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Youth Literacy Programme 2023 – 2nd Session

Youth Literacy Programme 2023 - 2nd Session

Last Saturday I hosted our second literacy classes for this summer recess under the auspices of The Clarkson Foundation Inc., of which I am the patron.

This time, 32 children between ages 5-10 years old attended, up from 16 children the previous Saturday. This inspite of the fact that parts of my constituency experienced heavy rainfall early that morning, continuing up to the start of classes.
However, we made sure that they came by going for most of them at their homes and returning them to their homes. I am proud of this desire by these children to gain further knowledge and to improve their learning abilities.

I am again indebted to the same teachers and aides who taught and assisted in the first session, all of whom willingly returned in the adverse weather conditions. They were joined by teacher and Accreditation Council senior official Mr. Sergio Alleyne as well as by NCC Growth Lab officer Miss. Jayde Alleyne and Clarkson Foundation director Miss. Erica Hinkson.

Youth Literacy Programme 2023 – 1st Session

Youth Literacy Programme 2023 - 1st Session

Under the auspices of The Clarkson Foundation Inc., I yesterday started our literary classes for approximately 25 primary school constituents ages 5-9 years old at our constituency office.

This programme, initially conceptualised in 2019 by then branch President Miss. Christina Haynes (whose son Cayden attended the classes), is scheduled to run for 5 weeks on Saturday mornings until the next school year commences.

We thank primary school teachers Misses Bonwin Medford, Tiffany Richards, Alison Pierre and Rosheena Harding along with assistants Misses Shanice Jordan and Akeila Harding as well as Mr. Jonathan Smith for ensuring that this very significant initiative continues after our country's return to normalcy following Covid's forced social distancing.

Chic n’ Charitable 5 – A Pier Affair

Chic n' Charitable 5 - A Pier Affair

The Clarkson Foundation Inc.'s recent 5th Chic n' Charitable fundraising cocktail reception, held at Pier One Restaurant, Port St. Charles, Heywoods, St. Peter, was a resounding success. A great time was enjoyed by everyone.

Over 300 patrons were treated to an array of delicious food of bajan, European and Mediterranean favour, to superb entertainment by 7 singers from the Centre for the Blind, led by Granville Carter, BSM, accompanied by young musicians of the Barbados Community College Ensemble with the music arranged by renowned musician Mr. Roger Gittens as well as by enticing DJ music played by Mr. Sergio Alleyne.

The Foundation's Patron and St. James North Member of Parliament Mr. Edmund Hinkson as well as its Directors thank all those persons who attended and everyone, including those corporate and business entities, who contributed in any way to the event.

The funds raised will go a long way to assisting with the social, educational, personal and sporting development as well as with some basic economic needs of many vulnerable persons in the constituency over the next year.

The Foundation now looks forward to next year's planned hosting of a Young Mother's Empowerment Programme for constituents of St. James North.

#ClarksonFoundation #Charity #Fundraiser #CocktailParty #ThankYou

 

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Graduation

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Graduation

What was described by many graduates of The Clarkson Foundation Inc.'s VIBES Life and Work Skills programme as well as by many invited guests and members of the audience as "the best graduation which they had ever attended" was held on Saturday, August 13th at The Garden Church of God, Reid Road, The Garden.

