0

edition: In this

AMBASSADOR SHALLOW:

AN INTERESTING JOURNEY

#askSG: LIVE CHAT WITH

AMBASSADOR IRWIN LAROCQUE

plus

C.Y.A. Committee Members and Paragon Model Management

CARICOM Youth

Ambassadors

Rep’ Orange Day

Mr. Calvert Jones, Owner and Chief Design Consultant

of the Vincentian-based company McAllister Designs,

skillfully used his camera to help the CARICOM Youth

Ambassadors’ (S.V.G.) Committee remind the general

public that violence against women and girls is

unacceptable.

Orange Day culminates on November 25, the

International Day for the Elimination of Violence

against Women.

The 25th of each month has been declared ‘Orange Day’ by

the United Nation’s Secretary-General’s Unite to End

Violence against Women campaign. The day is used to

encourage governments and advocates to take action and shed

light on issues crucial to preventing and ending violence

against women and girls.

The CARICOM Youth Ambassadors’ (S.V.G.) Committee

(C.Y.A.) responds to this call every month through the use of

social media.

To commemorate Orange Day for the month of June, the

C.Y.A. Committee partnered with the Paragon Models to host

a photo shoot, geared towards raising awareness on the issue

of violence against women and girls and its prevention.

Attired in different shades of orange and armed with printed

signs, the C.Y.A. and Paragon Models took to the streets of

Lower Kingstown, adjacent to the Youth Affairs Department

(St. Vincent) on Friday 19th June, 2015.

MALE CARICOM

YOUTH AMBASSADOR IS

PANCAP PARTICIPANT;

CARICOM YOUTH

AMBASSADORS COMMITTEE MEMBERS

DONATE BLOOD;

MESSAGES FROM THE AMBASSADORS;

SNAPSHOTS: AMBASSADORIAL

SCRAPBOOK

still to come:

Vice Dean, Ambassador Shallow

Attends Local Capacity Initiative

Project Meeting

Representatives from the various Caribbean Civil Society

Organizations assembled in Trinidad and Tobago earlier this

year to discuss the Local Capacity Initiative (LCI) project – a

three-year initiative that comprises Pan Caribbean Partnership

(PANCAP) receiving fund to provide grants to local

community service organizations in countries funded by the

President’s Emergency Programme for AIDS Relief

(PEPFAR) for activities such as policy advocacy, programme

implementation and/or building a financially diverse

organization.

The meeting, coordinated by PANCAP/PEPFAR, was

facilitated at the Health Economic Unit of the University of the

West Indies on the 28th and 29th April, 2015. The meeting’s

objectives were to unite regional organizations that support the

work of key populations in advocacy and policy to create

synergy with the project and the PANCAP’s Justice for All

programme, and agree on target countries.

Ambassador Shallow found the meeting to be productive and

fruitful, highlighting that “PANCAP, over the years, has

successfully driven many initiatives to counter the presence of

HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region, and this project is another

demonstration of their commitment.” The Youth Ambassador

further said that he was appreciative of the opportunity to speak

on behalf of the Caribbean youth: “The invitation for a youth

representative echoes loudly the realization of the critical role

of the young people in this process, and I must commend the

Director of PANCAP, Mr. Dereck Springer and his

organization on such consciousness. On behalf of the youth of

the Caribbean, I speak confidently in saying that we are ready

and able to play our role in having a safer and healthier region.”

The seminar, chaired by Mr. Dereck Springer, was funded by

PEPFAR and USAID.

#askSG

CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Host Live Forum and Interaction

Youth from across the Region, as well as the Caribbean

Community (CARICOM) diaspora got the opportunity to

engage in a live social media interaction with

the CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador, Irwin

LaRocque, on 29 June, 2015 for two (2) hours. The event

was hosted prior to the Thirty-Sixth Meeting of the

Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM

in Barbados.

Under the topic ‘Entrepreneurship: CARICOM’s

Economic Life-jacket’, Ambassador LaRocque addressed

key concerns posted on social media sites: Facebook,

Twitter and Skype, from persons as far as London. The

Secretary General, in responding to the questions raised by

the participants, said that entrepreneurship was indeed the

life-jacket for CARICOM’s economic survival. He said

entrepreneurs should be allowed to flourish and their ideas

should be allowed to blossom. He highlighted that with

CARICOM governments being under such tight fiscal

regimes, employment through traditional means was

sometimes unavailable.

Other matters including the successes of CARICOM,

the Haiti/Dominican Republic dispute and reparations were

also discussed during the forum.

