Via video conference
Montserrat
Financial Information Month is a collaborative effort among the ECCU member governments, financial and academic institutions, the media, private and public sector institutions and community–based groups. The month forms part of an ECCU financial education programme coordinated by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).
The initiative is spearheaded by the ECCB each year in October and partner institutions implement projects to educate communities about making good financial decisions.
This year the “ECCB” has launched its yearly Financial and Business Education campaign, Financial Information Month (FIM) on Thursday via video conference. The month-long activities will be held under the theme “LEAD” Learn, Empower, Achieve, and Develop.
Speaking at the launch Marketing Manager of the St. Kitts Nevis, Anguilla Bank Shirna Pemberton, Marketing Manager, St. Kitts Nevis Anguilla National Bank Ltd. addressed the significance of the Financial Information Month.
She noted in her opening remarks: “Financial literacy enables you to understand what is needed to achieve a lifestyle that is financially balanced, sustainable, ethical and responsible., it also helps entrepreneurs to leverage on people’s money for business to generate sales on profit.
“I want to reiterate the ideas expressed in remarks and the commencement of the 2014 FIM that our collective role and responsibilities in building stronger communities, a stronger nation and a stronger region though capacity building is crucial and should never be overlooked or underestimated, we must always operate in the interest of our people.
“Since the initiation of Financial Information Month in 2002 the teams have all been intelligently selected, aptly crafted and creatively formed to build awareness on the importance of financial literacy.”
Four persons were scheduled to deliver presentations on each topic of the theme. Learn – by Mrs. Petipha Lewis-Smith, Executive Director, Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce; Enpower – by Mr. Steve Manners, Freelance Jouralist, Nevis, but Miss Sybil Welsh delivered in his absence; Achieve – by Miss Dawn French, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Office of he Prime Minister and Secretary of the National Awards Committee, St. Lucia; and Develop by Miss Cheverlyn Williams, Director, Strategic Management and Administration within the Ministry of Communications and Works, Labour, with added responsibility for ICT, Montserrat.
In her presentation focusing Miss Williams highlighted the components of the development process, these she says are planning, acting and reviewing.
“The development process involves a three part cycle you plan, you act and you review, planning therefore involves prioritizing what area to develop and planning how to do this, acting involves practice you will practice your personal and professional knowledge, skills and attributes within your everyday life, review involves thinking about how good you are in practicing and what you think you could improve on.”
Following the presentations, the presenters fielded questions on the thematic messages. Following an overview of the FIM 2015 Progrmme of Ativities by Sybil Welsh, Adviser, ECCB there was the showing of video featuring the FIM 2015 song and an interview of the artiste, Bomani.
There were door prizes in each participating State on a draw when each person deposited their invitations on arrival. Miss Josephine Lee was the lucky winner of the cake shown here. In Montserrat as some of the other islands, there were additional prizes found under four of the participants’ chair followed by light refreshments to end that session of the launch.
Some of the initiatives of the Financial Information Month 2015 include an OECS think tank and hackathon and an ECCU “Train the Trainers” workshop for teachers.
