SVG hosts CaribDE regional credit union workshop

Forty co-operators from across the Caribbean are in St Vincent and the Grenadines this week, for the second Caribbean Development Education (CaribDE) programme.{{more}}

An official opening ceremony for the week long programme was held yesterday, at the Hotel Alexandrina conference room at Prospect.

President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Co-operative League Junior Bacchus encouraged the delegates from Caribbean countries to play an active part in the week’s proceedings.

“You have made a stong commitment to be here and I would encourage you to share, without reservation, your understanding and experiences as you go through this week of cooperative learning and solidarity,” he said.

Bacchus declared that the future of cooperative enterprise depends heavily upon youths.

“Every effort should be made to encourage our young people to become actively involved in co-op volunteering and to accept the cooperative approach as integral to their advancement,” the Co-operative League president said.

Frederick Stephenson, Minister with responsibility for Cooperatives, told participants that they should always seek to find themselves in places and institutions that can offer quality leadership.

“Any organization or institution that seeks to refresh and renew its leadership is an organization for the future,” he declared. Additionally, Stephenson urged participants to go back to their respective countries and put what they will learn at the workshop, into practice.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Consumer Affairs Camillo Gonsalves delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony and spoke on the theme “Youth Leaders: Generation Next or Now.”

The CaribDE programme is a leadership development course for current and rising credit union leaders. The programme is geared at responding to the challenge of attracting more youths into credit unions and co-operatives as members, employees and leaders.

The workshop is expected to feature an array of distinguished international speakers and will focus on topics including youth leadership, networking and peer-to-peer learning, credit union management and entrepreneurship, cooperative principles, values and standards, and development and regulatory issues.(BK)