Morning Edition: 25th January 2024

CCNTV6

Watch Morning Edition: 25th January 2024 - CCNTV6 on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00:00 (upbeat music)

00:00:02 - And a very special good morning Trinidad and Tobago,

00:00:14 I'm Marlon Hopkinson,

00:00:14 and as always, welcome to the Morning Edition.

00:00:17 It's January 25th, yeah?

00:00:21 So thank you very much for joining us this morning.

00:00:24 So we have a lot of interesting things

00:00:28 happening over the next few weeks.

00:00:30 After this weekend, or should I say from this weekend,

00:00:33 you have three weekends, this weekend,

00:00:35 next weekend, and the next weekend,

00:00:36 and then you have the two big days.

00:00:39 I know that many of you are very excited for it.

00:00:43 Some of you have anxiety about it,

00:00:46 but everything in moderation, right?

00:00:48 Because we want you for the days of Carnival

00:00:50 and after the days of Carnival.

00:00:52 So go out there, I know that there are a number of events

00:00:55 happening every evening, yeah?

00:00:58 And you're free to patronize,

00:01:00 but let's do everything in moderation

00:01:02 and in an environment of safety and security, all right?

00:01:06 All right, so let's check out to see what's happening

00:01:08 on the Daily Express, on the front page.

00:01:11 More than $65,000 per month for personal security.

00:01:16 Bodyguards for TSTT CEO, all right?

00:01:19 So chairman, TSTT, does not discuss or comment

00:01:22 on security-related matters,

00:01:24 certainly not in the public domain.

00:01:26 To do so would be self-defeating.

00:01:28 And there's a picture there,

00:01:30 heavily guarded acting chief executive officer

00:01:32 of TSTT, Kent Weston.

00:01:35 On the bottom of the page, president and scholars,

00:01:37 proud recipients, president's medal recipients,

00:01:41 pose for a photo with president Christine Kangaloo, center,

00:01:44 and her husband, Kerwin Garcia, SC,

00:01:46 at president's house in St. Anne's,

00:01:48 following the 2021-2022 presentation awards ceremony

00:01:52 yesterday, congratulations to all of the young people there.

00:01:55 All right, let's check out some sport now.

00:01:57 Andrew again, in-form keeper, batter,

00:02:00 spare heads, Windies win.

00:02:02 Jewel Andrew attended his, or extended his purple patch

00:02:08 with a polished, unbeaten half century

00:02:11 as West Indies registered their first points

00:02:14 of the ICC Under-19 World Cup

00:02:16 with a comfortable five-wicket victory

00:02:18 over Scotland yesterday.

00:02:20 So that's what is happening in the world of cricket.

00:02:25 All right, so we're moving on.

00:02:26 It's time to remind you of our Trinbagel,

00:02:28 your nice feature, remember to participate,

00:02:30 WhatsApp your videos or images to 737-3778.

00:02:35 Yeah, pretty flowers from a viewer.

00:02:39 Yeah, that is indeed pretty flowers there.

00:02:43 Yeah, thank you very much for that photograph.

00:02:45 Thank you to the person who would have sent that in.

00:02:48 And again, you can just put your first name.

00:02:50 You don't have to have your entire government name.

00:02:54 All right, just put your first name.

00:02:56 If your name is Renison, well then say Renison, right?

00:02:59 I will say a very special good morning to you, right?

00:03:04 (laughs)

00:03:05 So you have your coffee, your tea.

00:03:07 Yeah, when I was coming in this morning,

00:03:08 there was a slight drizzle, which I enjoyed immensely.

00:03:13 I like the cool days.

00:03:16 And some of these days are very, very hot, but windy.

00:03:19 Yeah, beautiful days.

00:03:21 Let's go there and enjoy it, all right?

00:03:23 So you have your coffee, your tea, something to eat.

00:03:25 We do have a very interesting program

00:03:26 for you this morning, as always, all right?

00:03:29 We're coming back, everybody.

00:03:30 (upbeat music)

00:03:33 (upbeat music)

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00:04:20 - The 2024 dry season is upon us.

00:04:23 And with that expectation, harsh dry conditions,

00:04:26 and in the face of rising global temperatures,

00:04:29 we must all do our part to conserve our water use.

00:04:32 At the Water and Sewage Authority,

00:04:34 we applaud the efforts made by citizens in 2023

00:04:37 to conserve water and value every drop.

00:04:40 How can you get involved?

00:04:42 By employing simple water conservation techniques at home.

00:04:46 Here are some tips.

00:04:48 Close the tap when brushing your teeth and washing dishes.

00:04:51 Use a bucket instead of a hose

00:04:53 when washing your vehicles and driveways.

00:04:56 Repair leaks in toilets and overflowing water tanks.

00:04:59 Use your washing machine for full loads only.

00:05:03 Also, use the #ValueEveryDrop hashtag

00:05:06 in your social media posts

00:05:08 showing how you conserve our precious resource.

00:05:11 Join the movement as we value every drop.

00:05:15 - 183 and JMMB Bank are ready to burn.

00:05:22 - We're back at the spacious Movietown car park

00:05:24 in Port of Spain every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m.

00:05:28 - Get back, back, back.

00:05:29 - Carnival, burn.

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00:05:59 - "Beyond the Tape", weekdays at 5.30 p.m.

00:06:23 (upbeat music)

00:06:27 (indistinct)

00:06:29 - And welcome back everyone.

00:06:42 Again, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

00:06:44 We are following up for you as a first story

00:06:47 on the morning edition this morning,

00:06:49 a vendors protest in San Fernando.

00:06:51 On the line we have at this time,

00:06:52 the mayor of San Fernando, Mr. Robert Paris.

00:06:55 Mr. Paris, Mayor Paris, good morning to you.

00:06:58 - Good morning to you and to Trinidad and Tobago.

00:07:02 - Yeah, and Mayor, it is the first time

00:07:05 that I'm speaking to you.

00:07:07 Yeah, so congratulations, Mayor.

00:07:10 It's the very first time that we're speaking.

00:07:12 So, and we do thank you for joining us this morning

00:07:15 because we know that you're a very busy man.

00:07:17 So we do appreciate that, yeah.

00:07:18 All right, Mayor, let's get right into this vendors protest

00:07:24 I understand that they were armed with placards

00:07:28 and the vendors, well, they eventually moved

00:07:30 to the opposite side of the road

00:07:32 and instructions from the police.

00:07:33 What's the situation this morning, Mayor?

00:07:36 - Well, what happened was the day before I was tipped off

00:07:40 that the vendors were going to do that, right?

00:07:42 I heard that it was a staged protest.

00:07:47 I'm not at liberty to say who staged the protest,

00:07:49 but nevertheless, we came into the city hall

00:07:53 and really and truly it's unfortunate

00:07:56 because I met with those vendors on Monday

00:08:00 and we walked with Mr. Kiran Singh,

00:08:04 the head of the Greater San Fernando Business Chamber

00:08:07 and we walked on Harris Promenade.

00:08:10 We looked at the second site,

00:08:11 which will have our designated vending area.

00:08:15 We looked at the layout.

00:08:16 We spoke out this day, actually liked the infrastructure

00:08:22 that we were putting down at Mocorapo Street.

00:08:23 We were looking at to see how it would look

00:08:27 and how we can improve on the aesthetics on High Street

00:08:31 because by the old train and the old bandstand,

00:08:36 we're gonna put some vendors there.

00:08:38 So let me simply explain to Trinidad and Tobago

00:08:41 how this goes.

00:08:42 The San Fernando City Corporation

00:08:44 does not have any jurisdiction to legalize vending.

00:08:48 Vending is illegal.

00:08:51 And successive mayors throughout the years

00:08:54 have had to grapple with this.

00:08:57 The former mayor, more or less, he himself on YouTube,

00:09:02 there's a video with him saying that

00:09:04 they have to outlaw it, vending is illegal.

00:09:08 And what happened is he might have had

00:09:11 a change of heart along the way.

00:09:13 So he allowed persons to vend on High Street.

00:09:17 And what occurred was that he had some type of arrangement

00:09:22 with them, per se.

00:09:24 So it more or less, the corporation went along with it

00:09:28 because it's the mayor.

00:09:30 But the merchants on High Street had a serious issue with it.

00:09:35 So when I became the mayor,

00:09:38 I just got a litany of legal letters.