The initiative was organized and executed by the CARICOM

Youth Ambassadors under the leadership of Vice Dean for

Communications, Mr. Kishore Shallow, with support from

former Youth Ambassador, Mr. Dwayne Gutzmer

(Jamaica). Vice Dean for Regional Initiatives, Ms. Sade

Jemmott, and Youth, Mr. Mosiah Hoyte (Barbados), also

played a crucial role in organizing the event.

Adopted from today.caricom.org

Youth Ambassadors with CARICOM’s Secretary

General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque

As young people we tend to take a back seat and depend

heavily on our leaders to create opportunities for us. We

fail to realize, our important role in regional integration

and how the decisions made can affect us greatly. We

have an important role to play in building our Caribbean

Community (CARICOM) and this should never be taken

for granted.

In 1999, the Secretary General, Mr. Edwin Carrington, in

a press conference where he addressed the national and

regional media in Guyana, made an appeal for greater

progress in developing Caribbean Community. On this

occasion, he made a call for “All Hands on Deck.”

The Secretary General stressed the need for higher priority to

be given to Community Matters by Member States. The process

of education and sensitization must continue locally and with

more intensity to create the ripple effect at the regional level for

even greater results.

Too often, we as young people will turn a blind to a number of

issues affecting our Community or we depend heavily on the

government’s input. Imagine how much more we can get done

if we all played our part.

I challenge you to ask yourself, what can I do to help make a

difference in my Community? Do I keep abreast of what is

happening locally and regionally? Do I share my opinions on

social media about issues that affect us? These are but a few

questions that you can ask yourself. This allows us to deepen

integration at the local level, getting it right at home. It also

gives first-hand experience and a clear understanding of

integration and propels us to become greater advocates and

actors in the process while appreciating the efforts of our

leaders.

Let us, as future leaders, fully understand and appreciate our

Caribbean Community. It is then that we can fully own “I am

CARICOM, you are CARICOM, we are CARICOM!”

campaign.

All Hands On Deck! CARICOM FEMALE YOUTH AMBASSADOR

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

SHANIKA JOHN

three (3) main issues affecting the region including: Energy; bolstering educational systems to build the social and economic

resilience of countries, and border concerns, namely the existing conflict between Guyana and Venezuela and humanitarian

crisis in Haiti “created by the actions of the Dominican Republic.

Also discussed was the access to concessional development financing for Small Island Developing States.

The Member States that comprise CARICOM are: Antigua and Barbuda; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Dominica;

Grenada; Guyana; Haiti; Jamaica; Montserrat; St. Lucia; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname and

Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados’ Prime Minister, Hon. Freundel Stuart, assumed chairmanship of CARICOM for the period

1 July to 31 December, 2015.

CARICOM’s Summit Deemed A Success

Caribbean leaders came together for CARICOM’s 36th Heads of Governments’

meeting. The event, which is held twice a year, was hosted by Barbados from

2nd – 4th July, 2015 under the theme “Leveraging CARICOM’s Human, Cultural

and Natural Assets for the Economic Development of the Community.”

According to CARICOM’s Chairman and Prime Minister of Barbados, Hon.

Freundel Stuart, representatives from the fifteen (15) Member States discussed

CARICOM YOUTH AMBASSADOR’S TENURE COMES TO

A REMARKABLE ‘END’

A M B A S S A D O R S H A L L O W: A N I N T E R E S T I N G J O U R N E Y He was highly appreciative of the opportunity and skills received

at the workshop. At the end of the final day, the young man

promised to expand his fruits and ital stall to a restaurant one day.

CEBO has changed the mindset and lives of many young persons

across the region, including S.V.G. ‘Big up’ to the entire CEBO

family!

Another important milestone for me, and by extension the

Caribbean youth, was my appointment to the Regional

Commission on Marijuana. As a Director, I joined with other

colleagues, including Vincentian-based Justice Frederick Bruce-

lyle, on the deliberation of decriminalization of marijuana in

Caribbean countries. The actualization of having a youth’s

perspective on such a project is a reflection of the confidence and

commitment that CARICOM has for the young people of this

region.

There are many other initiatives that CARICOM has and

continues to use to engage young people. The C.Y.A. Corps often

plays an integral part in these initiatives. The enthusiasm for youth

participation in critical matters of the Caribbean Community was

recently echoed by a successful social media interaction with

Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.

The opportunities for young people in the region are many:

academic scholarships, projects, seminars, training, sports, and

more. I am cognizant and understanding that at times, these

opportunities may seem clouded or invisible, but I must reiterate

that they are available. My advice is to maintain a positive

mindset, and continue to search and explore the prospects.

As indicated earlier, I have collaborated with many constructive

individuals throughout my tenure as C.Y.A. I trust that these

engagements would have sparked positive impacts in S.V.G., and

by extension the Caribbean Community. It was certainly an

interesting, and fruitful journey. As Mrs. Pollack-Beighle puts it,

“once a C.Y.A., always a C.Y.A.” I pledge to continue lending my

unwavering support and service to the people of our very blessed

St. Vincent and the Grenadines and uniquely beautiful Caribbean.

