By Bennette Roach
“…in keeping with the thrust towards closer OECS integration…” and to “assist in strengthening youth entrepreneurship and leadership initiatives in the region,” was the focus of an ECCB (East Caribbean Central Bank) in a conference, designed “to provide young people with an opportunity to share experiences and network with peers with the thrust towards closer OECS integration as a key component of regional development.”
The ECCB’s Learn, Empower, Achieve, Develop LEAD Youth conference took place on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 via video conference from its Maltin Moving Conference Centre, ECCB Headquarters, Bird Rock, St. Kitts. It was to the other seven ECCB member countries and included Montserrat at the ECCB Agency Office in Brades.
The youths across the OECS region were encouraged to stretch their mental capacities and innovate ideas. This came in opening remarks from the Minister of Education and Youth Sean Richards.in St. Kitts.
He began, “…ready to integrate and innovate in the areas of youth leadership and entrepreneurship…
My government stands with other regional ministers of youth to support the investment of time, money, energy and other resources in building capacity of our youth to become the champions in our communities. It is in the fertile field of your mind that revolutions in science, education, music and art will be born. However to facilitate these ideas there is need for the creation and promotion of opportunities.”
“Dreams die when capital is denied,” he said, ”that would take it from being an idea to an engine of growth.The time is right and right for us a leaders to provide forums for the youths of our ECCU Islands to emerge as influential voices in policy creation and administration in the national responses community and gender issues.”
Two groups acting jointly and severally from the Montserrat Secondary School (MSS) and Community College (MCC) participate in the video conference at the ECCB Agency Office in Brades. They were outstanding in their participation winning some of the competitions that were staged.
The Montserrat performance throughout the very interactive conference culminated when Warren Cassell Jr., who was one of the presenters brought down the curtains ending up being the last presenter as a result of a glitch in the program that caused him to wait for some three hours past his scheduled time.
One student might have said it for all of the students who kept the youth busy, very ably answering the very hungry, enquiring and searching questions, following on all they had heard prior to Cassell’s presentation.
Following many of the region’s youths at the Conference who named Warren as one of their inspirations, this one student said, “…most for me today was the presentation by Warren Cassell actually form Montserrat. His thing was really short and sweet, he really touched a lot of people over the Caribbean and it was really relatable because since he started from a young age up, it actually shows that you can really become an investor and make money even at a young age and do what you want to do.”
Warren Jr. had told the Youth Conference, speaking on the topic, “Calculated Risk Taking”: : “…so now, if you want to start a business the advice I’d give you would be to start by looking for problem to solve in your market, don’t be afraid to fail because if you fail now you have a lot of time to catch back up and just the lessons that you learn from failing there goanna help you in the future and don’t be afraid as well to get as many clients as possible and start to expand your business.”
Like Cassell other presenters spoke from different locations.
Presentations followed the Welcome Remarks by Hon. Shawn Richards with Senator Winston Garroway of Grenada, Minister of State within the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs giving Opening Remarks.
Moving into the meat of the conference Genieve Hanley, CIO LEAP and ACE consulting, St. Kitts and Nevis lead of under title The Game of Possibilities – Solving Real Word Problems in the OECS. This was followed by Yes We Can LEAD Again lead by Nigel Martin out of Grenada, Creative Director aqua.gd (design, publishers of NOW Grenada).
Kimya Glasgow, ECO of Kimya Glasgow Designs Inc. out of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, continued on the Yes We Can LEAD Again.
Vision For the Future was next with James Galloway, Educator and Poet from St. Kitts and Nevis took the program to lunch, pushing the program back as Calculated Risk Taking should have followed.
Following a quick lunch there was a ‘TIME for LUNCH’ in a Luncheon Forum ‘Set –Up Shop’ (a 20 min segment) where the participation was not as organised as the rest of the sessions.
That Session was followed by What’s in Your Bag of Treasures which took the form of competitions in which all the youths of the states took part. Montserrat had two groups like St. Kitts taking part. Participants gave their feedback telling their colleagues; Montserrat lead off: ‘I spend time with these 3 persons’; In my spare time I like to…; My personality traits include…; My talents are…; Four things I have found to be extremely worthwhile are…; Five friends who have helped me in difficult times…; These teachers have aided me in my journey through school…; These six persons’ stories have inspired me.
Moving towards the end the next presentation – The Case for Partnerships by Elias Orville Dupuis II where he described “A Partnership is a single business where two or more people share ownership”. He told how Each partner contributes to all aspects of the business, including money, property, labour or skill. In return, each partner shares in the profits and losses of the business.
The youngsters learned there were three types of partnerships – General Partnership, Limited Partnership and Joint Venture. And under the headings, he continued, Why I chose to partner; Do you need to partner? And How to choose your partner. At the end he encouraged, “If you want to go FAST, go alone… If you want to go FAR, go TOGETHER!!!
Some feed back from students following the Conference. “I was able to relate some of the stuff that was spoken today to my classes at the college in terms of economics, business and a bit of sociology. I have learned a little bit about some other Caribbean people, entrepreneurs for example Miss Glasco and she gives us a little bit of information on things that we should do to be an entrepreneur, for example she said to be your brand, she said to read, read about the history of whatever business that you want to take part in, she said to find your knish, so she was a bit informative.”
“I found that the workshop was very interactive and I find it interactive because they gave us a bit of activities to do that help us starting your own business and entrepreneurship on a whole I wouldn’t mind participating in future conferences.”
“They were very instructive, I mean they make you feel open to being an entrepreneur.”
“…most for me today was the presentation by Warren Cassell actually form Montserrat, his thing was really short and sweet, he really touched a lot of people over the Caribbean; and it was really relatable because since he started from a young age and al the way up. It actually shows that you can really become an investor and make money even at a young age and do what you want to do.”