00:09:42 And all of the legal letters spoke

00:09:44 about the health and safety issues

00:09:46 that the illegal vending caused,

00:09:50 how they were in the drain.

00:09:51 We are liable for the footpath.

00:09:54 So they were on the footpath blocking.

00:09:56 So there were a lot of persons that were upset

00:09:59 because of what occurred.

00:10:01 And therefore, I was advised by our chief executive officer

00:10:05 that I need to speak to the business sector

00:10:07 because we cannot afford to go to court

00:10:10 for those legal letters.

00:10:13 And that is how I met, there's two business chambers.

00:10:18 I know Mr. Kiran Singh,

00:10:20 and that's how I met Mr. Afki Bartlett

00:10:22 and two persons as well.

00:10:24 So therefore, I explained to them my vision for San Fernando,

00:10:28 what the council intends on doing.

00:10:30 I told them about the tourism thrust

00:10:32 that we are experiencing right now,

00:10:34 and we're preparing for, and they bought into it.

00:10:36 But I also explained that we will do something about vending.

00:10:41 I met with the vendors very early into my term.

00:10:44 Every month we met, and I told them,

00:10:48 you'll have to get ready

00:10:49 because High Street is not an option.

00:10:52 I am someone that abides by law and order,

00:10:55 and High Street is not an option.

00:10:59 And therefore, we gave them,

00:11:01 the entire time we met with them in November,

00:11:04 I told all the vendors, come up with an option.

00:11:07 We need a plan B.

00:11:09 They never came back to me with that.

00:11:11 So we went into the month of December,

00:11:13 we gave them the whole month of December to shop,

00:11:16 and then we met with them, I believe it was January 3rd.

00:11:19 When we met with them on January 3rd,

00:11:21 we told them we would be stopping the vending

00:11:26 on the 15th of January.

00:11:28 However, we were trying to prepare

00:11:31 what it is that exists on Mocoroco Street,

00:11:34 our first vending zones.

00:11:37 Now, Marlon, keep in mind,

00:11:39 through local government reform,

00:11:41 they talk about local economic zones,

00:11:43 developing smaller micro-entrepreneurship.

00:11:47 So outside of the Mocoroco Street market,

00:11:50 where we have jurisdiction because we own the market,

00:11:54 we decided to put these stores,

00:11:56 and they're very nice because no longer

00:11:58 will these vendors be subjected to being in a drain

00:12:02 with an umbrella over their head

00:12:04 to protect them from the elements.

00:12:06 So they're off the ground.

00:12:08 I don't know if you have the pictures,

00:12:09 they're off the ground.

00:12:10 They can put their cuts,

00:12:13 they can put about four cuts on top of the structure

00:12:16 that we put there,

00:12:18 and they can ply their trade in a dignified manner.

00:12:22 - Mayor, just to cut in here,

00:12:24 according to reports, the vendors have described

00:12:28 these booths, if I can describe it that way,

00:12:30 as horse stables.

00:12:33 - Well, I mean, they are entitled to their opinion.

00:12:35 They didn't see that on Monday.

00:12:37 They thought it was very nice.

00:12:39 I think that they're being,

00:12:40 it is obvious that they are being encouraged

00:12:44 not to go by persons who should know better, right?

00:12:49 And Trinidad and Tobago and the right-thinking

00:12:52 San Fernandians have gotten comments,

00:12:55 everyone likes it, right?

00:12:57 It looks good.

00:12:58 Even the vendors that are within the market,

00:13:01 it looks good.

00:13:02 So keep in mind, Marlon,

00:13:04 the Mocorapo Street area in the past

00:13:07 was a very prominent shopping area,

00:13:09 and quite similar to what was done in Portisby,

00:13:12 we're trying to create an uptown and downtown situation.

00:13:16 So the vendors will be on Mocorapo Street, right?

00:13:20 In one of the vending zones in front of the market.

00:13:24 We also have a comprehensive plan.

00:13:26 Rural development is going to redo

00:13:29 the entire Mocorapo Street market.

00:13:32 There will be, it's similar to what was done

00:13:35 in Arima and Chagonas.

00:13:38 The engineer and I have been talking,

00:13:39 we're going to allow parking on the top of the market

00:13:42 as was done before.

00:13:43 We're going to open up the back entrance

00:13:45 that's on Sapero Street,

00:13:46 and we also removed the no parking signs

00:13:49 on Keats Street for persons to park.

00:13:52 Mocorapo Street will also be repaved,

00:13:55 and I had a high-powered meeting

00:13:57 with some security personnel,

00:13:59 and their security apparatuses

00:14:02 that will assist with the security there.

00:14:07 Along with, on Monday, we launched the promenade patrol

00:14:11 to deal with loitering on Harris Promenade

00:14:14 and on Mocorapo Street.

00:14:15 So the police, our police, municipal police,

00:14:18 will be walking on the promenade,

00:14:20 and any loiterers that are on the promenade,

00:14:23 they will tell them, just like in England,

00:14:24 move along, move along, right?

00:14:26 Because a couple of weeks,

00:14:28 the CEO and I walked on Harris Promenade,

00:14:30 and I was looking for the street dwellers,

00:14:33 and I said, "Where are the street dwellers?"

00:14:35 And we had mentioned to the police

00:14:37 that I was going to walk on the promenade,

00:14:39 and there were no street dwellers.

00:14:40 And I said, "I would walk on Harris Promenade every day

00:14:44 "if it is that the public could walk on Harris Promenade,

00:14:48 "and there are no street dwellers."

00:14:49 Just because I'm the mayor,

00:14:51 it doesn't mean it's right that I could walk,

00:14:53 and there'd be no street dwellers.

00:14:55 Police has to do their job.

00:14:57 - Mayor, the vendors also complained

00:14:59 that they would get no sales at that new location.

00:15:02 - I mean, I don't think that they're Nostradamus, are they?

00:15:06 Nor am I.

00:15:08 So they're entitled to see that.

00:15:10 We also discussed at the top of Harris Promenade,

00:15:16 which is adjacent to High Street,

00:15:21 that there is another vending zone that we're developing.

00:15:24 Just Monday, we spoke about that.

00:15:26 And they spoke about, well,

00:15:28 they will decide amongst themselves who will go there.

00:15:32 So, I mean, they're being a little unfair with the truth.

00:15:35 And they're being unfair because, again, Marlon Hopkinson,

00:15:40 they do not have a right to break the law.

00:15:44 I have been in contact with former mayors.

00:15:47 Gerard Ferreira congratulated me.

00:15:50 Mayor Ferguson congratulated me.

00:15:53 Because they too had to grapple with this,

00:15:56 it's only the former mayor who was,

00:15:59 he had a heart and he was really dealing with it.

00:16:02 All I'm doing is building on what Mr. Regrelo did

00:16:05 and I'm extending it and making vending dignified.

00:16:10 That's all I'm doing.

00:16:11 That's all the city council.

00:16:12 And we had a meeting last week and it was unanimous.

00:16:17 Both sides, everyone congratulated me

00:16:20 and the council for what it is we are about to embark on.

00:16:25 Because it is time that the vendors

00:16:28 don't look at themselves as vendors,

00:16:30 they look at themselves as entrepreneurs,

00:16:32 people who give back to the sub-economy of San Fernando.

00:16:36 Why would you want to apply a trade

00:16:38 knowing that you're illegal,

00:16:40 knowing that the San Fernando City Corporation

00:16:42 has to defend itself to external health and safety agencies.

00:16:47 And we have to answer for why it is that people

00:16:53 have to walk into the streets

00:16:54 and cannot walk on the footpath.

00:16:57 Why is it that the business owners on high street

00:17:02 who also have to pay certain amount of taxes,

00:17:06 I heard one of the vendors talk about property tax,

00:17:08 but the business owners also have to pay

00:17:12 commercial property tax as well.

00:17:15 So we have to look for a situation

00:17:18 where it is everybody can benefit.

00:17:21 So I'm simply moving in the same direction

00:17:25 that former Mayor Ruggiello did, right?

00:17:28 And extending this to another level.

00:17:32 San Fernando, Marlon, business in San Fernando has to thrive.

00:17:37 We are in 2024, we cannot lose business.

00:17:41 Business is the heartbeat of the city

00:17:43 and we have to be able to develop these zones

00:17:46 so that we can understand just like in the developed world

00:17:50 that there's a space for everyone

00:17:52 in the city of San Fernando.

