BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 25th 2011 (SKNIS) - The positive activities of young people in St. Kitts and Nevis will be celebrated in grand style by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment as it seeks to uplift the image of the youth population.

 
Peace Corps Volunteer Connie Howard Leach is spearheading an initiative called the “25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts” which will recognize youth who have “truly set themselves apart from their peers” and “demonstrated leadership skills through social, education, environment, health, economic and/or legal issues facing their communities.”
 

Ms. Howard Leach told SKNIS that the primary objective of the programme is to generate positive peer pressure and tell the stories of youth who have overcome negative circumstances – stories that otherwise may not have been known.
 

“From my perspective, it is always 10 percent of the kids who get all of the attention and generally it is for negative behaviour,” she said, noting that the remaining 90 percent are lost in the shadows. “… So this is a way of recognizing the accomplishments of really the majority of young people and [giving] some positive attention to them.”
 

The 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts programme is modeled after a similar initiative in the United States that Ms. Howard Leach introduced in 2003 in Riverside, California. The effort was endorsed by local authorities including the city mayor and has since grown to become an outstanding award programme that has helped to change the lives of recipients and inspire hundreds more.

 
“We’re hoping it can become an annual programme (in St. Kitts and Nevis) that young people will look toward and want to become involved in,” Ms. Howard Leach stated. “I would like it also to build more of a relationship between young people and adults in the community [and] maybe even uncover some mentors for some of these young people …”

 
Persons are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals between the ages of 12 to 19 who have excelled in academics, activism, art, civic involvement, community service, courage to overcome, photography, hobbies, spiritual commitment, music, sports and other fields.
 

A complete list of the categories and nomination forms are available at the Department of Youth on Church Street and at all secondary schools. Additional information can be gained at telephone 467-1393 or 665-6071 or email skn25remarkableteens@gmail.com. 

 
Nominations forms must be returned to the Youth Department by June 24, 2011

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