NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (April 06, 2021) – Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is commending residents and visitors for hosting and participating in fun and wholesome activities on Nevis over the Easter holiday weekend.
“As the Minister of Social Development I want to say how pleased I am with the way things unfolded for the Easter weekend here on Nevis.
“I must say that I was extremely heartened with the way all of the activities went. I think they were all very family-oriented, you saw a lot of families coming together and having good, clean fun with no violence whatsoever.
“I really love what I saw in all of the events, the community togetherness; the community spirit was very much present,” he told the Department of Information on April 06, 2021.
He participated in many of the events held over the long weekend.
“Easter is something that is very special to us as Nevisians.
“On that Sunday as well I would have visited the Social Security sports at the F.I.T. Park. I would have also been to cricket at the Elquemedo T. Willett Park, and in the evening I would have visited the closing of the Jerry and Ursulla Fyfield Memorial Camp at New River,” he said.
On Easter Monday (April 05) Mr. Evelyn attended the Youth Beach Games hosted by the Department of Youth at Oualie Beach and also a fun day at the Hard Times play field put on by the Unified Community Group.
Hon. Evelyn took the opportunity to thank the hundreds of Kittitians who traveled to Nevis over the weekend.
“What I particularly liked also was that scores of persons from St. Kitts converged on Nevis for the Easter weekend and it shows that bond of friendship and family between these two islands. Those bonds are stronger than ever and it was very evident over the Easter weekend.
“I want to thank all the people who came over from St. Kitts. I know that you would have had a wonderful time. Let us continue to live in Unity; let us continue to live as one,” he said.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 30th , 2020 (ZIZ News): ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation was one of several organizations that were recognized by the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament for their continuous service during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
An appreciation ceremony was held at The Palm Court Gardens on Sunday night where SKNYPA officials presented certificates of recognition to representatives from the invited organizations.
President of SKNYPA, Patrice Harris, said it was their way of thanking the institutions for their service to the country.
Among those recognized were The Police Force, The Defence Force, Frontline medical workers represented by staff of the JNF General Hospital, and the Customs and Excise Department.
The Appreciation Ceremony was held as the nation observes activities for Youth Month throughout November.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 24, 2020 (SKNIS): Minister of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, the Honourable Jonel Powell, has commended the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association (SKNYPA) for tackling two issues that are relevant to today’s society.
SKNYPA staged a mocked parliament on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, to adopt a National Cultural Policy as well as to debate and pass the Sexual Harassment Bill 2020.
Minister Powell addressed the gathering at the start of the proceedings and congratulated them for hosting this mock sitting during the annual celebration of Youth Month. He noted that sexual harassment is very controversial and not discussed as often as it should be.
“It is something serious. It is something that we tend to find particularly at workplaces, and I commend SKNYPA on taking the bold initiative to address such an issue head-on,” he stated.
As it relates to the National Cultural Policy, Minister Powell noted that the Ministry of Culture continues to work on the creation of a Federal Cultural Policy to guide cultural development in St. Kitts and Nevis. The federal document will clearly outline the responsibilities and roles of the government, private sector, non-governmental organizations, cultural groups, and others to advance the agenda.
Honourable Powell noted that while Carnival has elements of the local culture embedded in it, more needs to be done to ensure that the historical features are appreciated.
“This year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had a perfect reason to reflect on our Carnival in particular and to show greater appreciation for the cultural aspects of it – the folklore, the Masquerades, the Bull, the Actors,” said the minister. But at the same time, culture is a lot more than Carnival. We have our tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Things that we take for granted.”
Tangible cultural heritage refers to buildings, monuments, books, works of art, and the like while intangible cultural heritage includes practices, representations, expressions, and knowledge.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 5th, 2020 (ZIZ News):
By: Chaïra Flanders
All seniors, young and able bodied individuals all across the country are being invited to volunteer their service to the country on Youth Service Day this weekend.
The Youth Service Day forms part of several activities being held to celebrate Youth Month 2020. Youth Month is observed annually in the month of November.
Junior Youth Officer in the Department of Youth Empowerment, Steven Gilbert said that there are a few planned activities set out for Youth Service Day on Saturday November 7.
“We are doing two beach clean-ups. Both locations would start at 7 am. One of the locations is at Lime Kiln Bay and the other location would be on the Bay Road starting at the Cenotaph and we would make our way down to as far as the Ferry terminal”, he said.