00:17:53 - All right, so Mayor, is the situation now

00:17:56 that the vendors have been removed

00:17:58 to this other site on Mucorapo Street

00:18:02 and you're also moving ahead with these vending zones

00:18:07 in San Fernando, but there is no option

00:18:10 for them to return to high street.

00:18:13 Is that the situation?

00:18:17 - Clearly, clearly the vendors had a plan

00:18:20 and they were egged on by someone.

00:18:23 I told them whilst we were building the sheds

00:18:25 on Mucorapo Street, they can go on to the side streets

00:18:28 of high street, George Street and on Shagrin Street, right?

00:18:33 They agreed.

00:18:34 I told them, look, listen, the only thing

00:18:38 that y'all can't do is go on to high street, right?

00:18:42 They perhaps thought that I was joking

00:18:44 or perhaps thought that, you know,

00:18:46 maybe I would be intimidated by them.

00:18:48 I'm not.

00:18:49 The only thing that intimidates me

00:18:53 is not doing the right thing.

00:18:56 I am a law-abiding citizen and I encourage Trinidad

00:18:59 and Tobago and the greatest citizens of San Fernando

00:19:03 to abide by the law.

00:19:05 Right is right.

00:19:06 I cannot encourage wrong.

00:19:08 And I think that, you know, perhaps you all need

00:19:11 to go and look at the structures that are being erected

00:19:15 in front of the Mucorapo Street market.

00:19:18 And you see that, I like the term that they created,

00:19:22 horse pen or whatever, but they didn't say that on Monday.

00:19:25 They liked it actually.

00:19:26 And they said, yes, it's dignified.

00:19:28 We off the ground.

00:19:29 It better, we do have to put our stuff on the ground

00:19:32 and we don't have to be in the drain.

00:19:34 Come on, come on.

00:19:35 - How many vendors have been affected, Mayor?

00:19:40 Do you know?

00:19:41 How many vendors have been removed?

00:19:45 - So I want to be careful with this, right?

00:19:51 We didn't remove anyone, right?

00:19:54 We just simply told them they cannot be on high street.

00:19:59 They can't do it, right?

00:20:01 So right now we have a list of 70 registered vendors, right?

00:20:06 I'm going by the information that I was provided before

00:20:10 and from the vendors.

00:20:12 So we're going to deal with the 70 persons

00:20:15 and anyone outside of that list, we cannot entertain.

00:20:19 - Right.

00:20:21 Okay, so I just want to make it clear.

00:20:24 - I can't hear you.

00:20:25 - I said, I just want to make it clear.

00:20:27 So are there people, vendors still vending on high street?

00:20:31 - They are on Mont Sagran Street

00:20:35 and they are on Short Street at the present time.

00:20:39 And there are also some that decided that they would wait

00:20:43 until whatever is finished at Mocoroco Street,

00:20:45 which is the first vending zone, right?

00:20:48 And they would go over.

00:20:49 So there are vendors who, for whatever reason, like I said,

00:20:53 they think that they have a divine right

00:20:55 and they want to take up a fight to make the mayor

00:20:59 and the council do something that is illegal.

00:21:02 If it was advocated before in the past,

00:21:05 let me remind them, there's a video on YouTube

00:21:08 with the former mayor saying that vending is illegal

00:21:11 and they have to be removed.

00:21:13 And the former mayor may have made certain provisions

00:21:17 for them, but everyone is answerable to someone.

00:21:22 They have compromised the integrity

00:21:25 of the San Fernando City Corporation.

00:21:28 The corporation cannot stand on a foot

00:21:31 in terms of making persons occupy the sidewalk

00:21:36 and the drains.

00:21:37 That's an occupational health and safety hazard.

00:21:41 And we cannot stand up in court and justify that.

00:21:45 - Mayor, how is all of this going to play out?

00:21:49 Because I see that tensions are still very much high

00:21:52 with your, well, from what I'm seeing here,

00:21:58 the tensions are high between you and the vendors.

00:22:02 So how is all of this going to play out?

00:22:04 Is there going to be a discussion between both?

00:22:07 You and the vendors?

00:22:09 - You know, Marlon, I've been talking

00:22:13 to the vendors since September.

00:22:16 I spoke to some of those same vendors

00:22:18 that were in front of City Hall,

00:22:20 who were encouraged to do that,

00:22:22 because I heard about the protest the day before.

00:22:25 They did not feel that way on Monday.

00:22:28 So I don't know what happened between Monday and Wednesday.

00:22:32 And I'm saying to you, persons who know better

00:22:35 should not have done that.

00:22:37 This is not the Mayor Robert Parish show.

00:22:41 The 12th San Fernando City Council unanimously decided

00:22:46 that we were going to come up with a,

00:22:50 what you call it, with a plan to develop the city

00:22:55 as we prepare for 400 tourists that are coming in

00:23:00 from a cruise ship, right, at the end of this month,

00:23:03 and ongoing.

00:23:05 So it is quite simple.

00:23:07 The 12th San Fernando City Council,

00:23:09 to which I am the head of,

00:23:11 we are simply just trying to make what is wrong, right.

00:23:15 That's it.

00:23:16 - All right.

00:23:18 Mayor, if we can move on a little bit now,

00:23:21 because earlier you spoke about your vision

00:23:24 for San Fernando.

00:23:26 What's the vision, Mayor?

00:23:27 What's your vision for San Fernando?

00:23:29 - So we have the four pillars of development

00:23:32 that we're working on is tourism, arts, culture, and sports.

00:23:37 So from the time I came in, we changed city week

00:23:42 and we made it intercity month.

00:23:45 And what we did was we started to meet

00:23:49 with all the stakeholders in culture

00:23:51 and involve all of the young promoters

00:23:53 and the stakeholders in culture.

00:23:55 And we had a bumper November to show the world

00:24:00 that San Fernando has something.

00:24:02 So our tourism brand is Get to Know Sando,

00:24:05 and that is what we're promoting.

00:24:07 So we intend on having a bumper carnival season,

00:24:10 and then we're going to move into the sports season,

00:24:13 whereby we've been meeting with officials from KSI,

00:24:18 Sporting Academy out of Atlanta, the US Embassy.

00:24:23 We're going to do something called the Mayor's Cup.

00:24:26 So members from the TTFA

00:24:31 and this team from the US have been meeting

00:24:34 and planning the Mayor's Cup.

00:24:35 So we want teams from the North Zone, South Zone,

00:24:39 Tobago, and the US.

00:24:41 So we are planning this.

00:24:43 As a matter of fact, this morning,

00:24:45 they have a meeting on it.

00:24:47 And then we're starting back the Southern Games.

00:24:50 Southern Games is in March.

00:24:52 So we're going to continue bringing

00:24:54 and try to stimulate the minds of the persons in San Fernando.

00:24:58 We also plan on having the Mayor's Charity Golf Tournament

00:25:01 as well, that persons on the outside are assisting us

00:25:05 with developing the city.

00:25:08 So as I stated before,

00:25:10 we are with Tourism TT met with me very early

00:25:14 into my tenure.

00:25:15 They liked the vision that we had with regard to tourism,

00:25:19 and they're assisting us.

00:25:20 So the tourists will be coming in on the cruise ships,

00:25:23 and they will be shuttled to San Fernando

00:25:25 via the water taxis.

00:25:27 So we're organizing tours,

00:25:29 and we're organizing exhibits

00:25:31 for the people that are coming in,

00:25:33 because San Fernando played an integral part

00:25:37 in terms of the development of the culture

00:25:39 of Trinidad and Tobago.

00:25:40 And we as San Fernandians are very proud,

00:25:42 and we're saying that we want a piece of that.

00:25:45 We want to be able to show the tourists

00:25:48 in a meaningful way,

00:25:49 and also stimulate the economy in San Fernando

00:25:52 with these tourists being here.

00:25:53 And that's all part of the plan.

00:25:56 - Yeah. Mayor, what are some of the main challenges

00:26:01 still affecting San Fernando?

00:26:04 I mean, we have been speaking about vending.

00:26:07 We have been speaking about the street dwellers,

00:26:11 but what are some of the other challenges

00:26:13 affecting San Fernando?

00:26:15 - Well, I think that the former mayor did a good job

00:26:20 in terms of the elevation of traffic, right?

00:26:24 But there still are some pockets and some areas

00:26:27 where it is that we can more or less

00:26:30 in a meaningful way deal with the traffic.