With the event being appropriately blessed by Pastor Emeritus Martin Goodridge, 23 of the 47 graduates received their certificates from Mrs. Beverly Smith-Hinkson, the Foundation's Chairperson and wife of its Patron, St. James North Member of Parliament Edmund Hinkson.
A well decorated background designed by Miss. Andrea Howell of Creative Balloon Designs and Events Decor set the stage for a well-crafted motivational feature address by Mrs. Celeste Foster, Co-Founder of ACR Business Solutions Inc. and Executive Chairman of the Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation Inc. Mrs. Foster informed of her humble upbringings, being raised in the City of Bridgetown, through to her rise to being one of our country's leading entrepreneurs, voluntarily contributing to her society's socio-economic development through the Small Business Association of which she was the President, her mentorship of many young potential business persons and her guidance of many self-employed persons.
The Member of Parliament in his address reiterated his and the Foundation's commitment to assist in whatever manner is humanly possible in realising the potential, talents and maximum personal development of those of his constituents who are prepared to be diligent, dedicated and focused and to believe in their self-worth and ability in striving to achieve career success.
Mr. Kristan Patrick and Miss. Niann Thompson, two of the graduates, proudly gave riveting presentations on behalf of their colleagues, crediting the programme which was held in May and June for their increased self-confidence and positive personal development.
Kudos to all of the Foundation's Directors for assisting in making this cohort the most successful of the four which the Foundation has now held. Gratitude to Miss. Shanice Jordan and Mr. Jonathan Smith, the substantive and acting constituency secretaries respectively, for their tireless efforts in liaising with everyone at various stages of the sessions' planning and execution.
Magnanimous thanks to Mrs. Rhonda Bryan-Hutson in particular and to Mr. Roger Husbands for their skillful tutorship of participants during the two months period. The programme is in debt to the many resource persons who expertly presented their knowledge weekly on Saturday mornings for the constituents' benefit.
Gratitude to Miss. Sharon Thompson, J.P., Miss. Susan Packer, Miss. Diana Forde, J.P. and Miss. June Thompson who weekly ensured that there were adequate refreshments for all of the participants. Thanks also to Miss. Deborah Butler, a graduate of the inaugural programme in 2014 for her delicious graduation cake in which the graduates shared as well as to Corbin's Catering Services for their vegetarian food.
Appreciation to the four Churches in St. James North, which this initiative gave the Foundation the opportunity to partner with in utilising their respective sanctuaries and property for various aspects of the programme.
Finally, gratitude to Mr. Samuel Knight and his team for the live streaming of the event, to Mr. Tristan Mapp for his photography as well as to the media personnel who attended.
The Foundation now looks forward to next year's planned hosting of a Young Mother's Empowerment Programme for constituents of St. James North.

#ClarksonFoundationInc #VIBES #LifeSkills #WorkSkills #CVWriting #InterviewSkills #PersonalDevelopment #Graduation

 

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Graduation

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Graduation

What was described by many graduates of The Clarkson Foundation Inc.'s VIBES Life and Work Skills programme as well as by many invited guests and members of the audience as "the best graduation which they had ever attended" was held on Saturday, August 13th at The Garden Church of God, Reid Road, The Garden.

With the event being appropriately blessed by Pastor Emeritus Martin Goodridge, 23 of the 47 graduates received their certificates from Mrs. Beverly Smith-Hinkson, the Foundation's Chairperson and wife of its Patron, St. James North Member of Parliament Edmund Hinkson.
A well decorated background designed by Miss. Andrea Howell of Creative Balloon Designs and Events Decor set the stage for a well-crafted motivational feature address by Mrs. Celeste Foster, Co-Founder of ACR Business Solutions Inc. and Executive Chairman of the Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation Inc. Mrs. Foster informed of her humble upbringings, being raised in the City of Bridgetown, through to her rise to being one of our country's leading entrepreneurs, voluntarily contributing to her society's socio-economic development through the Small Business Association of which she was the President, her mentorship of many young potential business persons and her guidance of many self-employed persons.
The Member of Parliament in his address reiterated his and the Foundation's commitment to assist in whatever manner is humanly possible in realising the potential, talents and maximum personal development of those of his constituents who are prepared to be diligent, dedicated and focused and to believe in their self-worth and ability in striving to achieve career success.
Mr. Kristan Patrick and Miss. Niann Thompson, two of the graduates, proudly gave riveting presentations on behalf of their colleagues, crediting the programme which was held in May and June for their increased self-confidence and positive personal development.
Kudos to all of the Foundation's Directors for assisting in making this cohort the most successful of the four which the Foundation has now held. Gratitude to Miss. Shanice Jordan and Mr. Jonathan Smith, the substantive and acting constituency secretaries respectively, for their tireless efforts in liaising with everyone at various stages of the sessions' planning and execution.
Magnanimous thanks to Mrs. Rhonda Bryan-Hutson in particular and to Mr. Roger Husbands for their skillful tutorship of participants during the two months period. The programme is in debt to the many resource persons who expertly presented their knowledge weekly on Saturday mornings for the constituents' benefit.
Gratitude to Miss. Sharon Thompson, J.P., Miss. Susan Packer, Miss. Diana Forde, J.P. and Miss. June Thompson who weekly ensured that there were adequate refreshments for all of the participants. Thanks also to Miss. Deborah Butler, a graduate of the inaugural programme in 2014 for her delicious graduation cake in which the graduates shared as well as to Corbin's Catering Services for their vegetarian food.
Appreciation to the four Churches in St. James North, which this initiative gave the Foundation the opportunity to partner with in utilising their respective sanctuaries and property for various aspects of the programme.
Finally, gratitude to Mr. Samuel Knight and his team for the live streaming of the event, to Mr. Tristan Mapp for his photography as well as to the media personnel who attended.
The Foundation now looks forward to next year's planned hosting of a Young Mother's Empowerment Programme for constituents of St. James North.

