Jericca Warren

16/10/2025

For the last couple of months, I’ve been working on the culture interviews of ARC+ News, a new media project that came about from few conversations among island friends and colleagues on how much the Bay Islands needed a media that digs deeper, runs investigations, and focuses on stories that really matter.

We felt that news in general has become sensational and misses the chance to highlight people doing real work for our communities. This is a platform that showcases truth, culture, and environment. We want to highlight the people who fight for our environment, culture, and rights. Islanders who have founded organizations to combat pollution, help the children, help those in precarious situations, and those who preserve our heritage. These are the voices that deserve attention, not the viral obscene personalities that at times dominate today’s media.

It won’t be limited to the islands. We know islanders travel to the mainland and want to discover meaningful experiences there too, whether it’s exploring museums and galleries, attending cultural events, or visiting cities like Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Copán, or Comayagua. We’ll be sharing places and activities that are not just fun, but educational, and culturally enriching.

There was a time when I looked to outlets like the big ones in the mainland for solid journalism. But, I’ve felt a big change, more viral content, fewer meaningful stories. Everything is being sensatioonalized in order to monetize. Things are shared without being verified. We’re just getting started, but ARC+ News is working on several feature podcasts and shows run by islanders that I'm sure you’ll love, conversations that feel real, relevant, and connected to who we are as islanders and as Hondurans.

13/10/2025

It’s unbelievable how we’ve become a community of over 13,000 people here but I wanted to hop on real quick to say THANK YOU! I’m glad you guys like the articles and short stories.

I do wish I had more time on my hands to answer each one of your comments but life and work get in the way sometimes. If you need to reach me DM is the fastest way.

Without further-ado, I am grateful for each one of you all. We’re a wonderful community? 🤗🪸

11/10/2025

Over the last 48hrs, a video of Roatan’s mayor calling out a local media outlet went viral. In it, he called them out for spreading gossip and posting stories without proper background checks. The media should have a responsibility in what gets published, but most people don’t really understand how monetization works.

Here’s the truth: social media can pay. Once a page gets approved for monetization, the creator earns money from interactions, especially from videos. Every time someone clicks, likes, comments, or shares a post, it adds up. It’s not about having a certain number of followers to get started; it’s about how much engagement each post gets. For example, one video might only generate a few cents, another might make a few dollars, it all depends on how many people engage with it. The more engagement they get, the more the algorithm shows their page to more people, they grow in numbers and increase profit.

The more controversial or emotional a post is, the more reactions it gets. People argue in the comments, share it to give their opinion, or react just to say they disagree. But all that attention, even the negative kind, is PROFIT. So, when you see pages posting wild rumors or half-checked stories, it’s often not about truth. It’s about traffic. Controversy pays.

If you really want to take a stance against misinformation or sensationalist pages, the best thing you can do isn’t to argue with them in the comments, it’s to ignore the post completely. Every like, comment, and share (even a negative one) helps them make money and reach more people. The algorithm doesn’t care why you reacted; it only sees that you did. I could make a whole lot more than what I do if I posted controversial or morbid things, but with a platform comes a responsibility that not everyone assumes.

So next time you come across something that feels off or exaggerated, resist the urge to engage. Because the moment you do, you’re helping the very thing you’re against, and someone’s cashing in on it.

09/10/2025

Sundays at the beach are all the more special 🌊

08/10/2025

Every time I post a video about the Bay Islands, especially Roatan, there’s always at least one comment that says “Stop gentrification!” Sometimes it’s written in all caps, sometimes it comes through in my DMs. It’s a phrase that’s become a kind of reflex online, especially when people see development happening in places that used to look different.

But let’s talk about what’s really going on.

Gentrification, by definition, is when lower-income residents are displaced by wealthier newcomers. It’s a real issue in many parts of the world, cities, beaches, islands, and it deserves to be talked about seriously. But in the case of Roatan, things are more complicated than a simple “rich versus poor” dynamic.

Many islanders are selling their properties. That’s true. But the reasons behind it are personal and often tied to economic realities, not just outside pressure. The cost of living in Roatan is high. Electricity bills are among the most expensive in Honduras. Building materials are costly. The supermarket is expensive. And getting access to loans or financial support isn’t easy for most families.

I can speak from personal experience. When I moved away from Utila, I had a property in Roatan my grandfather had given when I was a little girl. It was always my dream to build a home there. I'd even sketch what I'd build and the fruit trees I'd plant when I got older. But as I grew older and I started looking into it, I realized how expensive it would be to construct anything decent. Lawyers charged almost 3x what they would charge in the mainland, so did architects. I lived off my own income, and no matter how much I wanted to make it work, it simply wasn’t possible for me at the time.

Eventually, I made the painful decision to sell. I sold my land to someone who also lives on the island whose children even went to school with my sister. I don’t know if he’s island-born, but his life is rooted there. With the money, I was able to buy a beautiful home in Tegucigalpa, where I now live part-time. I've spent the last couple years enjoying every trip to the different stores where I am able to shop for anything I need and want. I can come home and decorate when I'm bored. It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one for me at the time.

That’s why it feels unfair when people say things like, “You shouldn’t sell your land to other people.” Nobody from the outside truly knows what another person is going through. For many islanders, selling a piece of land isn’t about abandoning heritage, it’s about survival, or simply finding a better opportunity. In Tegucigalpa, I pay less than a third of what I paid in Utila in lightbill, much less than what I would have paid in Roatan. Here I have a much higher quality of life because the light bill, water bill, supermarket bill are decent.