00:26:32 One of the things that we did very early into my term

00:26:35 is we suspended the wrecking.

00:26:36 Wrecking was a big problem.

00:26:38 It was affecting the business.

00:26:41 It was affecting the community,

00:26:43 the citizens of the city.

00:26:45 So we dealt with that as well in a comprehensive way.

00:26:49 Crime, Marlon, affects us all.

00:26:51 I met on Monday as well with the Vending Association

00:26:55 on the designated vending area that we have

00:26:58 in cross crossing the food area.

00:27:01 And they brought to my attention certain things.

00:27:03 And since then, I have been speaking

00:27:06 to the different persons in security

00:27:10 to do certain things that try to assist them.

00:27:13 But we have to deal with the crime in San Fernando.

00:27:18 We have a municipal police that is a lot bigger

00:27:22 than it was when I became a counselor 13 years ago.

00:27:26 We're going to utilize them.

00:27:27 Yesterday, I met with the ACP South,

00:27:30 and she has been working with us.

00:27:32 And since November, we've had joint army and patrol,

00:27:36 army and police patrols on the Harris Promenade

00:27:39 and on the High Street.

00:27:41 So they are finalizing their carnival plans.

00:27:44 So on Friday, I intend to meet with them again

00:27:47 at the command center.

00:27:49 And these are the type of things

00:27:50 that we're trying to deal with in a meaningful way.

00:27:53 So as in any other part of Trinidad and Tobago,

00:27:58 we are grappling with the crime,

00:28:00 but we're trying to work together with the police

00:28:04 and the other armed forces

00:28:06 to deal with it in a meaningful way.

00:28:08 - Yeah, I know just before Mayor Regrelo left office,

00:28:13 that he had to deal with a situation

00:28:16 of severe flooding in San Fernando.

00:28:19 Is that also a challenge for you all?

00:28:22 - No, you know that last flood that we had,

00:28:26 I think it was in August or sometime there before,

00:28:30 San Fernando, the public health department,

00:28:35 in terms of the localized drains,

00:28:38 we always had a good handle on it, right?

00:28:41 And we also used to plan ahead.

00:28:44 So what occurred there was an unusual occurrence.

00:28:49 So the council has been meeting,

00:28:51 and I would say that the council has been doing a good job,

00:28:54 the members of council, in reporting the issues

00:28:57 that affect their community in terms of drainage.

00:29:00 We will continue to try to do our best.

00:29:03 We may fall short in some ways,

00:29:06 but as I tell the councilors,

00:29:07 we have a collective responsibility.

00:29:10 It doesn't matter who, how we came in today politically.

00:29:14 We have a collective responsibility

00:29:16 in developing the city of San Fernando.

00:29:19 So wherever we fall short,

00:29:21 San Fernando and Trinidad and Tobago,

00:29:25 we'll get it right.

00:29:27 We are just pushing to do the right thing,

00:29:30 and we thank you for the support thus far.

00:29:33 - Yeah, Mayor of San Fernando, Robert Parris.

00:29:36 Mayor, it was a pleasure speaking with you this morning.

00:29:38 Thank you very much, Mayor.

00:29:40 - Thank you sincerely.

00:29:41 - All right. - Bye, everyone.

00:29:42 Bye. - Bye for now.

00:29:44 - Yeah, all right, so it's time for another break.

00:29:47 We do have this view from St. Joseph for you.

00:29:51 It's from Shanice Charles.

00:29:52 Good morning, Shanice.

00:29:53 We're coming back, everybody.

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00:33:27 - All right, so welcome back, everyone.

00:33:29 And this is a very important segment for you, yeah?

00:33:32 So pay attention to it.

00:33:33 So the Children's Authority is seeking to educate parents

00:33:36 and caregivers about child safety

00:33:38 during the carnival period.

00:33:40 Speaking with us this morning,

00:33:42 we do have Krista Alley, psychologist

00:33:45 and investigations and interventions unit,

00:33:48 and Javed Abdul, children services associate,

00:33:51 investigations and interventions unit.

00:33:55 Krista, Javed, thank you very much for coming this morning.

00:33:58 - Good morning. - Thank you so much

00:33:59 for having us. - Yeah?

00:34:00 All right, so let's deal with this situation

00:34:02 of child safety during the carnival season.

00:34:06 What do we see every year during this carnival season?

00:34:11 - So-- - For children.

00:34:12 - So, well, we have to take into consideration

00:34:14 the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic was taking place

00:34:17 for the past couple of years.

00:34:18 So this year, things are more back in action.

00:34:22 People are going out a lot more,

00:34:23 there's a lot more activities.

00:34:25 So we really wanna bring awareness to the fact

00:34:27 that we need to pay extra attention

00:34:29 to our children during this time.

00:34:31 At the authority, what we've noted

00:34:34 is that neglect happens to be the main type of abuse

00:34:38 that's being perpetrated against the children of our nation.

00:34:41 But what we find is that during this period,

00:34:43 that actually spikes a bit.

00:34:45 And that's a really concerning trend

00:34:47 where persons are leaving children unattended.

00:34:49 They might be leaving children

00:34:51 in the care of other children.

00:34:53 They might be actually abandoning their children

00:34:56 during this time, and these things are not okay.

00:34:58 So the message that we really wanna put out there

00:35:01 is that make sure your kids are okay

00:35:04 before going out and enjoying activities and festivities.

00:35:08 We wanna put things in place,

00:35:09 and that requires a lot of planning,

00:35:11 a lot of planning ahead to ensure that thorough plans

00:35:15 are made for the wellbeing of your children.

00:35:18 - Yeah, Javed, Chris is speaking about plans.

00:35:22 What sort of plans are we speaking about

00:35:24 to put in place so that there is no negligence

00:35:27 on the part of parents and caregivers and so on?

00:35:30 - Yes, so you have to put a contingency plan in place.

00:35:34 What a contingency plan will look like for children

00:35:36 would depend on the age, the level,

00:35:39 and if your child has any special needs.

00:35:42 Okay, so this contingency plan must be discussed

00:35:45 prior to an event, prior to any activity,

00:35:50 whether it has to do with the carnival in Port of Spain

00:35:53 or at the beach or at a river or at a pool,

00:35:56 a family gathering, and it must be discussed

00:35:59 with this child exactly what is expected of the child,

00:36:03 what the child should look out for, the dangers,

00:36:06 and it should, in case the child requires some assistance,

00:36:09 who are persons of care that the child can look

00:36:12 towards getting help from.

00:36:14 - Yeah, Chris, let's get back to this issue of negligence

00:36:17 because I know that we in Trinidad and Tobago,

00:36:20 we can defend any and everything.

00:36:22 And you did touch on the definition of negligence,

00:36:31 but I want for us to dig a little deeper

00:36:37 because there are some people who may feel,

00:36:41 well, let's say they have two children

00:36:43 and there's a 16-year-old in the home

00:36:46 and then the other child may be five years old

00:36:49 and there is the thinking that this 16-year-old

00:36:52 can take care of this younger child.

00:36:55 And I'm sure that you have incidents

00:36:57 such as these situations,

00:36:59 such as these all across the country,

00:37:01 well, not only for carnival, but in a general way.

00:37:05 - Yeah, what persons need to understand

00:37:08 is that there's a suite of legislation

00:37:11 that's safeguarding the rights of children.

00:37:13 And while we might rarely find an excuse

00:37:16 for all sorts of things,

00:37:17 certain things are simply against the law.

00:37:20 So the thing is though, we do want to be practical

00:37:24 with the information that we put out there.

00:37:26 So a 16-year-old looking after the younger sibling,

00:37:31 in some cases that might be okay,

00:37:33 but what we wanna really make very clear

00:37:35 is that that should not be for any extended period of time.

00:37:38 You also need to know the capabilities

00:37:41 and the maturity level of that 16 or 17-year-old

00:37:44 and ensure that there's not too many children

00:37:46 that they're looking after,

00:37:47 that it's not children who are too young,

00:37:50 where there's a lot of needs

00:37:51 and they can't really take care of themselves

00:37:54 and put things in place at home

00:37:55 to ensure the safety of your children,

00:37:57 including ensuring that all hazardous things, drugs,

00:38:01 and I'm talking about prescription drugs here,

00:38:03 not talking about if there's illegal drugs in the home,

00:38:06 that those things are safely put away

00:38:09 and not within access of the children,

00:38:11 that they know who to call in case of an emergency,

00:38:14 that they're left with a phone that has data,

00:38:16 credits and everything

00:38:17 so that they're able to get on to persons.

