Black Immigrant Daily News

Youths from across the United Kingdom overseas territories were invited to appear before a special sitting of the UK Youth Parliament in the House of Commons on Nov. 4 to voice their thoughts on topics including mental health, climate change and the environment.

Among them was Charity Rymer, who the VI government described as the first Virgin Islander to ever speak in the House of Commons.

Young Virgin Islanders living in the UK were invited to apply with the BVI London Office for the opportunity. In keeping with a directive from Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sharie de Castro, the applicants were interviewed by a panel of VI Youth Parliament members and its secretariat, and Ms. Rymer was selected, according to government.

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle said when introducing the young representatives that the five main topics to be discussed were selected by voters in the UK Youth Parliament’s “Make Your Mark” ballot. He offered a special welcome to the representatives from the overseas territories.

Charity Rymer also noted the ongoing social effects of catastrophic hurricanes, including the mental health challenges some residents continue to experience. (Screenshot: PARLIAMENT LIVE)

Climate change

Ms. Rymer focused her remarks on climate change, calling upon world leaders to recognise how catastrophic natural disasters are affecting island nations. She also explained how life changed in the VI following the 2017 hurricanes and how such extreme weather conditions are affecting the Caribbean.

“It is territories like the British Virgin Islands — whose carbon footprint is almost non-existent — who are the ones that will now suffer the most from the environmental challenges the world now faces,” she said. “In fact, for six months of the year, the threat of an active hurricane season is always looming over our shores.”

She also noted the ongoing social effects of catastrophic hurricanes, including the mental health challenges some residents continue to experience.

“For many months after I was evacuated, I couldn’t have helped but imagine the people that I’d left behind — those with no school, no roofs over their heads, and those, quite frankly, with no hope,” she said. “Life as they knew it had changed forever.”

She added that the future of the islands rests upon the shoulders of the youth, and that mitigating the effects of climate change is imperative. She also spoke of the cost of such a burden.

“Our inheritance is an ever-increasing bill to rebuild our territory with every natural disaster that pays an unwelcome visit,” she said.

However, Ms. Rymer said she remains hopeful for a better future.

Other speakers

Cayman Islands representative Chad Anthony Powell Jr. said he was glad for an opportunity to come together to work on issues facing all the OTs.

“With all that we have in common, perhaps we can form something new, and we can work together to solve our issues,” he said, giving Ms. Rymer’s attention to climate change as an example. “We are more than just the sum of our parts.”

After speaking in the House, Ms. Rymer joined delegates from fellow OTs in meeting with representatives of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

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Over the past few years, Cayman’s community has become well acquainted with the growing number of events that take place in November that focus on the health and wellness of men and boys.

‘Mo’vember’ — as the month is being called — is a month-long awareness, education and fundraising effort that focuses on men’s mental health, suicide prevention, and prostate and testicular cancer.

“International Men’s Day (IMD), November 19, celebrates the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities, while highlighting men’s well-being,” noted Health and Wellness Minister Sabrina Turner.

“While traditional social and cultural norms are better understood within the context of how they impact the health, wellness and safety of women and girls, these efforts serve to highlight how such norms also have a detrimental effect on men and boys,” the minister added.

The minister added: “Suicide prevention is a key concern for both Mo’vember and IMD due to the fact that globally the suicide rate for men is twice as high as for women, even though women are more likely than men to attempt suicide. How is this possible? Research has shown that male suicide methods are often more violent, which makes it more likely they can be completed before anyone can intervene and offer assistance.”

Men also have a shorter life expectancy than women. Globally men tend to live for an average of 70 years, whereas women live for an average of 75 years.

Research also suggests that men could be less aware of their own symptoms and wellbeing, which is why in some nations men are twice as likely to suffer from illnesses like lung cancer and heart disease than women.

“The economic and human cost to individuals, families, communities and society of suicidal behaviours, heart disease, lung cancer, and shorter life expectancy make all of these issues serious public health problems that need to be acknowledged, understood and addressed,” the minister noted.

The Department of Counselling Services, via both The Counselling Centre (TCC) and the Family Resource Centre (FRC), offer mental health support to all residents of the Cayman Islands free of cost.

