GROWING up, Lisa Andrea Narine has always been fascinated with the dances she saw in movies. Be it Bollywood music, ballet or contemporary, she’d try to mimic the dancers the best way she could. Little did she know that such love and a keen interest in the arts would help her shape the person she’d eventually become.
The 22-year-old, who hails from Canal Number One, can still remember the experience she had in third grade when she froze on stage during an unrehearsed dance that she and other classmates were put on stage to do. Simple as it seemed at the time, the experience turned into one that would propel her into a more confident, outgoing individual, especially when it came to performing in front of others. “We were just supposed to go up on the stage and freestyle. I remember standing on that stage scared and stiff; I turned and watched the other girl throwing out every move she knew. I never wanted to feel like that again. I was embarrassed and felt like I had disappointed my parents. That third-grade experience was etched in me; I came back like a force to every school dance I could, up to the point where I started to help choreograph dances to represent my school,” Lisa recalled in an interview with the Buzz.

She feels that she owes her cultural values to her mother, Molly Ram, who was always the one to inspire and encourage her. “She always wanted to see that side of me flourish, but the opportunities were limited and there were no classes offered in our community to nurture that passion and the ones that were available were either too expensive or too far away from home.”
Fortunately, though, a few years later, Lisa managed to enter the world of pageantry and then joined the Jeewan Ka Nritya Dance Group where she found a new love for dancing, boosted by people that shared the same passion. Because others recognized and aided her potential, Lisa said she wanted to do the same.
“I wanted to incorporate this inspiration, coupled with my drive, to break traditional barriers of suppressing women, something I witnessed my mother and even I experienced firsthand; to diminish this stigma in rural communities, starting in my own, and to be able to help empower youths and women with confidence and leadership abilities,” she expressed.

After graduating high school, Lisa began volunteering at the Manram Memorial Health Centre where she first developed a love for working with children. Even though the options were limited in terms of youth voluntary groups, she’d always find herself reaching out in any way she could, including offering tutoring at the Ashram or teaching kids to play the harmonium.
Lisa has also been inspired to start up a project alongside a team of volunteers for a youth and women empowerment group at the Akshardham Ashram located in Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, which focuses on creating a safe space for women and children to learn and grow.
For children, the aim is to expose and encourage them in curricular activities in areas such as arts and culture, academics and various skills classes. The group is also aiming for classes in cooking, sewing, crafts, sports and the academic aspects of marketing, business and entrepreneurship.
“I believe that we the young people are the guardians of the earth and our children will take our place in higher chambers so we need to be mindful of our actions now so it will be positively impacted later.” She said this mentality is what fuels her ever-growing drive and aspiration to be a beacon of hope to others.
Lisa is also the founder of The Green Hub, one of Guyana’s first online shops to offer sustainable products as a means of reducing carbon footprint. The initiative began with her growing interest in the current health of the environment.