Gilbert said that this year’s project is a collaborative effort with the Department of Youth Empowerment, Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) and the Coastal Clean-up Movement.
He then explained the purpose for hosting the clean-up events this weekend.
“We want to make our surroundings clean and get persons to appreciate our beaches. One of the reasons why we chose the Cenotaph at the Irishtown Bay Road as well is [because] it is at the forefront of our country. A lot of visitors when they are here, they walk that area and as you know, there would be the War Memorial Service that will be held there at the Cenotaph as well so we chose this area so that we can have that area looking clean and beautiful for the ceremony on Sunday”, he said.
He reminded that the Beach Clean-up, along with other Youth month activities are opened to the public and encouraged everyone to take part in the various events.
This year’s activities are being held under the theme, “Celebrating Youth Creativity, Innovation and Resilience”.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 02, 2020 (SKNIS): Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Jonel Powell, has saluted the spirit of resiliency, creativity and innovation that reside within the youth in St. Kitts and Nevis.
In an address to mark November’s commemoration as Youth Month, Minister Powell said that the mind-set of innovation and determination thrives in the hearts of young people as evident in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he described as “one of the greatest global challenges thus far.”
“Our school-aged youths successfully pursued their education through new online learning platforms,” he stated. “Additionally, we saw an increase in Facebook lives, YouTube tutorials and TikTok videos.”
“For some young persons, this jumpstarted the pursuit of new hobbies and even transformed their hobbies into profitable business ventures. Several of our young established entrepreneurs saw COVID-19 not as the pitfall of their business, but as an opportunity to innovate and adjust their business models to overcome the challenge while satisfying the demands of their clients,” Minister Powell added. “These young people are the embodiment of the strength proclaimed in our National Anthem. They represent and demonstrate what is possible through creativity, innovation, and resilience and we can all take comfort in following their example and mirroring their efforts.”
The minister stated that the Department of Youth Empowerment is looking forward to working closely with the newly established Ministry of Entrepreneurship to collectively continue the empowerment of the nation’s youth.
He also singled out the recently launched St. Kitts and Nevis Robotics Association, noting that they have inspired young Kittitians and Nevisians to enhance their creativity and problem-solving capacity through Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (S.T.E.A.M).
“The Association is ranked number one in the OECS, number two in the Caribbean, and 36 out of 200 countries worldwide,” Minister Powell said. “Their most recent project is creating a human-robot. Plans are underway to enter a team in the Global World Robotics Olympics; a representative team will be selected from a national competition. We should all be proud of and celebrate their achievements thus far.”
He added that in 2021, the Department of Youth Empowerment will intensify efforts to establish a programme called Youth in ICTs and Mass Media. This programme is designed to equip and empower young people as digital citizens, and to incorporate and innovate ICT to improve their lives and livelihoods.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 02, 2020 (SKNIS): November is the month designated to celebrate the accomplishments and potential of young people in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Minister responsible for Youth, the Honourable Jonel Powell, kicked off this month’s celebration by addressing the nation on November 02, 2020. He shared that the theme, “Celebrating Youth Creativity, Innovation and Resilience” was aptly chosen as Youth Month allows the opportunity for persons to come together “whether physically, spiritually or symbolically, to recognize and celebrate the contributions and promise of our young people to nation-building.”
Activities for this year’s commemoration have been scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister Powell said a decision was made to forgo large gatherings given that the borders were reopened on October 31. As such, officials will employ a dual-modality approach to our activities, both face to face and virtual.
“Our hallmark activity, the 25 Most Remarkable Teen, will be held on November 19; however, due to the social distancing protocols, we had to forego its usual home of the National Parliament and use a temporary venue,” Minister Powell stated. “Other activities include a fun day for the differently-abled youths, a virtual series of youth entrepreneurial training, and a virtual Art Exhibition.”
The Minister of Youth added that the reduced calendar “is in no way a reflection of the government’s commitment to the celebration and empowerment of our youth, but rather a necessary measure to safeguard their health and safety as we collectively navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Honourable Powell assured the young people that they “matter and they belong.”
“So, don’t be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be hopeful, be empowered. Empower yourself with a solid education, whether skill-based or academic, then get out there and use that education to build a nation worthy of your boundless promise, creativity, innovation and resilience,” the minister said.
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