PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 - The CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD), in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office for Barbados and the OECS - convened the following workshops in Antigua: CARICOM/CCYD Regional Advocacy and Sensitisation Campaign Development Workshop, 25-26 May 2009; UNDP Knowledge Conceptualization Workshop, 27-28 May 2009. Attending the meeting and representing the Turks and Caicos National Youth Ambassador and Regional Youth Caucus representative, Ms. Larisa Rivera.
The main objectives of the workshops were to review regional priorities and issues arising from CCYD study on the “Adolescent and Youth Vision, Aspirations, Concerns, Identity and CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).” This study was done in many Caribbean countries including the Turks and Caicos Islands; where each country was invited to develop key advocacy and sensitization messages and innovative multimedia, cultural and other methodologies; develop a regional advocacy and sensitization campaign to be implemented at the national level.
Details on how the campaign should be planned and carried out were presented to participants; where they were asked to review and elaborate the draft conceptual framework for a regional Knowledge Fair. This Knowledge Fair will be a three-day forum that will take place in Suriname in October 2009, where participants will celebrate and make visible successful experiences, promote knowledge transfer among development actors and position key human development issues.
Present at the workshop were National Research Coordinators, National Youth Council Representatives, CARICOM Youth Ambassador as well as other Youth Representatives from the various CARICOM countries.
“Here in The Turks and Caicos, we will try our best to execute the sensitization campaign,” said Ms. Rivera, “The campaign’s aim is awareness, giving everyone a chance of knowing how young people feel and what they want, which was extracted from the study.”
“The Turks and Caicos will also be part of the Fair Knowledge. There will be selection criteria available and young persons from around the Caribbean will be selected to display their talents.”
TCI’s National Youth Ambassador said that while she was in Antigua she met with persons that will be organizing the campaign, “so that when I returned to TCI, we can get started as-soon-as-possible. I do hope we get the support from the country, especially the young people in order to have a successful campaign and also to have talented young persons representing the TCI in Suriname come this October.”
For more information on the Fair Knowledge and how you can assist, kindly contact Ms. Larisa Rivera, National Youth Ambassador on (649) 243-1848 or via email:
larisa.rivera@yahoo.com.
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