In September 2001, the Yale College Caribbean Club became the Yale West Indian Students' Organization. With a new look, a new name and a new objective, Y-WISO will  bring the best of Caribbean life and culture to Yale University!

Our Mission

Y-WISO has a two-fold mission:
To provide a support system for Yale students of Caribbean descent. Our goal is to make the Yale College campus as comfortable a community as possible for Caribbean students by providing fun activities during which members may come together and share one another's college experiences. Such activities may include but are not limited to parties, discussions on the current issues facing the West Indies, outings, lectures on the Caribbean, and picnics.

To educate the Yale Community and ourselves about the rich cultures and traditions of the West Indies. This is accomplished through the collective exploration of our common ancestry and the sharing of the unique cultural aspects of the respective Caribbean regions from which this ancestry emerged. This exchange is not limited to individuals of Caribbean descent, but rather it is extended to all who wish to gain a greater understanding of and to participate in the diffusion of this rich tradition.

Another focus of the organization is to create connections with the Caribbean communities of New Haven. We hope to enhance this solidarity via the incorporation of members of the New Haven and surrounding communities. Expansion of this interchange occurs through cultural, political, and social activities including parties, banquets, performances, debates, and seminars. Employing the union in the development and maintenance of community service initiative, we hope to enrich the lives of children in New Haven public schools, particularly those who, due to the recent immigration from other countries, have been inappropriately assigned to special education and English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms. Y-WISO members, via tutoring and mentoring, develop substantial relationships with students with the aim of fostering and facilitating their adjustment to a new and unfamiliar educational system.

All members of Yale college are eligible to become members of the Yale West Indian Students' Organization provided that they are interested in learning more about the Caribbean and its cultures and traditions. Members are encouraged to attend weekly meetings and participate in any social or educational activities held by the organization

Contact Information

Postal address

c/o Afro-American Cultural Centre, 211 Park St. New Haven CT 06511, USA

Electronic mail

Webmaster: wilky.coutard@yale.edu

Send mail to wilky.coutard@yale.edu with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2004-05 Yale West Indian Students' Organization
Last modified: 17 October 2005