMDF is financially supporting an organization that shares our commitment to St. Maarten’s social development and we congratulate the organization on five years of memorable service to St. Maarten.”
Co-Founder Priya Thirumur concluded, “K1 has always been a youth-driven organization, full of life, fire, and ideas. The ones that keep K1 alive are truly the heart of the foundation. There is no end to what is possible, what challenges can be tackled, what lives can be changed and who may be inspired. We are humbled and ecstatic to have reached this milestone.”
K1 looks forward to its continued journey of engaging the community and providing solutions for those who need it most. For more information about K1 Britannia Foundation, visit their website www.k1britanniafoundation.org, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit their Facebook www.facebook.com/k1sxm.
