From K1 Britannia Foundation
Established in 2014, K1 Britannia was founded as a maritime foundation, with a focus on connecting foundations with volunteers who can support them, as well as conducting trainings, apprenticeship programs, and more, for youths on the island.
The following timeline shows when key programs started and when significant events happened during our eight-year existence.
Commencement of programs
2014: Volunteer Program and Student Volunteerism, Second Chance Program, Foster Care and Mentorship Program, Christmas Angels Program.
2015: Maritime Program, SXM DOET (participation).
2016: Work, Training and Social Development Program (WTSD) for youths.
2017: Disaster Relief Program: Hurricane Irma (St. Maarten) and Hurricane Maria (Dominica), International Volunteer Program, Rebuilding Programs.
2018: Creation of Local Scholarship Fund, Apprenticeship Programs: Maritime Training Course (St. Maarten) and International Boatbuilding Training College (United Kingdom), creation of K1 Disaster Relief and Crisis Team (K1 DIRECT).
2019: K1 DIRECT deployment for Hurricane Dorian (The Bahamas), Apprenticeship Program-Carpentry Level 1, General Education Diploma (GED) Program.
2020: COVID-19 Relief Program, the launch of Spirit of St. Maarten (Flagship for K1), Project Hope.
2021: K1 DIRECT deployment for 7.2 Earthquake (Haiti).
Since our inception, the timeline highlights how we have grown to encompass a variety of charitable projects, housing several initiatives in the fields of Disaster Relief and Crisis Response, Second Chance, Foster Care, and Volunteerism.
As we look back over the years, the passing of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 stands out as one of the few significant moments.
Through our volunteer program, our never-give-up attitude, and our sheer will and commitment as an organization to make a difference, we were able to provide assistance in a time when this was most needed.
This led us to recognize a need for a trained Disaster Response Team. Irma’s experiences and lessons learned birthed the creation of K1 DIRECT on the first anniversary of Irma. K1 DIRECT is K1’s Disaster Relief and Crisis Team consisting of dedicated volunteers from St. Maarten and Curaçao.
Another key moment has been the launch of the K1 Scholarship Fund. The fund created the opportunity for vulnerable and at-risk youth to receive trainings locally and internationally. For example, we sent one youth abroad for an internationally recognized boatbuilding apprenticeship, giving him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the trajectory of his life, which he has fully embraced.
Through it all, K1’s programs are only made possible through the dedication of committed team members, hundreds of volunteers and sponsors.
All of these team-members, from 16 years old and up, are dynamic people with a vision – people who have created change. They brought to life each of the projects that are mentioned in the above timeline. It is their blood, sweat and tears, their visions, their initiatives, their drive and their heart that have made K1 what it is today.
Program managers have been supported by volunteers who are the heart of K1 and who have dedicated over 60,000 hours over the past eight years to help better the St. Maarten community, in various ways, and the Caribbean through K1 DIRECT. The programs and the lives they have touched were made possible only because of the collaboration between the team members, hundreds of volunteers, and sponsors.
Thanks to all the individuals, businesses and organizations that have supported us unconditionally through the years; we all achieved this eighth anniversary milestone together.
For more information on how you can join, support or partner with us, please call +1 (721) 543-3332, +1 (721) 553-8186, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit us at www.k1britanniafoundation.org or www.facebook.com/k1sxm.
