EDASCS HOLDS ELECTIONS

Capacity building high on the agenda for new EDACSC Executives
Saturday 17th October, 2009 marked the election and inauguration of a new Executive Committee for the community based organization EDACSC in Speyside Tobago. The elections were chaired by Ms. Carol Davidson, THA Youth Division Officer, and TTASPE supported the event functioning as technical secretariat. The spirit of cooperation between the members of EDACSC was outstanding and this helped the elections to be free and fair.
The highlight of the elections however, was theappointment of young persons and adolescents to positions of immense responsibility. The group decided to create the new post of Public Relations Officer to support the clubs’ effort to make its mission known and a young woman elected to the position. The following are the new members elected for the different positions with a majority being young people:

1. President……………………………………………KURLAND BERND (young person)
2. Vice president ……………………………………...KELEON COKER (young person)
3. Treasurer……………………………………………DOREEN PEREZ (elder)
4. Treasurer Assistant………………………………….KALIFFA MARTIN (young person)
5. Secretary……………………………………………KELISHA MARTIN (young person)
6. Secretary Assistant …………………………………SHENICE ROBLEY (adolescent)
7. Life Skills Coordinator……………………………...KEDA TROTMAN (young person)
8. Tilapia Farming Coordinator………………………..IDI BACCHUS (young person)
9. Kicking Aids Out Coordinator………………..PHILOMEN SPENCER GRAY (elder)
10. Game On! Coordinator……………………………………MICHELLE LEWIS (elder)
11. Recruitment and Fundraising Coordinator…………… HAZELANN ROBLEY (elder)
12. Youth Media Group…………………………………….MCKEIL MCKENNA (adolescent)
13. Capoeira, Boxing, Aerobics…………………………………NEGUS PEREZ (adolescent)
14. PRO……………………………………………………….SHENICE ROBLEY
15. Trustee 1 ………………………………………………HAZELANN ROBLEY
16. Trustee 2…………………………………...MESHELL TROTMAN GEORGE (elder)
With the advent of the youth of Speyside now having high levels of responsibility and important roles, the club acknowledged  that it was critical to build capacities in order for them to manage, in a sustainable way, the responsibilities of the club in areas of access to funding, reporting, financial accounting, administration, program planning, conflict resolution and general management.
During the month of December it is expected that at least ten members of the club will travel to San Fernando, Trinidad to attend a 3 day ‘intensive’ training at TTASPE’s office in some of those priority areas.
The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee  have also expressed its commitment to support the capacity building needs of the Club and will do such work with the club in the near future.

CHILDREN MUST BE SEEN AND HEARD -
FOCUS ON MEDIA IN SPEYSIDE

There is an old-time saying in the Caribbean region “children must be seen and not heard” reflecting a mentality that greatly affects the way children and adolescents are viewed and dealt with in these societies. Despite some efforts by government and civil society to promote children and youth participation in the Caribbean, children and adolescents still suffer from a culture, that in many cases, doesn´t seek for their opinions and undervalues their contributions on issues that affect them - in homes, schools and communities. It is no different in Speyside, a rural community of 1,000 people located on the north-east side of Tobago in the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
These vulnerabilities were identified through a participatory survey developed in the community of Speyside by volunteers in the context of the Pilot Project, “Nurturing Child Friendly Communities, Sport for Development and Healthy Living”.
The project is implemented by TTASPE, the Trinidad and Tobago Alliance for Sport and Physical Education, with support from the Tobago House of Assembly, Red Cross, The Barcam and the United Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and has been in existence since 2007.
Children and adolescents in Speyside have since been introduced to a variety projects and activities, all with the capacity to transfer positive values and life-skills to children and adolescents, nurturing and providing them with guidance and empowerment in all spheres of life. One such initiative is the formation of a youth media group. Through another partner organization, MY BREDERIN, a series of workshops for adolescents involving three main aspects of media: journalism, videography and photography were implemented. This sought to give adolescents in the community an understanding of how media works, as well as, training in these areas so as to facilitate the gathering and dissemination of information.

The media workshops have had a positive impact within the community as a group of young people, children and youth 10- 24, are now able and willing to support the development of a community newsletter and the establishment of a radio station in collaboration with the High school. The project now has the support of the Tobago House of Assembly that will provide a way to make these efforts sustainable.
In 2008 the Speyside High School agreed to collaborate with the community, through its community club EDASCS, TTASPE, THA and UNICEF, to further the training of community/school members in the various media disciplines in order to make the project more sustainable. And in 2009 Tobago Channel 5, the national television station of Tobago, have also become a partner in this project, facilitating the training of youth involved by providing training opportunities in the form of internships and the youth of Speyside and the Speyside High School now have the opportunity to work at the television station.
 For one week each, participants will be invited to work at Tobago Channel 5. Participants will have the opportunity to work in all departments at the station, from production and editing to assisting in live television programs, such as ‘Rise and Shine’ which airs every morning.
 Upon completion of this training the youth will then be challenged to produce visual and printed media initiatives within the community of Speyside. In so doing the youth of Speyside will not only have the opportunity to express themselves in positive ways, but will also have access to more information while gaining employable skills in the field of media – one of the fastest growing industries in the Caribbean presently.
As stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child articles 12 -15 ratified by Trinidad and Tobago,  Children and adolescents have the right to access quality information, and to have the chance to participate, express their opinions and be active, contributing to the development of their families, communities and societies.
When encouraged to express their opinions and feelings, to be assertive and to stand up for what they believe, young people are more likely to have self esteem and self confidence and develop their skills and capabilities. If given a voice, young people can provide important information about conditions at work, at school or at home, about risks to their own health and their community. They can provide suggestions to change that adult people may not have considered, and they can play a vital role in researching, monitoring, evaluation and planning, and thus make meaningful contributions to their quality of life and those of other young persons. 

Members of the community and professional media personal in Speyside.