BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A wave of white covered the streets of Sandy Point last Saturday (May 15), attracting young persons to join the positive movement of the recently-launched Sandy Pointers Inspiring Real Improvement Throughout (SPIRIT).
The sweltering heat did not deter the young SPIRIT members, decked in white T-shirts, from gathering at Romney’s Ground for what was their very first official public appearance in Sandy Point. Blasting music attracted hundreds to the Main Road to look on and gain information from the members who ventured into the various projects to meet the people.
Dozens joined the walkthrough in solidarity of the positive social movement as the group of about 40 made its way through the entire town.
The group is designed to empower the people of Sandy Point and ensure continued growth there. Its objectives underscore the importance of strengthening pride, virtues and civics while highlighting the culture, history and identity of Sandy Point.
Members seemed revved up to share their message and in the words of SPIRIT Vice President Denver Mike, “the support was incredible!”
“Saturday’s event was our way of introducing the group SPIRIT to Sandy Point—for persons to not only see the faces but also to feel the presence of this positive movement that the group is trying to promote. It was an opportunity for the group to share our ideas with the public and to gain theirs in return.
“Most persons felt as they put it ‘This is what Sandy Point needs’ – a group that is not about segregation but unity and empowerment. It was heart-warming to shake the hands and greet persons who shared our zeal for community improvement,” Mike told SKNVibes following Saturday’s event.
The SPIRIT official described the event as a “rallying of the troops”, noting that it was necessary to increase the group’s visibility. The initiative is all about empowering every resident of Sandy Point, according to Mike, and the ripple effect has already been felt.
“As a group, despite our eclectic mix of members, we know that we do not have all the answers to the problems that face the community. The walk-through was an essential part of the group's foundation in strengthening the bonds of the community by first getting their support and channelling their ideas and concerns through the group.
“A few persons in the community begged us to keep the group alive... [and to] keep the positive movement going. We know that many groups before us have struggled to keep together and we have internalized this problem and have adopted several plans on moving forward,” Mike said.
Over 20 individuals have come forward to join the cause as a result of the walk-through and Mike said that the group is growing at a rapid pace.
Though SPIRIT flooded the town with its message, VP Mike informed that there are challenges that must be addressed in order for the group to have a lasting effect on the communities. He informed that the biggest challenge for the group is that there are more ideas than there are resources to fulfil them. This however is not expected to delay the plans of SPIRIT, as the group intends to carry out large-scale fund raisers in the upcoming months.
“The group right now is gifted with some amazing individuals from across the community. In the next few months, we will be challenging ourselves to get as many of these ideas and projects on stream while securing sufficient resources to propel future projects and events,” he added.
