Ten tiny yet powerful voices of children aged eight to 11 years echoed confidently across the stage, demonstrating their debating skills and talent with poise belying their ages. This scene unfolded on Sunday, May 18, 2025 at the Little Genius Show backed by the Supreme Ventures Foundation (SVF).

The 2025 Little Genius Show, the flagship national event from NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services, under the theme “STEAM-Powered Dreams: Exploring the Possibilities” is the brainchild of Tishauna Mullings, one of the finalists in the 2025 SVF Community Hero programme. Mullings is a long-time advocate for education in rural Jamaica and her Little Genius Show is far more than a competition. It is a launch pad for self-expression, literacy, and leadership among children aged six to 11. The event brought together eager participants, proud parents, and community leaders — all bearing witness to the next generation finding its voice.

This year’s staging marked a new milestone for the initiative. As one of the standout projects under the SVF 2025 Community Heroes Programme, Mullings received funding and capacity-building support to reintroduce the Little Genius initiative on a larger scale, with enhanced structure, visibility, and reach.

“Today, I saw my dream come full circle,” Mullings shared. “Supreme Ventures Foundation did not just fund an event — they helped build a platform for youth empowerment. The training and support I have received as part of their community heroes programme gave me the tools to bring this vision to life, properly and powerfully.”

Launched in 2019, the Supreme Ventures Foundation Community Heroes Project has been investing in grassroots leadership for three cycles. To date, the Foundation has trained and supported eight changemakers, with five new heroes selected in 2025 to implement transformational projects across Jamaica. The programme, which was relaunched earlier this year, continues to focus on identifying everyday Jamaicans making an extraordinary impact, and equipping them with the tools and resources to scale that impact for the national good.

For Supreme Ventures Foundation, the event was a proud showcase of precisely what the programme was meant to achieve.

“Tishauna, like all of our nominees, embodies what we look for in a Hero — passion, consistency, and a clear vision for change,” said Chloleen Daley-Muschett, AVP PR and Corporate Affairs of the Foundation. “The Little Genius Initiative is creating a culture of confidence and excellence among our children, and we are honoured to walk this journey with her.”

After the talent showcase and a spirited parliamentary style debate, it was Samuel Douglas, an 11 year old student of Ardenne Prep and Extension High School who emerged as the overall winner. Samuel confidently performed his talent piece and demonstrated excellent critical thinking skills during the debate and top 5 Q&A segment winning over both judges and audience alike.

“I was nervous at first, but I kept thinking about how far I’ve come and all that Ms. Mullings has taught me,” he said, trophy in hand. “Now I want to help other children like me be brave and find their voice, too.”

The Supreme Ventures Foundation formally handed over the grand prize of $100,000 to the winning participant, $70,000 from the grand prize will be dedicated to implementing a project in Samuel’s own community, a powerful ripple effect of the SVF Community Hero project, where empowered community leaders like Tishauna are now nurturing the next generation of changemakers, building a better, more resilient Jamaica from the ground up.

“This is only the beginning,” Mullings added. “Little geniuses become big thinkers — and with the right support, they’ll change the world.”

The Supreme Community Heroes Programme is a unique outreach and capacity building programme powered by SVF that seeks to identify and support unsung heroes across the island who use the limited resources from their small businesses to make a positive impact on their communities.

Tishauna is one of five Community Heroes currently executing their projects across Jamaica, with the remaining heroes set to be featured in the coming weeks as the Foundation continues to spotlight their inspiring work and transformative impact.