Community College student among winners from six ECCB Member Countries in Creative Youth Essay Writing Competition

One Vincentian is among students from six of the eight Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) member countries who have captured

the top positions in the 2025 ECCB/Regional Security System-Asset Recovery Unit (ECCB/RSS-ARU) Creative Youth Competition. Kevisha Richardson, a student of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College placed third in the 17-19 age category of the competition in which students addressed the issue of financial literacy education being taught in schools.

The ECCB said in a release that the 2025 competition focused on essay writing, and required students to pen essays on one of three topics:

(i) Financial Education should be a mandatory subject in all primary and secondary schools;

(ii) Following the success of Eastern Caribbean athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympic in Paris, sports should be leveraged as a means to help deter criminal activity, drive economic growth and enhance national pride among the youth; and,

(iii) How can the OECS reform its education system to foster creativity across all disciplines?

The Bank said in a release that 69 students submitted entries for the 13 – 16 age category. Adin Corbette, of the Montserrat Secondary School captured the first place. The second place was awarded to Syreina Harris of the Convent High School in the Commonwealth of Dominica and third to Esther Barzey of the Antigua Girls’ High School. All of the students wrote on the topic how sports should be leveraged as a means to help deter criminal activity, drive economic growth and enhance national pride among the youth.

In the 17-19 age category, the top three students wrote on the topic: Financial Education should be a mandatory subject in all primary and secondary schools. Endira Reeknauth of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College in Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis captured the first place; Jaida Victor of the T A Marryshow Community College in Grenada, placed second; and Kevisha Richardson of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College placed third. Thirty-six students submitted entries for this category.

Five judges from ECCB member countries had the task of selecting the top entries in the 13-16 age category. Ian Jackson of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Patricia Felix of Grenada, Siobhan Tuitt of Montserrat, Naomi Patrick-Smith of Saint Lucia and Robyn Joseph-Nathaniel of Antigua and Barbuda brought their years of teaching experience to the judging process. Robyn Joseph-Nathaniel served as the Head Judge in this category.

The judges for the age 17 – 19 category were Aldia Dyer of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Stafford Pemberton of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, who served as the Head Judge. Debra Whittington and Chanika Carrington of the RSS-ARU also served as judges in this category.

The winners of the 2025 Creative Youth Competition, their schools and mentor teachers will receive monetary prizes totalling EC$13,000, the bank’s release states.

Launched in September 2018, in collaboration with the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit (RSS-ARU), the ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition is open to students of the eight ECCB member countries from age 13 to 19 years.

The ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition, which replaced the ECCB-sponsored OECS Essay Competition, is part of the Bank’s Community Outreach Programme, and is aimed at encouraging critical and innovative thinking, as well as raising the awareness of secondary school and community college students in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) on issues of economic and social development. It includes various genres of writing/composition and creative expression such as: essay writing, poetry, song-writing and visual art.