A group of Bermudian men have completed a ten-week education programme that will strengthen their financial literacy skills while bolstering their budgeting skills.

The Playbook, a programme offered by the Lumina Festival, was aimed at Black men aged 18 to 45 and was undertaken at Warwick Workmen's Club, Southampton Rangers Club and the North Village Community Club.

Lumina chief executive Zach Wilson told The Royal Gazette that the programme was conceptualised after the successful hosting of the Lumina Festival’s Financial Literacy Summit in October.

Mr Wilson said: “The festival was successful with over 500 attendees but we didn’t want it to stop at being just one day.

“We wanted to make a long-term impact on the community and that was part of our 2026 initiative.

“A demographic that is pretty much consistently left out of the wealth conversation in particular is Black men.

“With that, we wanted to curate a programme for Black men aged 18 to 45, which is a demographic that is affected the most.

“Also, these are important money-earning years, so if we could give these men information that could unlock their futures, it is better for the island, their families and the community.”

Mr Wilson said more than 100 applications were received for the 45 spots offered and he noted that each of the clubs took on cohorts of 15.

“We definitely want to do it bigger and better next year,” he added.

The programme was funded by the Centennial Foundation. Mr Wilson said: “The more funding that we get, the more we can do with more services which we can provide to more people on the island, not just the men.”

On Monday night, the participants at Warwick Workmen’s Club presented their investment portfolios, which they had been working on over an eight-week period.

The presentation marked their completion of the programme and during this week, the cohorts at Southampton Rangers Club and the North Village Community Club will present their portfolios.

Sierra Correia, a Lumina spokeswoman, said three primary instructors ran the course, which focused primarily on The Trading Floor, an investment programme.

She said the participants were enrolled in a trading platform and they were divided into groups to compete in an investing contest with dummy funds.

On Monday night, when the participants at Warwick Workmen’s Club presented their investment portfolios, it was revealed that the winning group racked up $22,507.35 from an initial capital of $500,000, which represented a 4.5 per cent gain in seven weeks.

Mandela Fubler, a Bermudian who is a professional trader living in London, was the head trainer of the trading programme while Sylvia Taylor, a professional accountant, led the participants through a “Budgeting 101” course.

Cervio Cox, a professional fitness trainer, provided holistic wellness guidance through the “Built Different” course.

Mr Fubler said he attended some of the sessions virtually while he came to Bermuda to attend in person.

He said: “It’s been inspiring being involved in the programme — I’ve gotten messages every day from the guys saying that they have learnt so much.

“Some of them have already been investing before and this is giving them a new-found rejuvenation and more confidence to continue their journey.

“I think this was a good tester, a good pilot and I think we could do it a lot bigger next time.”

Mr Cox said the variety of technology available put people in a position to “gain a better foot”.

He said: “The knowledge that is at our fingertips puts us in a powerful position.

“And just like with fitness training, the tools need to be used, the machines need to be used consistently with a responsible approach.

“If we could get that right, then growth is inevitable.”

Darien Williams, a participant at Warwick Workmen’s Club, said much of what he learnt during the course, he applied directly to the investing competition.

He said: “The most important lesson that I learnt was how to collaborate with my team.

“Overall, my experience in The Playbook programme has been excellent.

“I’m glad that the Black men in our community were able to come together to do something positive.”

Vincent Lightbourne, another Warwick Workmen’s participant, said the experience provided him with an opportunity to refresh his knowledge.

Mr Lightbourne said: “Not only was I able to gain valuable perspective from the other participants and from the guest instructors, but I was also able to share my own experiences with my cohort.

“Knowledge like this is important to pass on — we don’t often get access to the in-depth details of building generational wealth. I’m more than thankful to have had this opportunity.”

Randy Bean, another Warwick Workmen’s participant, said the The Playbook programme equipped him and his colleagues “with the tools we need to better engage with the financial markets”.

He said: “This is especially important because we’re in a fast-changing environment — money is changing, and the way we navigate finances has to change as well.

“I didn’t take my participation in this programme or the competition lightly.

“I want to ensure I have what it takes to be successful in investing.”