My desire to become a CARICOM Youth Ambassador

(C.Y.A.) was driven by passion to serve the youth of our beloved

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (S.V.G.), and to learn more about

CARICOM. The C.Y.A. journey began in August 2013, when I

received my orientation in Suriname, during CARIFESTA XI.

Deputy Program Manager, Youth Development (CARICOM

Secretariat), Mrs. Yldiz Pollack-Beighle, made it clear that our

eight days in Suriname were for strictly work, and our roles were

assigned. There and then I realized that this was going to be an

interesting journey. The following two years would have lived up

to this expectation.

As CARICOM Youth Ambassador, I embraced the opportunities

to not only engage the young people of S.V.G., but also to

represent their priorities with distinction. Fortunately, I was able

to measure my representation and performance provided. One

such example that hinted I was doing something right was my

appointment as Vice Dean of Information and Communication at

the end of my first year. In this role, I was charged with leading

the Information and Communication component of the C.Y.A.

Corps.

There were many highlights throughout my tenure: I met and

interacted with some brilliant minds in the region, establishing

networks that cannot be disconnected. A standout feature of my

two years is my involvement in two CEBO workshops in S.V.G.

and Grenada. CEBO stands for Creativity for Employment and

Business Opportunity, and was geared towards exposing youth,

mainly the underprivileged, to skills of an entrepreneur. I

remember having a conversation with a participant in Grenada

who considered himself to be a ‘ghetto youth’.

KISHORE SHALLOW, CARICOM YOUTH AMBASSADOR

On Friday 12 June, 2015, the CARICOM Youth

Ambassadors’ (S.V.G.) Committee took a bold step

towards donating blood at the Milton Cato Memorial

Hospital’s Blood Bank (Kingstown, St. Vincent).

This action was taken in commemoration of World

Blood Donor Day that was recognized on Sunday 14

June, 2015.

According to the World Health Organization (W.H.O.),

the theme for this year was, ‘Thank you for saving my

life’, under the slogan, “Give freely, give often. Blood

donation matters.” It focused on thanking blood

donors who saved lives through their blood donations

and strongly encouraged more people all over the world

to donate blood regularly.

Public Relations Officer of the CARICOM Youth

Ambassadors’ (S.V.G.) Committee, Mr. Jamel

Providence, was among those present for blood

donation.

C.Y.A. Committee Donates Blood WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY

By Jamel Providence

Public Relations Officer of CYA Committee, Jamel Providence

Blood Donor at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, 12 June, 2015

The CARICOM Youth Ambassadors’ (S.V.G.) Committee

launched its digital news stand on 9 July, 2015 on social media

site, Facebook, and electronic publishing application, Issuu.

The Committee’s Digital News Stand, spearheaded by the sub-

committee of the Publications Officer, is an online location of

a collection of brochures, newsletters and graphical content on

a variety of topics and themes that affect or are influenced by

CARICOM Member States. The first article, Suicide:

Awareness & Prevention, was geared towards raising further

awareness of the social issue of suicide and includes features

such as the causes of suicide, and handy tips on how to

approach someone who may be deemed as suicidal. The article

was inspired by the recent spurt of suicide cases in St. Vincent

and the Grenadines, and neighbouring CARICOM countries.

Male CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Kishore Shallow,

observed that it is the first that such an initiative is being

undertaken by Committee members, and that he is extremely

proud of the launch of the C.Y.A.’s (S.V.G.) Digital News

Stand.

“It is always a privilege to have young persons involved in

helping to combat the issues that are of concern to our

communities. I fully endorse this initiative and look

forward to sharing the upcoming articles,” C.Y.A.

Shallow commented.

Female CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Shanika John

expressed similar sentiments. Publications Officer,

Chelcia Ferdinand, Sabiya Francois, and Dexter

Whinfield - members of the Publications Committee who

worked assiduously in the launching of the Digital News

Stand - reiterated their commitment and dedication to

ensuring the sustenance of the initiative.

New articles are expected to be featured bimonthly,

before the quarterly publishing of the Committee’s

newsletter, C.Y.A. Vibe.

CARICOM Youth Ambassadors’

(S.V.G.) Committee Launches

Digital News Stand

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. Conch

1 Onion (medium)

1 Cucumber

2 Limes

METHOD:

Clean away slime from conch using salt and lime. Pound conch well,

this helps to make it tender. Boil until tender. Prepare pickle using

cucumber, onion and other seasoning. Cool conch and cut into small

pieces. Put into pickle. Decorate with parsley.