00:38:20 And not just you as a parent, but somebody else,

00:38:22 because if you don't hear your phone ring,

00:38:24 we know how the phones are as well, right?

00:38:27 You're not always gonna get through on a call.

00:38:29 So putting things in place to ensure the safety

00:38:31 of your children is very important.

00:38:33 - Yeah.

00:38:34 What are some of the fallouts, Javed,

00:38:37 of people going to the FETs and so on

00:38:42 and leaving their children, in some cases,

00:38:44 unattended or in the company of people

00:38:47 who just do not have the capability of supervising them?

00:38:51 And it could be young people supervising them.

00:38:55 It could be people who are aged people

00:38:59 and in some cases,

00:39:01 can't really even take care of themselves.

00:39:04 What are some of the stories sometimes you hear

00:39:07 from situations such as these?

00:39:10 - Right.

00:39:11 It is very important to understand

00:39:14 that a lot of persons in society will say

00:39:16 that they do it all the time,

00:39:18 this practice of having other persons

00:39:21 who are incapable to supervise their children

00:39:23 and nothing would have happened.

00:39:24 But you have to remember,

00:39:25 it only takes one time for something to happen.

00:39:29 And as Christa would have mentioned,

00:39:30 it is a criminal offense

00:39:33 where an investigation will be conducted by the police

00:39:36 and also children's authority

00:39:38 to see if charges can be laid.

00:39:40 And in a situation where a child is being cared for somebody

00:39:44 that's incapable of caring for them,

00:39:45 this will leave them vulnerable.

00:39:48 It will leave them vulnerable to pray from the neighborhood.

00:39:51 It also exposes them to danger

00:39:54 where they can get themselves into serious harm.

00:39:58 They can be led astray very easily.

00:40:00 It can leave some sort of neglect in the home.

00:40:05 And again, all of these infractions of the Lord

00:40:09 that are chargeable offenses.

00:40:11 - Yeah.

00:40:13 Again,

00:40:14 what is very prevalent among this time?

00:40:22 Yes, we're speaking about negligence,

00:40:24 but coming out of the negligence,

00:40:27 do we see cases of, let's say, abuse?

00:40:32 Do we see cases of,

00:40:34 I don't know, other situations that impacts the home?

00:40:41 - What we see is a lot of what we were talking about

00:40:45 in terms of leaving children unattended,

00:40:47 saying that one of them will be looking after the others.

00:40:50 A lot of times,

00:40:51 these families might have multiple children.

00:40:53 So we do see a lot of persons leaving children

00:40:57 unattended at home for very long periods of time.

00:41:02 We also see parents or guardians leaving children

00:41:05 in the care of very elderly people,

00:41:08 thinking that there's eyes watching over them

00:41:10 when they themselves need somebody to supervise them.

00:41:13 We find children roaming the streets a lot

00:41:15 because kids don't tend to stay

00:41:17 within a particular boundary,

00:41:19 particularly if a need of theirs is not being met.

00:41:23 If they are hungry, there is nothing at home,

00:41:26 they're going to wander outside.

00:41:27 So we find children wandering a lot.

00:41:29 They are unaccompanied.

00:41:31 We find incidents where harmful things

00:41:34 might happen in the home.

00:41:35 Somebody lights a match, something burns down.

00:41:38 We find children who get lost

00:41:42 very easily in situations like this.

00:41:45 Now, we have to remember too

00:41:46 that persons are out there preying on children,

00:41:49 and they're looking for vulnerable opportunities

00:41:52 to take advantage of your children.

00:41:54 And parents also need to understand

00:41:57 that not any and everybody who might say to you,

00:42:00 "I'll throw an eye on your children at this time,"

00:42:03 has their best interest.

00:42:06 Persons out there who are predators

00:42:07 are going to be seeking all these opportunities.

00:42:10 - Yeah.

00:42:12 Javed, what role does the Children's Authority

00:42:16 play in all of this?

00:42:18 - We have a mandate by the government

00:42:21 where we do an investigative role to begin with.

00:42:25 So anytime anybody from the community

00:42:28 would suspect any of this that was discussed

00:42:30 is taking place, they can always call 996,

00:42:34 make a report, and somebody will come out

00:42:36 and investigate the circumstances.

00:42:39 Not only investigate the circumstances,

00:42:41 but they will look at what is happening,

00:42:42 what is taking place in the home,

00:42:44 because as you rightfully said,

00:42:46 neglect might just be the beginning.

00:42:47 But when it's very ripe for other types of abuse,

00:42:51 and then based on what we find,

00:42:53 then interventions can be rolled out

00:42:55 towards not only the child, but also the family

00:42:58 to prevent it from occurring.

00:43:00 - Do you also see, Krista,

00:43:03 a spike, if I can put it that way,

00:43:08 a spike may be a little dramatic,

00:43:11 but do you see an uptick then

00:43:13 in during the carnival and after the carnival season

00:43:18 that action is sometimes taken

00:43:23 against parents or caregivers?

00:43:26 - Yeah, and not just the carnival period,

00:43:28 but all holiday seasons, Christmas as well,

00:43:33 the July, August vacation,

00:43:34 we do see an uptick of cases of neglect

00:43:37 that have been reported to the authority.

00:43:39 The authority is mandated with the care

00:43:41 and protection of all children,

00:43:43 especially those who might be vulnerable.

00:43:45 And what we want everybody to know

00:43:47 is that we require assistance from the public

00:43:49 in seeking all these cases.

00:43:51 We can't be in everybody's homes all the time.

00:43:54 We require the public to let us know

00:43:56 when they think something is going on,

00:43:58 when they know something is going on.

00:44:00 We have a tendency in Trinidad to say that,

00:44:02 you know, it's not my business,

00:44:03 I'm not going to do anything.

00:44:04 But we have to remember that this is children.

00:44:07 This is the safety of children,

00:44:08 and we are required to look after them.

00:44:11 So if you know about something going on,

00:44:12 you suspect something is going on,

00:44:15 please let us know via our 24/7 hotline.

00:44:19 And as Javed said, that number is 996-800-2014.

00:44:23 There's other ways that persons can make reports as well,

00:44:25 and these can be anonymous,

00:44:27 through our social media, through email.

00:44:29 All this information can be accessed

00:44:31 on our social media pages,

00:44:33 as well as our website,

00:44:34 in terms of how to get that information to us.

00:44:37 - Yeah, so everyone has a responsibility to play, right?

00:44:40 - Oh yes. - In protecting children

00:44:41 in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:44:43 Javed, you think that the message

00:44:45 is being embraced by the wider public?

00:44:50 How serious the situation is concerning children

00:44:54 at around this time,

00:44:55 and their safety is of paramount importance?

00:44:58 - Maybe slowly but surely,

00:45:00 and that's why it's very important

00:45:02 for us at Children's Authority

00:45:03 to continue doing this advocating,

00:45:06 and ensuring that the public is aware of the dangers

00:45:09 that can come out of it for the wider society,

00:45:12 not only for the child,

00:45:13 but for the household, the community,

00:45:16 and the impact that it will have on the future.

00:45:18 And that's why it's very important

00:45:20 to report these things, as Krista said,

00:45:22 so that some sort of intervention

00:45:24 can take place in the home.

00:45:26 - Yeah.

00:45:27 In a wider sense now, Krista,

00:45:31 and Krista, just to tell you,

00:45:35 psychologists, investigations, and investigations,

00:45:39 and the Children's Authority,

00:45:40 and the Children's Services Unit,

00:45:42 Krista, what sort of impact can negligence,

00:45:48 or any sort of fallout coming from this negligence,

00:45:53 what sort of impact can this have on the child,

00:45:57 both physically and mentally?

00:45:59 - Very long-lasting impacts.

00:46:01 So, like we were talking about,

00:46:03 neglect often leads to other forms of abuse.

00:46:06 Very rarely do we find a case of a child

00:46:08 we might go in to investigate neglect,

00:46:11 and then you find out that they're being physically abused,

00:46:13 sexually abused.

00:46:14 Physically, neglect has a lot of impacts on children.

00:46:20 They might be malnourished,

00:46:22 and this leads to all sorts of different things

00:46:25 down the line, where they're less likely

00:46:27 to progress in school.

