Lumina Festival Honours Playbook Graduates
The Lumina Festival recognized 30 graduates of its 10-week Playbook financial education programme with CPA Bermuda-accredited certificates.
A spokesperson said, “The Lumina Festival was pleased to honor the graduates of its 10-week financial education programme The Playbook with an award ceremony and a certificate of completion accredited by CPA Bermuda for Continuing Professional Development [CPD]. Generously supported by the Centennial Foundation, this programme was aimed at Black men aged 18 to 45 and was designed to strengthen financial literacy, investing knowledge, budgeting skills and overall wellbeing.
“To qualify for graduation and receive their CPA-accredited certificate of completion, participants were required to attend 7 of the 10 sessions of The Playbook programme and complete a capstone project, including an investing portfolio presentation and a trading plan. 30 participants successfully met these requirements and received their completion certificates.”
“We are incredibly proud of the participants of our inaugural trading and investing programme,” said professional trader and instructor of The Trading Floor Mandela Fubler. “Throughout the course, they demonstrated discipline, adaptability, and a deep understanding of risk. These qualities are essential for long-term success. Their final portfolio presentations reflected a high level of analytical thinking and professionalism.”
Mr Fubler added, “I would also like to extend sincere thanks to Jalen Smith for generously sharing his knowledge and insights during each workshop, which greatly enriched the learning experience for all participants. In addition, we are grateful to Rickai Binns and Gerri Saltus for serving as judges for the final presentations and providing thoughtful feedback to our graduates. Also, thank you to the volunteers who helped make this a massive success!”
The spokesperson said, “Participants were split into three cohorts located at Warwick Workmen’s Club, Southampton Rangers Sports Club, and North Village Community Club. The programme included an investing session led by full-time professional trader Mandela Fubler and alternated between budgeting and personal finance instruction from qualified accountant Sylvia Taylor and holistic wellness guidance led by fitness trainer Cervio Cox.”
“It was an honour to be part of The Playbook and to celebrate the dedication of all the participants, who committed their time each week, put in the work, and embraced the opportunity to strengthen their financial knowledge,” said Sylvia Taylor. “This programme is about more than investing or budgeting – it is about building confidence, making informed decisions, and creating lasting financial security. I look forward to seeing this programme evolve and empower even more people as they begin their financial journey.”
Cervio Cox added, “The financial wellness programme brought together young men with similar backgrounds and created one common ground where they could acquire and apply knowledge. For some, this programme was the catalyst for them to take that leap while for others it may have been a challenge to even showing up. Either way there was a willingness to take action! When purpose,preparation and action align you have programmes like the Playbook and on a larger scale the Lumina Festival. It was an honour to be involved in the programme!”
Zaiyas Symond, Playbook programme graduate said, “I’ve been in this space for about 6 years now and thanks to Lumina I was able to expand my knowledge, learn more ways to diversify my portfolio and grow and, most importantly, the networking opportunity they provided has opened doors for me that I would have never been able to access. It’s not just about what you know, it’s about who you know.”
Shaki Whitter, another graduate of The Playbook programme added, “When I entered this course, it was with the intention of completing it with my son. The knowledge that I’ve gained through this course was comprehensive and life-changing. I plan on taking what I’ve learned and making the most of it. The presenters were knowledgeable, friendly, and encouraging – not only did they teach you about your potential to make money but to also manage it successfully. I would highly recommend investing in yourself by participating in programmes like these, and, from a sponsorship perspective, investing in our community by continuing offer resources like this. Thank you to the Lumina Festival and to the sponsors of The Playbook programme for this opportunity.”
The spokesperson said, “In addition to receiving a certificate of completion, participants also received free tickets to attend the 2026 Lumina Festival Financial Literacy Summit on Friday, September 25, 2026 at the National Museum of Bermuda, Dockyard. Tickets are available at Ptix.bm, workingonit.tech and at Treehouse Bermuda.
“Programmes like The Playbook are made possible through generous sponsorship, and every contribution goes a long way. If interested in supporting programmes like this, visit luminafest.com for more information or email info@luminafest.com.”