Celery

Sweet Pepper

Hot Pepper to Taste

Salt to taste

FROM OUR KITCHEN T O Y O U R T A B L E

CONCH

SOUSE

Parsley

“Mitigating the Challenges Facing our Youth:” This

was the topic of the discussion on St. Vincent and the

Grenadines’ NBC Radio’s program, Views on Issues

on Sunday 26 July, 2015. The panel comprised of

CARICOM Deputy Female Youth Ambassador,

Denisha Hector; Coordinator of National

Reconciliation, Ms. Degra Michael and Founder of the

Kenville Horne’s Sporting Academy and Queen’s

Young Leaders’ Awardee, Mr. Kenville Horne.

It was noted that youths, who are considered to be

between eleven and thirty years old and make up 63%

of CARICOM’s population, are critical to the survival

of the structures within CARICOM, such as CSME.

[Continued]

Committee and Executive members of the CARICOM

Youth Ambassadors’ (S.V.G.) Committee convened with

Trade Officers and Director of Trade, Mr. Cuthbert Knights,

in an effort to forge a relationship between the Committee

and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade,

Commerce and Information Technology as it relates to

CARICOM/CSME issues.

Among the issues discussed were future plans of networking

between the two entities to promote and advocate benefits

of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and CARICOM

Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the role of the

youth in advancing CARICOM/CSME.

Members of the C.Y.A. Committee expressed a sincere

interest and desire to work along with the Ministry where

regional integration efforts are concerned.

The meeting, which took place at the Ministry on Friday 24

July, 2015, was chaired by Mr. Cuthbert Knights and

attendees included CARICOM Female Youth Ambassador,

Ms. Shanika John; Deputy CARICOM Female Youth

Ambassador, Ms. Denisha Hector; Public Relations Officer

of the C.Y.A. Committee, Mr. Jamel Providence;

Publications Officer, Ms. Chelcia Ferdinand; Trade Officer

(CARICOM Single Market and Economy Focal Point), Ms.

Sylvonne Jack and other Trade Officers and Committee

Members.

C.Y.A. Committee/Ministry of

Foreign Affairs Forge Working

Relationship

Director of Trade, CARICOM Female Youth Ambassador and

CYA Committee Members and Trade Officers

Moderator and Panelists on NBC’s ‘Views on Issues’

[Continued]

Among the challenges listed by the panelists were:

unemployment; poor parenting; sexual, drug & alcohol and

domestic abuse; peer pressure, and lack of youth

empowerment.

Several suggestions and possible solutions addressing these

challenges were put forward by C.Y.A. (S.V.G.)

Committee’s Representative, Ms. Denisha Hector,

including the need for greater promotion of the parenting

classes currently done by the Government of St. Vincent and

the Grenadines, the need for parents to emphasize a respect

for God by children, a need for more community-based

groups and active role models to offer guidance in the case

of absent or delinquent parents. A call was also made for

persons to offer more support to youth businesses, such as

easier access to loans to foster an entrepreneurial spirit to

help combat unemployment.

The program, ‘Views on Issues’, was moderated by Youth

Officer of the Youth Affairs Department (St. Vincent and

the Grenadines), Mr. Philcol Jeffers.

The CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (St. Vincent and the

Grenadines) foster an environment of excellence and encourage

the members of their Committee to participate in community and

personal development ventures. Here are a few noteworthy

accomplishments:

1. CARICOM Female Youth Ambassador, Ms. Shanika

John, was awarded an academic scholarship to further

her studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona

Campus.

2. Dr. Racquel Wilson, long-standing member of the

Committee (2012 – present), completed her Medical

Degree in July 2015 and was chosen to serve as a mentor

in the Queen’s Young Leader programme.

3. Ms. Chelcia Ferdinand, Publications Officer of the

CARICOM Youth Ambassadors’ (S.V.G.) Committee

(2013 – present) was elected Vice President Public

Relations of the Imperial Champions Toastmasters Club

(St. Vincent) to serve in the Toastmasters’ year 2015 –

2016.

4. J’nee Francois, a member of the C.Y.A. Committee and

Publications Committee, now serves as a Legal Clerk in

the Litigation Department.

Fo

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en

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t…

25.06.15 | Orange Day Photo Shoot 01.05.15 | Vermont Nature Trail Hike 25.06.15 | More Orange Day Shots!

The CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (S.V.G.) and their Committee thank you for your continued support. Look out for our next issue!

CARICOM YOUTH AMBASSADORS’ (S.V.G) COMMITTEE

Youth Affairs Department

Rose Place

Kingstown

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

E-mail: yadsvg@gmail.com | caricomyouthsvg@gmail.com

Facebook: CARICOM Youth Ambassadors SVG

Twitter: @cyasvg