00:46:28 Their brain development is impacted by that.

00:46:32 So there's a lot of long-term effects,

00:46:34 but let's talk a little bit about the traumatic effects

00:46:37 of this abuse, where they carry this with them

00:46:41 into adulthood, and then it's affecting

00:46:44 all sorts of things all through the way.

00:46:47 So we find behavioral issues coming out

00:46:49 with these children.

00:46:51 They're aggressive, they might be withdrawn,

00:46:53 they're depressed, they're more likely

00:46:54 to develop mental health issues.

00:46:56 We see a lot of depression.

00:46:58 We see a lot of post-traumatic stress in these children,

00:47:01 a lot of anxiety, and in that way,

00:47:03 they're not able to enjoy their childhood.

00:47:06 They're not able to fully embrace everything

00:47:08 that's going on, and really have the type of childhood

00:47:12 that we want them to have, where they're enjoying things

00:47:15 and learning new things.

00:47:17 Instead, they're focusing on alleviating symptoms

00:47:22 in children that should not be there.

00:47:25 And people need to understand that we as adults

00:47:28 are the ones who are doing that to them,

00:47:30 and that is not okay.

00:47:32 - Yeah, but Javed, has there been any improvement

00:47:37 in our cultural approach to this whole situation?

00:47:41 Because we have always had a culture,

00:47:43 it's children, that's a small thing.

00:47:47 Has that approach changed, and have you seen mechanisms

00:47:52 being put in place, and I'm sure you can point

00:47:58 to your authority, mechanisms being put in place

00:48:01 to protect the child in Trinidad and Tobago?

00:48:04 - Certainly, we are not where we ought to be.

00:48:07 Certainly, the society doesn't realize the harmfulness

00:48:11 and the impact that proper development on a child has

00:48:14 for not only the child, again, but the community.

00:48:18 The government has been putting programs in place.

00:48:21 I know through the Ministry of Education,

00:48:24 there has been the WITA program,

00:48:26 there have been vocational programs for children

00:48:28 who aren't academically inclined.

00:48:31 Through the Ministry of Health,

00:48:32 there have been the setup of the Child Guidance Clinic

00:48:36 that will try to address a lot of the mental health

00:48:38 concerns of children, and our Children's Authority itself,

00:48:42 they have been expanding to include more staff

00:48:45 so that we are more visible, we are able to readily

00:48:48 be there and investigate all of the reports

00:48:53 and put interventions in place that are geared

00:48:56 towards the specific child and the needs

00:48:58 of each specific child that we receive.

00:49:01 - Yeah, Christa, go ahead.

00:49:02 - I just wanted to make a point here

00:49:04 that while we are putting more things in place,

00:49:07 what the public needs to understand

00:49:08 is too much abuse is happening.

00:49:11 These numbers should not be so high.

00:49:13 We are not treating our children the way that we should.

00:49:16 The numbers that we receive, the numbers of reports

00:49:19 that we receive at the authority is alarming.

00:49:23 There should not be a need for this amount of resources

00:49:26 to be put into place just to safeguard children

00:49:30 because we are supposed to be treating our children better.

00:49:34 And I think that is a message that needs to be out there.

00:49:39 - What are the numbers we're speaking about?

00:49:41 - I can't give you those statistics offhand.

00:49:44 - Yeah.

00:49:45 - Javin, I don't know if you--

00:49:46 - I know that we do get, on a monthly average,

00:49:49 we get like around 2,000 reports, okay?

00:49:53 - All of which need to be vetted through?

00:49:55 - Yes, these need to be, goes through a tier process

00:50:00 of the severity of these reports

00:50:02 and they need to be actioned, a lot of them,

00:50:04 if it's serious, within 72 hours.

00:50:07 - Yeah, but what types of reports?

00:50:10 The gamut, run the gamut.

00:50:13 - I could start with educational neglect.

00:50:16 You have general neglect, you have sexual abuse,

00:50:19 physical abuse, you have children missing school,

00:50:24 children seen in criminal activity,

00:50:27 reports from various agencies, not only from the public,

00:50:32 we do get from our partner agencies.

00:50:34 So we get it all the way around.

00:50:39 - In addition to children who might be presented

00:50:41 with things like suicidal ideation,

00:50:44 children who are attempting suicide,

00:50:46 children who are presenting with mental health issues,

00:50:50 that's just in addition to what Javid is talking about

00:50:53 in terms of a lot of violence being perpetrated

00:50:55 against children.

00:50:56 - These are astronomical numbers.

00:50:58 - They are.

00:50:59 - Yeah, when a report is made to the authority,

00:51:04 what's the next step?

00:51:05 - That's where Javid comes in.

00:51:07 - That's the department that I work in, right?

00:51:10 So once a report is received, as I said,

00:51:12 it goes through a tier process

00:51:13 of the severity of the information,

00:51:16 then it will be assigned to a caseworker

00:51:18 based on the geographic location

00:51:20 or the severity of the report

00:51:22 and then somebody will make contact with the person

00:51:25 to make sure that the report is an actual report

00:51:28 and once we determine that we do have some grounds,

00:51:31 somebody will go in and conduct an investigation

00:51:33 that would include speaking to all relevant parties,

00:51:37 stakeholders, home visits, school visits,

00:51:40 medical clinic visits, to follow up

00:51:43 on what has actually taken place

00:51:45 and once we get a holistic picture of this child

00:51:48 and what's taking place,

00:51:49 then we'll be able to put something

00:51:51 called a care plan in place

00:51:53 and then somebody else, another department,

00:51:56 will monitor this care plan

00:51:57 to ensure that it's being carried out.

00:51:59 - Yeah, it sounds like an intense process

00:52:03 but how soon after the report is made

00:52:06 that the authority jumps into action?

00:52:10 - Depends on the risk level.

00:52:12 So like Javid was saying,

00:52:13 if a child is in what we call imminent danger,

00:52:15 meaning that they're in a situation right now of abuse,

00:52:18 you know, that is action immediately.

00:52:20 - Immediately could be within 24 hours.

00:52:25 Sometimes we have children that you find abandoned

00:52:32 in some location, they're unsupervised,

00:52:36 they're unaccompanied,

00:52:38 that is something that we may respond to immediately

00:52:41 as in within the hour.

00:52:42 - And we do have an emergency response team

00:52:45 that attends to these cases

00:52:46 where children are in imminent danger.

00:52:48 So how do we try to get down these numbers

00:52:52 of incidents against our children?

00:52:55 What do we have to do?

00:52:56 Go on a massive educational campaign?

00:52:59 What do we have to do?

00:53:00 - That's part of what we do.

00:53:01 That's part of, you know,

00:53:03 one of the functions of the authority

00:53:04 is to educate the public and that includes adults.

00:53:07 We work with adults, we work with parents

00:53:09 to let them know as well.

00:53:11 These are the different ways that you can handle stress

00:53:13 instead of taking it out on your children

00:53:15 in hopes of reducing the number of physical abuse cases.

00:53:19 What we really need is a societal shift

00:53:22 in our mindsets towards our children.

00:53:26 But we also go out there and try to teach children

00:53:27 how to keep themselves safe and what is abuse

00:53:29 'cause a lot of them are being abused

00:53:30 and they don't even know it.

00:53:32 - Right, Javed, we have about 30 seconds again.

00:53:35 Anything else you'd like to tell us?

00:53:36 - It's very important for you to provide

00:53:39 adequate supervision for your children.

00:53:41 Nothing can replace proper supervision,

00:53:45 adequate supervision because the worst feeling

00:53:47 for a parent is to know that you left your child good

00:53:51 and you come back and meet your child in pieces.

00:53:53 It's not a very nice feeling for anybody.

00:53:55 So just make sure that when you're having a good time

00:53:58 that your children are safe.

00:54:00 - What's the number again?

00:54:01 - 996.

00:54:03 - Yeah. - 24 hours.

00:54:05 - Christa and Javed, thank you very much for coming here

00:54:08 and being so blunt in the information

00:54:10 that you have given us this morning.

00:54:13 This data is still boggling my mind,

00:54:15 but thank you very much for coming this morning.

00:54:17 - You're welcome. - Yeah.

00:54:18 All right, so we are going to a very short break.

00:54:20 We'll be right back.