#ClarksonFoundationInc #VIBES #LifeSkills #WorkSkills #CVWriting #InterviewSkills #PersonalDevelopment #Graduation

 

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 8

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 8

Last Saturday, The Clarkson Foundation Inc. held its eighth and final session of this year's VIBES life and work skills programme. We hosted a mock interview process for 36 participants, conducted by a panel of expert human resource specialists.

We are extremely grateful to Ms. Claire Garnes, Recruitment Officer at the Youth Advance Corps, Ms. Laura Harewood, Human Resource Business Partner with the Barbados Light and Power Co., Ms. Joan Leacock, Human Resource Development Consultant/ Trainer, Ms. Cindy Miller, Executive Assistant with The Elegant Hotels Group and certified Hospitality Trainer, Ms. Joanne Odle, Human Resources and IT Manager at Hanschell Inniss Ltd., and Ms. Joycelyn Watts, Vocational Counselor, for taking their time to share their professionalism and expertise with my constituents.
They significantly prepared these participants for the reality of the job interview and their gateway to employment.

We are indebted to Reverend Dr. Lucille Baird, MBE, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Mount Zion's Missions Inc., and the management and staff of her Church for accommodating us and allowing their Great Hall for our participants' mock interviews.

On this coming Saturday, we are scheduled to visit Nine Acres Farm in Christ Church, so that participants can see first hand agricultural and farming operations and explore available employment and self-employment opportunities in this very important productive and food security sector.

#ClarksonFoundationInc #LifeSkills #WorkSkills #CVWriting #InterviewSkills #PersonalDevelopment #ContinuingToServe

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 7

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 7

Last Saturday, the Clarkson Foundation Inc. held its seventh and final VIBES Life and Work Skills session for this cohort, again at the St. Albans Anglican Church. Forty-one participants from St. James North attended, maintaining the above forty attendance which we have achieved since the second session.

They heard a detailed outline from Mr. Eric Scott, Credit Account Manager, of how to apply for finances from the Barbados Trust Fund of the Ministry of Business Development and Entrepreneurship in order to commence or expand your business. Participants then received invaluable information from Miss. Erica Hinkson, marketing consultant and Trust Fund tutor, on how to prepare a business plan and to market one's own enterprise.

Finally, Miss. Deborah Butler, born and breed in Lower Carlton, a graduate of the first VIBES programme in 2014 and a multiple NIFCA gold, silver and bronze winner in 2018 and 2019, told her amazing story of building a successful catering and food and pastries business from scratch through will power, determination, self-belief and dedication to cause. Deborah is a living example that anyone can achieve excellence and success in their own commercial enterprise, once they are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices and right choices. We thank them all for their presentations.

