Black Immigrant Daily News

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Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire has highlighted the need to continue transforming the important Saint Lucia tourism industry so that the people benefit more, asserting that while tourism figures are important, benefits to Saint Lucians are more so.

Hilaire recalled that when he became Tourism Minister, he had explained that he did not want to attend meetings and speak about numbers and how good those numbers were.

“The numbers in truth represent something but the more important thing is how we are transforming the industry to bring greater benefit to the people of Saint Lucia,” the Castries South MP said on Thursday as the Island’s Tourism Advisory Committee met.

“That fundamentally is the ultimate measurement of the success of the tourism industry,” Hilaire declared.

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He disclosed that although encouraged by others to go to the media and talk about ‘the numbers’ he did not feel motivated to comply if he could not also speak about how benefits are increasing.

“I really want to be able to speak about the transformational things,” he told the Tourism Advisory Committee meeting.

In this regard, the Minister said he was happy to speak about the Community Tourism Act and what it would mean for tourism.

He said he would also be happy to get a reaction to the Tourism Development Act, which he described as a monumental piece of legislation that would change how Saint Lucia manages the tourism industry.

“In many ways, that Act contains a framework that seeks to empower as many sectors as possible, as many persons as possible to benefit from the tourism industry,” the Minister stated.

In addition, Hilaire disclosed that he was happy with the tourism numbers.

“Things are blossoming and booming and it’s so tremendous,” he declared.

Nevertheless, Hilaire told his audience that he believes behind numbers, there’s a reality.

“We might be very happy with what we are seeing in terms of the numbers, but I always want to remind you for us to keep at the back of our minds how are we transforming this industry to make it more resilient, to make it more equitable, to make sure that the benefits actually accrue across the various sectors and is not coalescing around one particular sector,” the Tourism Minister observed.

Hilaire explained that those deeper, structural issues have greater importance as far as he was concerned.

Headline photo: Dr. Ernest Hilaire (Stock image)

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NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

Some 16 teens have so far started the journey to confidence, having commenced a programme which includes a series of life-changing activities entitled Teen Intervene.

The programme, an initiative of the Verdun and Marina Wellness Clinics, was developed because management at the clinics recognised the need to reach out to teens before they have an opportunity to get caught up in the use of mind-altering substances and are forced, in their adult years, to visit the clinics.

…the figures that we do not hear about are the number of attempted suicides and the violence that takes place in the homes which many caregivers try to cover up or downplay

The “Confident Me’ camps are a gender-specific youth and adolescent programme designed to improve the young persons’ social interactions and individual thoughts through self-confidence and self-worth exercises. The overall aim is to make a long-term positive impact on the development of these adolescents.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated an already tense situation with many of the youth in our society, where they have been feeling under pressure for any number of reasons.

“And we are talking about youth from all strata of society, who are feeling untold pressure and that is why we felt we had to act now, before we lose any more of our children. Confident Me came about to build character before it is too late” stated Marietta Carrington, the CEO of the Verdun and Marina Wellness Clinics.

She added that the mental health of the young people has been sorely tested during this period and explained: “We are witnessing this problem island-wide, in the increased number of suicides among our youth. But the figures that we do not hear about are the number of attempted suicides and the violence that takes place in the homes which many caregivers try to cover up or downplay. We need to help these children develop their coping skills to deal with all the issues they encounter.”

Allison Gotip, Director of Clinical Services thanked CIBC FirstCaribbean for its generous support of the camp which allowed the clinics to include a full group of youngsters who benefitted from their participation.

The camps have an additional feature that include individualised counselling sessions which are available to participants. These take place at the Marina Family and Wellness Centre, a spanking new facility gifted to Verdun & Marina by the Maria Holder Trust and opened in November 2021.

Chaviva Hoyte was one of the first young ladies to complete the programme and explained how the camp helped her to deal with her anger issues. Through the programme, she understood that it was OK to express herself and appreciated how she was taught to take a breath and turn away and not react immediately.

She further explained finding out that she lacked patience, and the programme has helped her to build that patience by developing a love for baking and playing sudoku games. It also helped her to solve certain problems via teamwork.

Director of Retail Banking Channels at CIBC FirstCaribbean, Michelle Whitelaw, during the short thank you ceremony explained that having a teenage son, allowed her to see, first-hand, some of the issues that youngsters may have experienced, as she watched him coping with studying in a covid environment and trying to keep in touch with his friends.

She complimented the clinics on the camp initiative explaining that the bank has supported this programme as they too do not wish to see the young people end up abusing substances, as they try to cope with the many issues that bombard them daily.

She further gave words of encouragement to Chaviva, commending her on standing up and sharing her story.

Two camps have taken place so far and another two are scheduled for July and August. It is expected that 50 teens will complete the programme by the end of the year.

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