Participants in the Parish Ambassador Program came in for high praises at the Community Independence Celebrations Secretariat’s (CICS) Dinner on Saturday night. Hosted at the Sandals Barbados Resort and Spa the event recognised those who excelled in both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Spirit of the Nation Show.
The parish of St. Lucy has maintained an excellent track record with three consecutive wins. During the event they were presented with the Committee of the Year award which was accepted by their Chairperson Anderson Rollock. Part of the winning team of Parish Attendant Tony Pompey and Parish Ambassador Chloe Collymore who took home the crown in 2022, ceremonially sashed the 2023 winners, Ammario Rollock, Destiny Cummins and their attendant Tito Rock. Tyrell Burnett emerged as the Most Improved Parish Ambassador for the year 2022, proudly
representing the parish of St. Michael. This announcement was met by the supportive cheers of his vocal contingent. For 2023 the spotlight shifted to the outstanding achievements of three individuals. Jalani Hinds who brought pride to St. Andrew, Rashida Mascoll who made significant strides for St. Thomas, and Klay Stephen who shone as a beacon of progress for St. Michael.

Special mention was extended to representatives from St. Peter, St. James, St. John, and Christ Church whose commendable progress
throughout the recent competition did not go unnoticed.
During her remarks, Jessica Parris, the Program Coordinator of the CICS offered a glimpse into the extensive array of activities the participants undertook during their respective tenures. In an impassioned message to the parish ambassadors, she urged them to persist in their efforts to bring
about positive change and to truly make a difference in the lives of those within their respective communities.

Highlighting the developmental opportunities for those involved in the program, Minister of Youth Sports and Community Empowerment Charles Griffith has assured that all the resources he can harness
through his ministry will be devoted to promoting their continued growth. Among the options being considered are scholarships to assist in their educational pursuits and assistance for aspiring entrepreneurs through the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme.

Minister Griffith encouraged ambassadors currently facing unemployment to take part in the Employability Program facilitated through his ministry. This program stands out with an impressive 95% success rate in assisting participants with securing employment.

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CICS Encouraged To Expand Reach & Upgrade Rewards

 FEB 5, 2024  BY SHEENA FORDE – CAIGG — BGIS

The Community Independence Celebrations Secretariat (CICS) has been encouraged to expand its reach to a younger demographic and to upgrade the prizes being offered to participants.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, made this suggestion during the CICS’ Dinner and Awards Ceremony for Parish Independence Committee Members, Attendants, Parish Ambassadors and Facilitators for 2022/2023, held last Saturday at the Sandals Barbados Resort and Spa.

Mr. Griffith noted that the programme, over its 29 years of existence, has helped with the development of those who participated and built a sense of community with its activities and outreach programme.

It is with this in mind that he proposed lowering the age of participants and upgrading the prizes offered, which would be one of the ways to keep the programme fresh and attractive, as well as to ensure its continued success.

“I’m toying with the thought of maybe going younger, but I will be guided by the team in the Secretariat, as it relates to the age range of persons who are involved in this programme…. I need to see things like scholarships being offered to persons who participate in this programme.

“I think we need to because the fact that you have impacted the community; the fact that you have impacted families as it relates to this particular programme, I think we need to move to a stage where the rewards are more than what we would have seen. So, I just want for that to be part of … the standard going forward as it relates to parish independence committees that we’re able to offer scholarships to those persons who excel,” he stated.

He also suggested succession planning to groom younger persons to take over from those who have been working for years as attendants and committee members.

Mr. Griffith gave the assurance that the Ministry is committed to the continued success of the PIC’s programme and indicated that other programmes would be leveraged to assist participants in their development, including the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme and the Employability Programmes.

He said: “I promise all of you in the room that every single thing will be done by Government to ensure that we have continuous success within this programme.”

CICS National Coordinator, Jessica Parris, shared that the parish projects throughout the two years were of a “high standard” and commended all the participants for the work they produced.

She noted: “Barbados has a plethora of untapped talent and it’s quite heartening to see the parish independence committees unearthing this talent.”

Copping the award for the Most Outstanding Parish Ambassadors for 2022 were Paul Cato and Chloe Collymore of St. Lucy, while Amario Rollock and Destiny Cummins, also from St. Lucy, won for 2023.  Their win made it three years in a row that the northern parish has won the award.

The year 2022 saw the introduction of the Committee Member of the Year award. And, receiving that award for 2022 was Nicole Collymore Secretary of the St. Peter PIC, while chairperson of the St. Andrew PIC, Tonya Stephens, won for 2023.

The Community Independence Celebrations Secretariat was established in August 1995, within the Office of the Prime Minister, to formulate a community approach to people’s participation in independence celebrations and to stimulate greater pride in their community and nation.