We look forward to next Saturday when prepared participants will undergo mock interviews conducted by expert Human Resource managers at Mount Zion Missions Church in Rock Dundo.

#TheClarksonFoundation #VIBES #LifeSkills #WorkSkills

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 6

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 6

Verified
Last Saturday, the Clarkson Foundation Inc. held its sixth VIBES life and work skills session for this year again at the St. Albans Anglican Church. A record number of forty seven participants from St. James North were treated to master piece presentations on available skills and vocational training opportunities as well as potential employment avenues.

We profusely thank Mrs. Pauline Farnum, Senior Employment Officer in the Ministry of Labour, Ms. Liz Bowen of the Ministry of Community Development and Mr. Henderson Thompson, Director of the Vocational Training Board, for enlightening everyone present on the numerous programmes being offered by the various Government agencies to assist our People in a fundamental way towards employment and self-employment.

We thank Mrs. Yvette Walcott-Davis, the Director of the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service, for her interest in what we are seeking to achieve, as demonstrated tangibly by her presence at the session.

We thank Mrs. Rhonda Bryan-Hutson and Mr. Roger Husbands, our team leaders and human resource management consultants, on their continuing role in this exercise.

Finally, we thank all my many constituents who each Saturday morning come to these sessions and show by your continued attendance your appreciation of the benefits of this initiative towards your personal development.

We look forward to next Saturday, 18th June welcoming Miss. Erica Hinkson, Marketing Specialist/Consultant and Mr. Eric Scott, Credit Account Manager of the Barbados Trust Fund, who will provide vital information on marketing strategy and loan funding granted to small businesses.

We will also welcome Miss. Deborah Butler, one of the first graduates of this VIBES programme in 2014, who has now received multiple NIFCA Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for success in starting and undertaking her business enterprise.

All of my constituents who have applied for loans from the Barbados Trust Fund within the last year are invited to attend.

#VIBES #LifeSkills #ContinuingToServe

VIBES Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 5

The Clarkson Foundation Inc. last Saturday hosted the fifth session of its VIBES life and work skills programme at the St. Albans Anglican Church. Thirty seven participants received very helpful information from human resource specialist Ms. Laura Harewood on writing a curriculum vitae, structuring an employment application, preparing for a job interview, dressing and presenting yourself at an interview, managing your time and finances as well as on other practical aspects of life and work. We thank Laura for her presentation and Mrs. Rhonda Bryan-Hutson for organizing her attendance.

Next Saturday, we look forward to welcoming officials from the Ministries of Community Development and of Labour as well as from the Vocational Training Board to speak to participants on further available skills training and employment opportunities for our people, both in Barbados and overseas.
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#TheClarksonFoundation #Development #Opportunities #HR #CVwriting #SoftSkills #LifeSkills

VIBES / NTI Life and Work Skills Programme 2022 – Session 4

Last Saturday morning, The Clarkson Foundation Inc. under the patronage of Saint James North Member of Parliament Edmund Hinkson held its fourth session of this year's VIBES life and work skills programme at the St. Albans Anglican Church.

A record turn out of forty four constituents benefited from excellent presentations from the team of the National Transformation Initiative led by its head, Dr. Allyson Leacock. Participants received a full briefing on the programmes which are being offered, free of cost to applicants, by the NTI.

These programmes are all geared to ensuring that those who take them become better citizens and indeed develop into being more complete and better-rounded individuals.
This is a key component in the drive by the Government of Barbados to assist our constituents in obtaining and securing more sustainable employment or facilitating their self-employment.

Immense gratitude to Dr. Leacock and her team headed by Ms. Tamara Springer which included Maria Holder-Small, my friend and a former President of the Council of the Disabled when I was a Director.

I would also like to thank Mr. O'Brien Smith, Youth Commissioner, for sharing with the attendees the various programs offered and upcoming.

#NTI #ClarksonFoundationInc #Free #Courses #Sports #Development #Skills #Education #ContinuingToServe