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Minister with responsibility for Youth and Social Transformation the Hon. Hensley Daniel and Mrs Collis Charles Sutton, Country Manager for RBTT St. Kitts and Nevis Ltd. peruse the RBTT Young Leaders brochure. |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 26, 2007) -- Minister with responsibility for Youth and Social Transformation in Nevis the Hon. Hensley Daniel, said that the RBTT Young Leaders Programme supported the Nevis Island Administration's (NIA) policies which are anchored on the development of young people.
Mr. Daniel gave the project his blessings on Friday January 26, 2007, while he delivered brief remarks at the programme's 2007 launch in St. Kitts and Nevis at the Red Cross Conference Centre in Charlestown under the theme Realising Self worth &Your Choice &Your Destiny .
The development of young people in the new Nevis Reformation Party government is the most important thing for us. All our policies are anchored on the development of young people, whether it is tourism we intend to ensure that young people are involved; whether it is agriculture we want young people to be involved. Regardless of their area of endeavour it is what we call a cross cutting feel and a common feel in our development process. So we are at one with the RBTT in the development of young people...
"I want to commend this programme and wish it every success and please be assured of the commitment and support of the Ministry of Youth, the Department of Youth and all its allied agencies to facilitate the implementation of the project," he said
According to the Minister, the programme which targets secondary schools of the Bank's member states in the Caribbean, reflected good corporate engagement at the community level which indicated the Banks interest in the wider development of the country and its intention to connect with the society and the youth.~~adz:Right~~
He said he hoped the project would build up the self worth, esteem and confidence of the students since they were interrelated among our young people. So that we will have a society in which people would not be afraid to discuss contending views openly because you are sufficiently confident about yourself, he said.
Mr. Daniel was of the view that the NIA's programmes could be thwarted if the youth did not possess self worth and self confidence and it was important for the RBTT Young Leaders programme to connect with the efforts of government.
He took the opportunity to address governments intention to launch a Youth Enterprise Scheme, which he noted would excite young people into business ventures in the NIA's quest to change the landscape of the island.
Meantime, Mrs Corliss Charles Sutton, Country Manager of RBTT St. Kitts Nevis Ltd. during her remarks said the Programme began 25 years ago in Trinidad and Tobago as an innovative youth savings drive which taught young people how to save and invest.
She said the programme had since evolved and today it has generated keen competition among high schools.
~~adz:Left~~"The purpose of the Young Leaders programme is to help young people develop leadership skills and to appreciate the value of team work in the pursuit of common goals, to foster care for the community and the environment and to promote thrift towards strengthening the social moral and economic wellbeing of the community," she said.
Mrs. Charles Sutton said that she expected full participation and commitment from the teachers and the students of the various high schools as they expounded on the 2007 theme.
Mrs. Violet Clarke RBTT Young Leaders Coordinator said during the welcome remarks, that each year, the regional management team of RBTT in association with participants of their Young Leaders Programme, introduced an overall theme which reflected the purpose of the programme and served as a guideline for the selection of projects embarked upon by the students. She said devising the theme with the young leaders themselves served to ensure its relevance and reflect the issues of today's youth.
Other remarks came from Mrs. Janette Maloney of the Education Department on Nevis, Mr. Ron Daniel a former RBTT Young Leader and winners of the 2006 RBTT Young Leaders Programme in the Federation.
This year's programme will conclude in June. The outstanding schools, students, Young Leaders and Young Leaders Teachers of outstanding projects will be awarded with certificates and monetary prizes.
