Nevisian youth ambassadors attend CARICOM Conference

(left to right) Ms Joanne Fleming, Acting CARICOM Secretary General. Her Excellency, Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite; Ms. Emily Prentice; Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and Ms. Althea Campbell.

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JULY 19TH 2011 – Three nationals – all Nevisians – were given a golden opportunity by Chairman of the Conference of Caribbean Heads of Government and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, Hon. Denzil L. Douglas, to attended the recently concluded Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government at the St. Kitts Marriott Hotel.

The former students, Joanne Fleming, Althea Campbell, and Emily Prentice benefited from the exposure gained from personally meeting Prime Minister Douglas and other Heads of Government, and observing the plenary sessions at the conference.

The young ambassadors also met and exchanged ideas with some of the Federation’s female ambassadors in the margins of the Conference and learned of the many opportunities available to young persons, both in terms of scholarship offers, internship at international organisations, and generally in the public service.

(left to right) Ms. Joanne Fleming, Ms. Emily Prentice, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and Ms. Althea Campbell at Government House.

The ladies, part of a regional project captioned “Students Engaging the CSME through Field Promotion,” left the conference motivated to spread the message of the CSME both on a face to face basis and via social media.

Mr. Samuel Berridge, Senior Trade Policy Officer and National CSME Focal Point told the Communications Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister (CUOPM), that in September of 2009, twenty four (24) students from the tertiary institutions in St. Kitts and Nevis participated in a regional project captioned “Students Engaging the CSME through Field Promotion.”

The group visited Saint Lucia to observe the CSME in operation. The European Union funded project, which is managed by the CSME Unit of the CARICOM Secretariat and the Ministry of Trade, was designed to expose two hundred and twenty five (225) students from tertiary level institutions in CSME participating Member States of CARICOM to the functioning of the CSME and the benefits and challenges posed by the region’s flagship initiative.

St. Kitts and Nevis Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organisation of American States (OAS), Her Excellency Jacinth Henry-Martin; Ms. Emily Prentice; Ms. Joanne Fleming, Ms. Althea Campbell; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Astona Browne and St. Kitts and Nevis Ambassador to the Republic of China on Taiwan, Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins.

He said the students who at that time attended the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College and the Sixth Form Division of the Charlestown Secondary School paid a week-long visit to Saint Lucia to meet with government agencies, private sector entities and students of the Sir Arthur Lewis College.

“The students benefited from a number of briefing sessions prior to their mission and were therefore able to pose targeted questions while in the field,” said Mr. Berridge.

He added: “By taking part in the project the students assumed the role of unofficial CSME Youth Ambassadors charged with the task of spreading the message of the CSME among their peers as well as persons with whom they interact on a daily basis.”

Ms. Emily Prentice, Ms. Althea Campbell and Ms. Joanne Fleming during one of the Plenary Sessions at the recent Caribbean Heads of Government Conference.

Among the agencies visited in St. Lucia were the Immigration Department, Ministry of External Affairs, Government Information Service (GIS), LIME, First Caribbean International Bank, Accela Marketing Ltd., Baron Foods Ltd, St. Lucia Manufacturing Association, the Registrar of Companies and the National Development Cooperation (NDC).

He said that the Ministry of Trade will be engaging the other project participants to assist in its public awareness activities.