The Caribbean Digital Scholarship Summer Institute (CDSsi) trains scholars interested in approaching Caribbean Studies and digital scholarship as organically integrated fields of inquiry and engagement. Programs of study that integrate these domains are hard to come by in today's universities. A standard solution has been assembling generalist summer institutes (such as the Digital Humanities Summer Institute at the University of Victoria, or Dream Lab at the University of Pennsylvania). However, these programs have proven to be inaccessible to many Caribbean scholars due to the high cost, logistics of international travel, and a tendency to center on Europe, Canada, and the US. Given this challenge, we must secure a viable future for digital scholarship in Caribbean studies that expands the professionals in these areas of expertise.

The CDSsi aims to address the need for training and mentorship tailored for Caribbean studies and practitioners to secure the talent pool and viable futures for digital scholarship in the region. Every year, the CDSsi supports travel for up to 30 scholars to attend the week-long summer institute and learn from experts in the field. The course offerings focus on computational approaches to corpora (text and media analysis, general use of computation, statistics, data science), digital pedagogy, and the design and implementation of knowledge systems (digital archives, exhibits, maps, visualizations, publishing) beyond the use of templated solutions. The immersive experience allows participants to build foundational skills while establishing personal and professional connections with peers and instructors.