BASSETERRE ST. KITTS (May 28, 2009) -- Minister for Housing, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon Cedric Liburd, has said that the Youth Empowerment through Skill (YES) programme, which was launched by the government of St. Kitts and Nevis in February this year, is achieving its main mandate of training the youths.
Speaking to the thirty-member strong hospitality training unit of the Hotel Trades and Hospitality Division of the YES programme at the Conaree Community Centre on Wednesday night, the Minister commented that he had seen a lot of change in them saying that they were now ready for employment.
He explained that when he first met the group he observed that their instructor, Dominic Stevens, was using an innovative method of bringing order in the hall by making them clap rhythmically. That discipline, he noted on Wednesday, has made the trainees fit to work in his office or anywhere in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, “because this is what the business community wants.”
“The business community not just wants a person because of their education but they want you to have skills,” he told the cheering trainees. “They want you to be on time in any occupation you undertake and therefore what I am seeing here, I can say to my colleague ministers that the YES programme is definitely changing lives here in Conaree and in the areas where you are from.”
Minister Liburd, who is also the constituency parliamentarian representative for the area, made the remarks while declaring open a Kicking AIDS Out (KAO) workshop that has been made possible through the collaborative efforts of the YES Programme and the St. Kitts Chapter of the Caribbean Healthy Lifestyles Project (CHLP). The workshop which ends on Tuesday June 2 is being facilitated by Atto Rockliff of the Trinidad and Tobago Alliance for Sport and Physical Education (TTASPE).
The Minister also commended the youth for exhibiting a positive attitude towards the training, because an instructor’s efforts are not enough to bring in the change he saw in them.
“The instructor could have done all that he wished to do to help you and if you do not want to take it in there was going to be no change,” said Mr Liburd. “Today I want to commend you for that and I want say that most of you are from my constituency and as of tomorrow you can come to look for me even for a job, and I will look after you.”
He emphasised that the government of St. Kitts and Nevis is moving in order to assist the young people and hence the reason the YES programme was launched in the first place, initially to take in 500. He informed that the Cabinet Secretary, Joseph Edmeade, had told him that there are now over 1000 applicants and promised that none of those will be turned away.
“What is happening here in not just preparing you for a job,” observed the minister. “We are now hoping that you can become leaders in your own right. We hope that you will start helping others in the communities in which you live. When you make interaction with people, you must be able to change lives and I am looking forward to seeing some improvement in the community.
“I can say to my government tomorrow that the YES programme is working because I feel it right here in Conaree, and I want to report that. I cannot ask the government for any additional money, but I can say if you continue this way you will see improvement and you will make your government and your parliamentary representative proud.”
Instructor at the Conaree Community Centre, Dominic Stevens, told the participants that they have a busy long weekend which will include a luncheon on Friday, where they have invited all the other 120 members of the Hotel Trades and Hospitality Division of the YES programme, the Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas and members of his cabinet.
On Monday, which is observed as a holiday in St. Kitts and Nevis (Whit Monday), the trainees will take time off for jouvert and beach picnic. Speakers during the ceremony included the workshop facilitator, Atto Rockliff; a member of the Conaree community, Esinton Watts; and a representative of the St. Kitts Chapter of CHLP, St. Clair Bass who was accompanied by his colleague, Shorna Maynard.
The ceremony, which was ably chaired by Tashina Howe, was spiced up by a hilarious skit performed by a member of the community, Mary Nurse, along with some trainees. Jamella Stevens read the scriptures and Debbie Jones offered the invocation, while the vote of thanks was delivered by Larry Henry.