00:54:21 ♪ 'Cause when I am you ♪

00:54:24 ♪ I feel like I'm done ♪

00:54:26 ♪ Like when you're my friend ♪

00:54:29 - If you could see what the future holds,

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00:55:23 ♪ Oh, blinking markets ♪

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00:55:27 ♪ Oh, Santa Claus is coming ♪

00:55:30 - Bungee Garland and Fey & Lion.

00:55:32 ♪ This time is my time to jump on ♪

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00:55:35 - Buy your limited edition tickets now

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00:55:53 Be a part of the crowning glory.

00:55:55 QRC Facts Royale.

00:55:57 - 2024, The Coronation.

00:55:59 ♪ I'm so down to my neck ♪

00:56:03 - Slavery, a terrible time in our history.

00:56:10 The kidnapping, buying and selling of people for profit,

00:56:14 the exploitation of another human being.

00:56:17 It still exists today.

00:56:19 It has a new name, human trafficking.

00:56:22 Anyone can be a victim.

00:56:24 There is forced labor,

00:56:26 sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude.

00:56:31 Human trafficking is a worldwide problem

00:56:35 and an emerging concern for us here in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:56:39 If you know of or suspect human trafficking activity,

00:56:43 call the counter-trafficking hotline at 800-4CTU or 800-4288.

00:56:48 Human trafficking is a crime.

00:56:53 Identify it, report it, stop it.

00:56:56 A message from the Counter-Trafficking Unit

00:56:58 of the Ministry of National Security.

00:57:00 (upbeat music)

00:57:07 - Good morning, I am Ansel Gibbs with a news update.

00:57:12 There's an urgent need for a unified approach

00:57:16 to disaster management in TNT.

00:57:19 This from one opposition senator

00:57:21 at a public administration

00:57:24 and appropriations committee meeting on flood mitigation.

00:57:28 - There is absolutely an absence of coordination

00:57:33 and the point I'm making people is that

00:57:35 nature is not waiting.

00:57:38 - This country is now testing road paving

00:57:43 using rubber asphalt.

00:57:45 - Trinidad generates 1.5 million used tires

00:57:49 that is disposed of every year.

00:57:51 And utilization of plants like these

00:57:54 could help us utilize those discarded tires

00:57:58 for reuse and the rubber crumbs back

00:58:00 into asphalt mix design.

00:58:01 So road paving for mats, for land,

00:58:04 for mats, for linings and other applications.

00:58:07 So this pilot plant is testing that technical

00:58:10 and business feasibility of utilization

00:58:12 of these rubber crumbs in that way.

00:58:14 - And in the weather forecast,

00:58:16 small craft operators, sea bathers

00:58:19 and all other marine interests are advised

00:58:22 to exercise caution as a hazardous seas alert

00:58:26 is in effect for the northern

00:58:28 and eastern coastal waters of the islands.

00:58:31 This is due to the combined effects

00:58:34 of strong wind waves and the spring tide event.

00:58:38 Overall, partly sunny and at times windy conditions

00:58:42 can be expected despite the likelihood

00:58:44 of brisk passing showers.

00:58:47 Winds may gust at times, especially near moderate showers.

00:58:52 (upbeat music)

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00:59:20 to manage them safely and effectively

00:59:22 without the use of steroids or prescription drugs.

00:59:25 (upbeat music)

00:59:31 (speaking in foreign language)

00:59:34 - Beyond the Tape, weekdays at 5.30 p.m.

00:59:58 (upbeat music)

01:00:01 - Carnival season, a celebration of color,

01:00:06 creativity, revelry and unity.

01:00:10 We welcome people from all over the world

01:00:12 to enjoy TNT Carnival, the greatest show on earth.

01:00:16 But behind the scenes, there's a relentless effort

01:00:20 and precise preparation to ensure your safety

01:00:23 on foot, in the air, on horseback,

01:00:27 on motorcycle and mobile patrol,

01:00:30 we are your constant line of defense.

01:00:32 While you party, we patrol.

01:00:35 While you whine, we work so you can enjoy

01:00:39 our sweet soca music.

01:00:41 All ranks out in full force under the watchful eyes

01:00:44 of the commissioner of police.

01:00:47 The rhythm, the vibes and everything

01:00:49 that makes Carnival memorable.

01:00:52 From desk job to detective,

01:00:54 every officer is called to the front lines.

01:00:57 We come off leave so you can leave all your worries behind

01:01:01 and fet with no stress.

01:01:03 All hands on deck.

01:01:05 While you play, we work.

01:01:07 We are dedicated to protect and serve

01:01:10 to ensure that your experience of the greatest show

01:01:13 on earth is safe, enjoyable, exciting and memorable.

01:01:18 (upbeat music)

01:01:21 (upbeat music)

01:01:24 - Anytime you leave your keys in the ignition

01:01:39 when you pull up to your driveway,

01:01:41 you make yourself an easy target for theft and robbery.

01:01:46 Make it tough for criminals.

01:01:48 Don't give them a chance.

01:01:49 Switch off your engine, remove your keys and stay alert.

01:01:54 - A message from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

01:01:58 - Dr. Khan, you have find this new generation of children

01:02:04 just different, like I don't know,

01:02:06 like what my mother and father used to do with me

01:02:09 in terms of discipline and parenting and things.

01:02:11 You have found yourself working this generation,

01:02:14 you know, with this generation?

01:02:15 - Stephan, you're right, but don't worry.

01:02:17 CTA is coming up with the ABCs of parenting

01:02:20 in a Trinbagonian style.

01:02:22 And we have you, the right man to start us off.

01:02:25 - Well, I think it might be a good thing

01:02:27 because what I think,

01:02:28 we could probably mix the old traditional way

01:02:31 and get them some new modern ideas

01:02:32 so we can help these younger parents,

01:02:34 especially, what do you think?

01:02:35 - That's exactly what we're gonna do.

01:02:37 Let we do it.

01:02:38 - Let we do, let we go, let we go.

01:02:40 (speaking in foreign language)

01:02:44 - Shut up, shut up!

01:02:59 I've had enough of all of you.

01:03:02 You ungrateful.

01:03:03 - I've had enough of you.

01:03:04 You think you're from our countries

01:03:05 and the boss pretends I was working day and night

01:03:07 like slaves and expect us to be grateful?

01:03:11 (speaking in foreign language)

01:03:15 You still allow us to leave?

01:03:23 - Please, give us our passports and allow us to leave.

01:03:26 - You can for nothing say free to leave.

01:03:31 If you step one foot out of here,

01:03:35 I will see to it that immigration sends you back

01:03:38 to whatever hell you came from.

01:03:41 - If you know of or suspect human trafficking activity,

01:03:46 call the counter-trafficking hotline at 800-4CTU

01:03:50 or 800-4288.

01:03:53 Human trafficking is a crime.

01:03:54 Identify it, report it, stop it.

01:03:58 A message from the counter-trafficking unit

01:04:00 of the Ministry of National Security.

01:04:04 (upbeat music)

01:04:06 - Good time there, boy.

01:04:17 Is that a live, how do I say?

01:04:21 It's a live presentation there?

01:04:23 Who, Massey?

01:04:26 Yeah, it sounds good with the crowd in the background there.

01:04:31 All right, we're moving on, everyone.

01:04:33 So we are discussing now the 2024

01:04:35 First Citizens National Poetry Slam auditions.

01:04:39 And we do have on the line at this time,

01:04:41 Allet Liz Williams, Marketing and Media Manager,

01:04:43 Bocas Lit Fest, and Mariel Forbes,

01:04:46 Youth and Hospitality Manager at Bocas Lit Fest.

01:04:50 Ladies, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

01:04:53 - Good morning, Allet. - Thank you, Marlet.

01:04:56 - Good morning.

01:04:57 - All right, Allet, let's begin with you.

01:05:02 When are these auditions set to kick off?

01:05:06 - Well, they're set to kick off right after Carnival.

01:05:10 So poets, we may wanna have a good time,

01:05:12 but keep some energy for that audition,

01:05:15 because the first one will be on the 17th of February,

01:05:19 that's Saturday, 17th,

01:05:21 at National Library in San Fernando,

01:05:24 Sunday, 18th, at the National Library in Port of Spain,

01:05:28 and Sunday, 25th, in the National Library in Tobago.

01:05:33 On Saturday, it's only 10 to one,

01:05:36 and both Sundays, it's 10 to four,

01:05:38 and you can register online.

01:05:40 So get yourselves together, have a little dance,

01:05:43 but then keep your energy, please.

