Laborie: A Resilient Community For Everyone

21 March 2019

The Laborie Development Foundation has secured funding from the Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund to implement a project that includes four activities that will guide the development of Laborie in the medium and long terms:

1. The preparation of a new strategic development plan, taking into account lessons learned from the implementation of the strategic plan prepared in 2001

2. The drafting of a management plan for the Rudy John Beach Park, based on the recommendations already formulated in community consultations

3. The preparation of an integrated management plan for Laborie Village Watershed and Coastal Zone, based on the guidelines already formulated

4. The development of Terms of Reference for a study of the Laborie Bay that would identify the measures and actions needed to combat coastal erosion and reduce the vulnerability to sea level rise, storms and other extreme climate events

The Foundation is currently inviting expressions of interest from qualified firms or individual consultants to provide services for one or more of these consultancies.

People interested should send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request a copy of the terms of reference.

The deadline for the submission of expressions of interest is Friday 5 April 2019.

Laborie Hosts International Music Workshop

09 January 2019

Andy Narell directs workshop participants

Professional and amateur musicians as well as music students from the USA, Australia and France have converged on Laborie for the third edition of the annual Laborie Steel Pan and Brasilian Percussion Workshop. Hosted by Labowi Promotions and the Laborie Steel Pan, this 10-day experience offers participants steel band and Brasilian percussion rehearsals, as well as master classes that cover a range of topics such as the history of steel band music, arranging, and improvising.

The co-directors of the workshop are world-renowned pan player and composer Andy Narell, and Jason Koontz, director of percussion at Eastern Kentucky University in the US. Andy Narell has been a part-time resident of Laborie over the past eight years, and has been working with the Laborie Steel Pan, broadening their repertoire, sharpening the skills of the players, and giving them a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the steel pan and pan music.

During their stay in Saint Lucia, workshop participants learn and play music, but they also have the opportunity to meet residents, taste local cuisine, enjoy beaches, explore historic sites and go hiking. For Labowi Promotions and the Laborie Development Foundation, this workshop is one of the ways to encourage community-based tourism, and to attract people who appreciate local culture, and who have artistic skills and experience to share.

Read more ...