It’s not that people want to sell. It’s that most don’t have the means to develop their properties. Banks rarely grant the kind of loans that would make that possible becuase they're so high, and even when they do, interest rates are overwhelming. Not everyone has the savings, the connections, or the level of trust required to enter a partnership or investment deal.

So, is Roatan changing? Absolutely. Are there new people moving in? Yes. But it’s not always the clear-cut case of outsiders “taking over” that some people make it out to be. More often, it’s a reflection of deeper economic challenges that push people into making hard, personal choices. And while gentrification is a valid concern, it’s important to approach the conversation with empathy, and to remember that not every sale or new development is driven by greed. Sometimes, it’s just life unfolding the way it has to.

PS. Little did I know then that a few years later, I'd be getting engaged to someone from my hometown and moving back.

08/10/2025

07/10/2025

If you’d like to hear the full story you can send me your email so they can give you access to the free subscription✨

Enjoy 🌴

06/10/2025

06/10/2025

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working on something very close to my heart, an essay about one of the Bay Islands’ most beautiful yet fading traditions: the dance around the May Pole Tree.

For generations, this dance was one of the liveliest and most meaningful community celebrations on the islands. It represented unity, joy, and a deep connection to who we are as islanders. Sadly, like many traditions passed down orally, it has been eroding in recent years under outside influences and the fast pace of modern life. I wanted to document it before it slips any further away.

The essay is titled El alma indómita de las Islas de la Bahía or in English, The Indomitable Soul of the Bay Islands, and it was published this morning in Perpetuo, a Spanish-language digital magazine based in Mexico. Perpetuo is hosted on Substack and has become a wonderful space for literature, essays, and cultural reflection in the Spanish-speaking world. It was founded by José Luis Sabau, a Mexican writer and journalist who graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Political Science, Economics, and Latin American Studies. He’s currently a columnist for El Sol de México, Excélsior, and Nexos, and his work focuses on Mexican politics, history, and cultural traditions.

José Luis and I went through several possible topics, but when I mentioned the May Pole tree tradition, he immediately connected with it. He encouraged me to expand on it; this piece turned into a 13-page essay that explores not just the dance itself, but what it means for us as a people: how traditions shape memory, how identity is preserved through ritual, and how the spirit of a small community can resist being erased by outside noise. It also dives into our Bay Islands history, our races, and other traditions that took for inspiration the very May Pole tradition.

The essay was written in Spanish because Perpetuo is entirely dedicated to the Spanish-speaking world and aims to become one of the most influential cultural magazines in our language. For me, writing it in Spanish also felt important, it allowed me to reach beyond the islands and connect our story with readers across Latin America who share similar experiences of cultural loss and resilience.

I also recorded the narration, so if you don’t have time to read the full essay, you can listen to it directly on the magazine, it's 46 minutes long.

Perpetuo is a subscription-based platform, but you can enjoy the essay for free. If you’d like access, just send me your email and José Luis will kindly grant you full access at no cost.

I’m genuinely proud of this piece, not only because it preserves a part of our heritage, but because it shows that the stories of the Bay Islands can stand alongside the great cultural narratives of Latin America.

I hope you take a moment to read or listen to El alma indómita de las Islas de la Bahía. It’s a love letter to our traditions, and a reminder that even as times change, the soul of our islands remains indomitable.

https://perpetuo.substack.com/p/el-alma-indomita-de-las-islas-de

06/10/2025

How this dessert made its way from Southern United States to the Bay Islands, I don’t know exactly.

I remember trying this Banana Pudding out on a few occasions while I was a little girl during holidays in Roatan. As an adult I came to find it in Utila. Mrs. Annie Rose sent me the recipe she uses which is as follows:

You’ll need:
1 8oz of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups of cold milk
1 small can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 small contamines of whipped cream
1 package of vanilla wafers
10 small bananas

Instructions:
- Blend the pudding with the milk, then add the condensed milk and vanilla.
- Mix in the whipped cream.
- Use a container to add one layer of the mix, another layer of sliced bananas and crushed wafers.
- Continue until you run out of mixture and top that with bananas and crushed wafers again.

05/10/2025

I enjoyed filming this✅

Ever wondered how real, homemade coconut oil is made?In this video, Mr. Allen walks us through the traditional island method — from cracking coconuts to extr...

05/10/2025

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on something that I love, curating the cultural, historical, and heritage content for ARC+ News, a new online news platform for the Bay Islands.

It’s been such a rewarding experience because it gives me the chance to share stories that go beyond the headlines, stories that connect us to who we are. I’ve also been conducting a series of short interviews that highlight the people, traditions, and knowledge that make our islands unique.

The latest one features Mr. Allen, who welcomed us into his home in French Harbor, Roatan, to show how he makes coconut oil from scratch, the traditional island way. He even shared how to make fresh coconut milk, step by step. It’s one of those timeless island traditions that deserve to be documented and passed on.

In the coming days, I’ll be sharing more interviews shot around the different islands. If you haven’t already, take a moment to follow, it’s a space where our stories truly belong.

Website: www.arcplusnews.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcplusnews