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Didn't Exist Before You

A youth initiative facilitating STEAM programs, workshops, and community events in Nassau, Bahamas.

Founded by Christopher Hilton, Bahamian jazz bassist at Oberlin Conservatory

Featured in The Tribune · July 4, 2025

Why We Exist

Talent is everywhere.
Opportunity isn't.

Talented young people across the Bahamas are driven. Whether they are building, coding, performing, designing, or creating, the instinct and the work ethic are there. What is often missing is the mentorship, the structure, and the serious programming that turns potential into real capability.

Access to that kind of development has long required an intentional environment or going without. That gap is real across music, coding, robotics, and every discipline where Bahamian young people have something to say. Island Innovators Bahamas exists to close these gaps in an interdisciplinary way.

Nassau has the talent. Island Innovators Bahamas is the opportunity.

What We Facilitate

Island Innovators Bahamas facilitates STEAM programs, workshops, and community events for young people.

Delivered to date

Music

Performance & production

Coding

Programming & software development

Robotics

Hands-on robotics

Our Work

The Tribune

July 4, 2025

Christopher Hilton · Founder

"My vision for Island Innovators was never meant to be just a one-time summer programme; I've always envisioned it growing into something bigger, more sustainable, and more accessible across The Bahamas."

"I liked that the instructors were young so it was relatable to him."

2025 Parent

"It was worth the education."

2025 Parent

2026 Music Performance & Production Intensive

Nassau, Bahamas · Summer 2026

Explore the 2026 Program →

2025 STEAM Pilot

Nassau, Bahamas · Summer 2025

Island Innovators Bahamas launched in 2025 with a creative and technical pilot spanning music, coding, and robotics. The 2026 flagship program focused on music performance and production.

Explore the 2025 Pilot

Stay connected on future programs and opportunities.

Tell Us What You'd Like to See →

Stay in the loop on future programs and initiatives

Programs

What We've Built

Three cohorts across two years. Each program is selective, intensive, and designed to develop serious young talent in Nassau.

2026 Flagship Program

Music Performance & Production Intensive

A two-week selective intensive at R.M. Bailey Senior High School. Students received instruction in music performance and production, participated in five guest sessions led by conservatory graduates and students, visited Jon Batiste's Jazz Club, and concluded with a public student showcase.

Music Performance Music Production College Exploration

Concluded July 2026

Program Details →
2025 Pilot Program

STEAM Pilot

During its 2025 pilot year, Island Innovators Bahamas delivered two summer sessions across eight weeks that collectively served fourteen students. Students explored music, coding, robotics, and introductory web development through hands-on learning, establishing the foundation for future programming.

Music Coding Robotics
Explore the 2025 Pilot →

Future Programs

Island Innovators Bahamas is exploring future flagship intensives across additional STEAM disciplines. If you'd like to shape what comes next, tell us.

Share Your Interests
Christopher Hilton, Founder of Island Innovators Bahamas

The Founder

Built by a Bahamian, for Bahamians

Christopher Hilton grew up in Nassau with music as part of his life, always working to get better. But it was often frustrating, not always knowing if what he was doing was the right thing, or which direction would actually lead somewhere.

Despite transitioning from electric bass to upright bass only two months before his audition process, he earned admission to one of the world's leading conservatories. He attributes it to the principles, perspective, and environment that surrounded him when it mattered most.

He now studies jazz bass at Oberlin Conservatory under Gerald Cannon, a faculty member at both Oberlin Conservatory and the Juilliard School. Christopher's background spans performance and computer science.

That experience shaped the philosophy behind Island Innovators Bahamas: a higher standard built on discipline, mentorship, and the expectation to deliver real work under pressure. Island Innovators Bahamas was developed during his first year at Oberlin to make that kind of development more accessible, while also creating a space where music and technology are not separate paths, but tools students use to develop, perform, and present work that reflects who they are and the direction they are headed.

Oberlin College & Conservatory Jazz Double Bass + CS Bahamian Founder

The Tribune

"…it's about discovering what you're capable of when you're given the tools and the stage."

Questions

Frequently Asked

Island Innovators Bahamas is a youth initiative that facilitates STEAM programs, workshops, and community events in Nassau, Bahamas. It was founded by Christopher Hilton, a Bahamian jazz bassist and student at Oberlin Conservatory.
In 2025, IIB delivered two sessions across eight weeks, serving fourteen students in music, coding, robotics, and web development. In 2026, the Music Performance & Production Intensive ran for two weeks at R.M. Bailey Senior High School, including five educational guest sessions, a field trip to Jon Batiste's Jazz Club, and a public student showcase.
Programs delivered to date have spanned music performance, music production, coding, robotics, and web development. Music has been the primary focus of the flagship program, with additional disciplines explored during the 2025 pilot year.
Programs are designed for students ages 11–18 in Nassau, Bahamas. Selection is based on commitment and seriousness rather than credentials alone. Some prior experience in the relevant discipline is typical.
The 2026 program has concluded and applications are not currently open. To be notified when the next application opens, join the interest list.
Email us at hello@islandinnovatorsbahamas.com or reach us on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok at @islandinnovatorsbahamas.

Serious growth requires serious opportunity.

If you're ready for both, this is where it begins.

Tell Us What You'd Like to See Next

Partners & Supporters

Work With Island Innovators Bahamas

We're open to conversations with schools, sponsors, organizations, and professionals across disciplines committed to serious creative and technical development for young Bahamians.

hello@islandinnovatorsbahamas.com