A number of students from Primary and Secondary schools across the country were on Monday, May 23rd, awarded prizes for their participation in the World Creativity and Innovation Day Nationwide Literary Arts Competition.
The competition was held to commemorate World Creativity and Innovation Day. The theme for 2022 was “Charting resilience; Recording Recovery”.
Speaking at the ceremony which took place at the Methodist Church Hall, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sandy Peters-Phillips stated the students have contributed to effectively archiving the history of St Vincent and the Grenadines and in essence what the students presented will inform and guide policy actions in the process of nation-building.
Peters-Phillips pointed out that the students’ work “will be recorded in an anthology which will be shared with you, individually, in schools, local libraries and across our mission”, noting that all this will be done in effort to ensure that information is documented for generations to come.
The Permanent Secretary urged the students to continue to be a part of programmes and initiatives which will help them contribute to nation building.
Marketing Executive, Digicel SVG, Caricia Taylor says her company remains committed to their partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Taylor noted that it is more than just an essay writing competition, and this year’s competition forms part of documenting an important aspect of Vincentian history- the eruption of La Soufriere.
Minister of State in the office of the Prime Minister with responsibilities for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Keisal Peters said “Creativity is a mindset, a skill” as she praised the participants on their essay submissions. Peters urged the students to be open to fresh ideas as it assists in problem solving skills and efficiency.
The Nationwide Literary Arts Competition was divided into four categories that consisted of three age groups, 9-13 years, 14-18 years and 19 plus. Funding for the Programme was provided by the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade also partnered with Digicel SVG.