Additional mental health support services are offered via:

The Mental Health Helpline: 1-800-534-6463Cayman Islands Crisis Centre 24-Hour Crisis Line: 1-800-534-2422

The Family Resource Centre will also be observing IMD via a series of events between November 12 and 25:

November 12: Men & Boys’ Basketball TournamentNovember 19: Men & Boys’ Football Tournament and IMD Dress for a CauseNovember 22: Raising Resilient Boys- parenting seminarNovember 25: The State of Men and Boys Forum

For more information, log on to www.frc.ky.

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PDP political leader Watson Duke who has resigned his post as THA Chief Secretary. FILE PHOTO –

PROGRESSIVE Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke says the $17.5 million which the THA spent on Tobago’s inaugural carnival from October 28-30 should have been used to address flooding and landslides across the island.

In a Facebook live video, Duke observed that the heavy rain on Thursday had again triggered flooding in several parts of Tobago, while the some people’s houses were on the verge of collapse owing to landslides.

“What is the Tobago House of Assembly doing about that?” he asked.

Duke claimed he spoke to Chief Secretary Farley Augustine about these issues before the carnival.

“I told him he had no right to spend $17.5 million on carnival. That should have been scrapped and the money used to take care of the landslides and protect the areas where the land is slipping so it does not continue to slip.”

He mentioned the road at Bad Rock, Belle Garden, which was blocked by a landslide on Monday.

“If that road is shut down, it is difficult to get to Speyside, Charlotteville. And the road between Roxborough and Bloody Bay is already damaged, which means that if there is a fire in Bloody Bay, a fire in L’Anse Fourmi, the chances of the Roxborough Fire Station getting over there is almost nonexistent. because you have to go all the way to Charlotteville to get to Castara.

“In the event of some violence that requires the police’s immediate attention, that which would have taken the police station in Roxborough perhaps about 15 minutes to get to L’Anse Fourmi, Bloody Bay, Parlatuvier and these areas, will take about an hour, because the road is blocked. The same for the fire services.”

Alluding to the PDP’s pre-THA election slogan of building Tobago child by child, family by family, village by village, he asked, “Is this the mandate that the Tobago people gave the PDP?”

Duke said Augustine and others who disapprove of his stance on issues could “get to hell out of my party.

“But do not remain in my party and do what you all want….People first, politics after. That is our mandate.”

Duke also said Augustine should not have attended the World Travel Market in England “while we are being troubled by the rain.

“The rain is fun for them, but for you, who are faced with an impending natural disaster, it is pain.”

The PDP leader also took the THA to task for failing to continue the party’s house-repair initiative.

“Now they are in office, now they have the Treasury, they are not fixing roofs, only talk.”

He accused them of insulting the intelligence of Tobagonians.

“You (Augustine) spent $17.5 million towards carnival, then turn around and say you need money for critical projects.

“What kind of child’s play is that? The thing you want, you spend it out, and then to come and say to people yuh gone looking for money – It is time to push back. It is time to say no. It is time to say we had enough.

“Spend the bloody money and fix people roof, fix people gap, fix people land that sliding away, fix the rivers. Fix the things.”

As the PDP-led THA approaches its first year in governance, Duke promised to “tighten the grip on them.

“I will not allow them to disrespect the people of Tobago who voted for the PDP. If allyuh don’t like the PDP, get to hell out and form allyuh own thing.”

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The Scarborough Secondary School on Milford Road Tobago. Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

SCHOOLS in Tobago are set to be dismissed early on Thursday owing to the bad weather.

In a press release on Thursday, the Division of Education, Research and Technology said all schools will be dismissed at 1pm. It said the early closure is because of advisories issued by the Met Office.

“Parents are advised to make the necessary arrangements to have their children collected as soon as possible. Students who utilise the maxi taxi services will be collected from their respective schools,” the division said.

Unless further advised, it said all schools will resume classes on Friday.

The division urged the public to remain vigilant while taking the necessary precautions to preserve their safety. While families affected by the adverse weather conditions are advised to contact the 211 Call Centre or TEMA at 660-7489.

On Wednesday, the Met Office issued a yellow-level alert for riverine flooding, the alert was raised to orange later in the afternoon until Friday.

In its initial alert on Wednesday morning, the Met Office reported that owing to significant rainfall overnight, major river levels across Trinidad are currently near 80-85 per cent and rising. A later release said major river levels across Trinidad were near 80 per cent, with smaller watercourses also at critical levels.

The Met Office also reported that rain was expected to continue over the next 36-48 hours which would cause higher river levels, which were now a high risk to public safety, livelihood and property.

The release urged the public to closely monitor weather conditions and river levels and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves.

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