Fifteen years ago, it was curiosity which led Gary Matthias to join the St Vincent Jaycees and today he has been elected to the prestigious post of President of West Indies Jaycees.

Mathias is only the second Vincentian to be elected to this leadership position, the first was, Monty Maule.

Now a successful Accountant Manager at the St Vincent Electricity Services Limited, VINLEC, Mathias said that he owes much of his leadership training to the Jaycees.{{more}}

He explained that the organisation has also developed his communication skills and has helped him network with others regionally and internationally.

The newly elected President of West Indies Jaycees governs over the islands of Antigua, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Dominica, St Kitts, Anguilla and St Vincent and the Grenadines and believes that the Caribbean needs what he described as a “Jaycees product.”

He pointed out that Jaycees is a “product” which holistically develops persons between the ages of 18-40 to be more competitive by ensuring that they are trained in aspects that could give them the edge in a world where human resource is vital.

Matthias said that with St Vincent and the Grenadines being a developing country with little natural resources, it relies on the social skills of its citizens and how they interact with visitors especially in areas such as tourism, which has become the number one money earner.

Armed with his developmental plan, Matthias said that key areas such as membership growth, improved communications with partner islands and more involvement in civic matters are some of the main issues on his agenda as President of West Indies Jaycees.

He promised that the Jaycees would also be engaged in some major projects but however expressed disappointment that the whole culture of volunteerism has slipped by because of the busy lives people live.

“People are becoming more individualistic and no longer want to spend time attending meetings or doing community work,” he stressed.

He continued, “I guess people are also spending more hours at work trying to make more money to pay their bills and just survive, but we have to make time for the things that really matter, such as helping others and giving back to society.”

Matthias said that several new members have so far been inducted and a membership drive would be held in March. He said he and his team of executives were diligently working to give Jaycees the recognition that it once had and mentioned that former Trade Unionist Alice Mandeville and present Speaker of the House, Hendrick Alexander were Jaycee members.