 |
| Premier of Nevis Hon Vance Amory and Guest artist singer Carlene Davis of Jamaica |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 13, 2005) -- Premier of Nevis Hon Vance Amory issued a call to the youth in Nevis to take advantage of the opportunities being created by the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) for their empowerment and to recognise that they are the future of Nevis, a future that began now.
Mr Amory made the call on Sunday December 11, 2005 while addressing the island's youth at a Youth Rally organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sport at the Netball Complex in Charlestown.
The event which was dotted by a number of performances by youth choirs and internationally acclaimed singer Carlene Davis on Jamaica was held under the theme "Our Youth Our Future: Creating Opportunities for Youth Empowerment". The event's keynote speaker was Ms Menissa Rambally Minister of Social Development in St. Lucia.
 |
| Masters Stalone Baker and Rancito Jeffers of the Nevis Boys Choir show off their t-shirts with the slogan Nevis Future is in the Right Hands -Im a Proud Nevisian Youth |
He identified a number of programmes that addressed the needs of youth to be implemented by the NIA, based on suggestions provided through a 2001 survey commissioned to ascertain what the needs of young people and a youth symposium which was held in October 2005 called "The Premier's Initiative".
According to Premier Amory, the NIA would collaborate and network with internationally accredited institutions to offer and provide technical and vocational training initially targeting hospitality and tourism development; upgrade the Electrical and Electronics Technology at the Multipurpose Centre at the Charlestown Secondary School and amalgamate Hospitality and Tourism to establish a Technical and Vocational Institute and all computer training programmes at the community centres would be upgraded to offer Microsoft certifiable training for all who wish to access that training.
We will create a business and Social Academy that promotes a culture of enterprise through entrepreneurial and social development training with emphasis on training and management. Your government will also introduce a programme called SMART Programme for Economic Empowerment and Development (SPEED) to augment the Entrepreneurial Development Fund to serve a greater number of applicants whilst at the same time increasing the existing limit to accommodate ventures hitherto not considered.
"We intend also to expose our students to career options starting in the Third Form of our secondary schools and this will be augmented by career fairs which would be hosted annually. We will institute a scholarship programme for students in the Third Form through Sixth Form for those students who excel in Mathematics, Science and Technology. The extent of the scholarship would be linked to the grades our students receive. However, two scholarships will be provided annually for the reading at the University of the West Indies so that we can develop strength in those areas having identified the weakness in our education system in those areas," he said.
 |
| Heavenly Voices performing |
Mr Amory also said that the government would bestow public recognition and award annually deserving youth for their achievement in education, involvement in community activities, in sports, entrepreneurship and peer mentoring.
He said the government would also develop a programme of televised hands on training in practical skills including needle work, sewing and cooking because the Administration believed that those skills would enhance the empowerment of Nevisians especially the youth and enable them to become self employed if they wished.
Pointing to the final initiative Mr Amory said: "Your government will also develop and sponsor a programme of intra parish sporting activities competitions. We believe that through the expressions of sports we can develop healthy communities and encourage our young people to aspire to a better way of life other than being mislead into areas that are not constructive for the development of our country."
Mr Amory said as the NIA continued to grapple with the needs of youth on Nevis the Administration would ensure that this generation becomes the most productive in the history of the island.
 |
| Ms Menissa Rambally Minister of Social Development in St. Lucia |
Meantime, Ms Rambally praised the NIA for their investment in the island's youth and by extension the future of Nevis, citing that the island was on the right track.
She urged the youth to get involved in the business of their country and recognise that the freedom they sought after was actually placing them in a position of greater responsibility and urged them to take advantage of the NIA's youth empowerment programme.
"You must not live it to the politicians to decide their future you get involved in deciding your future you must frame your own destiny and the only way for you to do that is to embrace the youth empowerment programme that the government has created,"
The St. Lucian Minister said.
Ms Rambally who made history in the Caribbean and the Commonwealth when she became the youngest parliamentarian told the youth present that youth empowerment could only come about as a transformation from within. As a commitment from within the mind, the soul and being to say that they were ready to take their responsibility to a next level.
She told them that they should stop looking for the next opportunity because the opportunity in their hands is all they needed to work with since she was convinced that every young person on Nevis had either a skill, a talent or aspiration adding So you must find yourself within that opportunity and put yourself into one of those programmes that government is talking about so that you can take yourself to the next step."
Ms Rambally also urged the Administration to look at the opportunities within Nevis and put to good use the opportunities that the youth presented to the island. Regarding mistakes made by youth and lack of experience, she said they were inevitable but urged them to pick themselves up and push forward to become positive contributing citizens of the society and urge the government and private sector to take a chance on the youth. "Don't look at us for our inadequacies don't look at us in our limitless nature look at us for the possibilities that exist beyond," she said.
Mr Tyrone O'Flaherty served as Master of Ceremonies for the event while Evangelist Trevor Herbert gave the invocation. Appearances were made by the all girls choir Heavenly Voices, the Covenant Boys and The Nevis Boys Choir.