01:05:45 - Yeah.

01:05:46 Mariel, how has the registration process been going?

01:05:50 - We, I think just the day after we launched the auditions,

01:05:56 which would have been last week, Friday,

01:05:58 we had an influx.

01:05:59 So we're almost at, I would say,

01:06:02 a third capacity of the amount of auditions

01:06:06 that we're expecting to have,

01:06:07 or capacity, or maximum number of registrations.

01:06:11 So that's just to say, if we're now a week in,

01:06:14 anyone who needs to get in

01:06:16 should be getting themselves before a computer

01:06:18 and seeing a link,

01:06:19 so that they can put their names in and secure their spot.

01:06:23 - Yeah.

01:06:23 Now, you have given us information about the registration

01:06:27 and the date.

01:06:28 What about the semifinals?

01:06:31 When are the semifinals are carded for to take place?

01:06:34 And even the finals?

01:06:36 - We're all in here,

01:06:38 jumping in all the information of France.

01:06:40 (Mariel laughing)

01:06:43 - All right, we're having a clash day, you know.

01:06:46 (Mariel laughing)

01:06:48 Alec, you're there?

01:06:49 - I am.

01:06:51 Seems our Mariel is having a little bit

01:06:54 of connectivity issues,

01:06:56 but I know she'll come in,

01:06:57 but I can give you information.

01:06:59 - Of course, go ahead.

01:06:59 - The semifinals starts tomorrow.

01:07:02 - All right, Mariel,

01:07:05 we'll have to try with that connection there.

01:07:09 But Alec, let's get back to the semifinals.

01:07:12 When are they scheduled for?

01:07:14 And even the finals?

01:07:15 - The semifinals are going to take place

01:07:19 at the Central Bank Auditorium.

01:07:22 That's where we held our finals last year.

01:07:25 And that will be on the 23rd and 24th of March.

01:07:28 I believe the last,

01:07:29 the second to last week, beginning March.

01:07:31 And then we have the finals on the last day

01:07:35 of the NGC Bookers Lit Fest,

01:07:37 which is the 28th of April.

01:07:39 So quick plug,

01:07:40 the festival is from the 25th to the 28th of April.

01:07:44 And this poetry slam is the high energy closing event,

01:07:48 as it always is.

01:07:49 It's happening at Queen's Hall,

01:07:51 our first ever time in this revered space.

01:07:55 - And I see you all have $50,000 up for grabs, right?

01:07:59 - Of course, I mean,

01:08:01 it's the largest spoken word prize for our competition.

01:08:04 It's the largest spoken word prize across the world, right?

01:08:07 In any conversion for a first place winner

01:08:10 of such a championship.

01:08:11 So, let's have incentive.

01:08:14 It's all up for grabs,

01:08:15 courtesy First Citizens.

01:08:17 And of course, second place gets money too,

01:08:19 20,000, third place gets something too, 10,000.

01:08:24 And everyone else gets a little cacada, as we say,

01:08:27 for just making it to the finals.

01:08:29 And while I just want to say,

01:08:31 the prize is not the only thing the poets win, okay?

01:08:33 Because when you get to the final stage,

01:08:36 even in the semifinal stage,

01:08:38 many people see the talents of the poets that perform,

01:08:42 and they have much different experiences.

01:08:45 Some go on to study,

01:08:46 some go on to be speakers.

01:08:48 Last year, Soleil Abari was like our youngest finalist,

01:08:51 and she ended up being one of the key featured persons

01:08:55 in Girls First for First Citizens.

01:08:57 Some poets go overseas,

01:08:59 some poets write books like Alexandra Stewart.

01:09:01 So, there's much more that comes out of it

01:09:03 than just getting the prize and the title.

01:09:06 - All right, do we have Marielle?

01:09:07 Marielle, you're hearing me?

01:09:09 Is she there?

01:09:12 - I think Marielle fell off.

01:09:13 - Do we have her?

01:09:14 She fell off?

01:09:16 All right, we'll try again.

01:09:18 We'll try again, Marielle.

01:09:19 We're trying.

01:09:20 Yeah, all right.

01:09:22 Well, Alet, you have some more work to do

01:09:25 with us here this morning.

01:09:26 - Well, that's not a problem, you know.

01:09:28 I am the marketing and media manager.

01:09:30 - All right.

01:09:31 So, let's talk a little bit about the theme

01:09:34 of the slam this year,

01:09:36 Enter the Dragon's Mouth.

01:09:38 Why was this theme chosen?

01:09:41 It sounds like a kung fu movie, you know, Alet.

01:09:45 - I know, but dragons do spit fire

01:09:48 and that's what we're expecting on the stage

01:09:50 from all of the poets.

01:09:51 So, that should just set the scene there.

01:09:54 And of course, the Bocas lit fests,

01:09:57 in that name, Bocas stands for mouth, right?

01:10:00 So, this is actually a translation of Bocas del Dragon,

01:10:03 Enter the Dragon's Mouth,

01:10:05 where we're inviting the poets.

01:10:06 And then, of course, there's this connotation

01:10:08 of going to Tobago,

01:10:09 that bridge between where the Bocas is.

01:10:12 So, we're just trying to intermingle what's local

01:10:14 with what we're expecting from the poets themselves.

01:10:17 So, it's a whole journey that's about to be ruled out

01:10:20 that we will all see unfold.

01:10:22 But right now, we're entering the dragon's mouth

01:10:23 and when we're getting in that space

01:10:26 and we understand how challenging it is to be chosen

01:10:29 from the semifinals to go into the finals,

01:10:31 you know, it's a steep cut.

01:10:34 We're expecting that trouble to happen there,

01:10:36 but we're also expecting them to bring fire to the stage.

01:10:40 - Yeah.

01:10:41 Why was the decision taken this year

01:10:44 to hold the slam auditions at national libraries?

01:10:49 - Well, first of all, that's where, you know,

01:10:53 literary things are exposed the most.

01:10:56 It's most accessible libraries are free books.

01:10:59 There are also spaces, of course,

01:11:01 everyone knows the Bocas Literate Fest

01:11:04 holds its annual literature festival in the home,

01:11:08 the head office, well, the headquarters, NALIS,

01:11:11 the biggest NALIS in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:11:13 It's our festival village.

01:11:14 So, this year we decided to put it in these spaces

01:11:17 because that's our partner, our home partner.

01:11:21 And also that's just the space where, you know,

01:11:23 everyone can access freely and be,

01:11:26 and NALIS, you know, is so great.

01:11:27 We're so grateful for them for making these spaces open

01:11:30 for us so that these poets can audition.

01:11:32 - Yeah, but isn't it a great environment

01:11:35 being surrounded by books?

01:11:37 - Yeah, of course, books and people who speak about books

01:11:40 and people who impart knowledge and people who do research

01:11:43 and it won't be quiet on those days.

01:11:47 That's the only thing we can't expect on those days.

01:11:50 - All right, do we have our very good friend, Marielle?

01:11:54 Is she back with us?

01:11:55 - I'm back, I'm back.

01:11:56 - Marielle.

01:11:59 - I'm in Maraval, it's not that great.

01:12:02 - Marielle, that is persistence, girl.

01:12:05 That is persistence, all right?

01:12:07 So we're glad that you're back with us.

01:12:10 We have been speaking about, you know,

01:12:12 the theme and so on.

01:12:14 Alet has been helping us and we even spoke about

01:12:18 the auditions being held at the National Libraries.

01:12:22 Because the, or in spite of the auditions being held

01:12:28 at the National Libraries,

01:12:30 is it still free to members of the public?

01:12:32 - Oh yes, definitely.

01:12:35 It's free and we encourage everyone to come out

01:12:38 to support their favorite poet or poets.

01:12:41 In the past, NALIS has been a very faithful partner of ours.

01:12:46 We did previously do auditions at NALIS locations before.

01:12:52 So we're really happy now that we are back

01:12:55 to our in-person, fully in-person slam.

01:12:59 We're really happy to reconnect with NALIS again

01:13:03 and all of the auditions, yes, are free.

01:13:06 South, Port of Spain and Tobago.

01:13:09 - So after the auditions are finished

01:13:11 and the results are tallied,

01:13:12 how many hopeful poets will advance

01:13:15 to the semifinal round?

01:13:17 - So 30 poets will advance to the semifinal rounds

01:13:24 that will be held in March.

01:13:26 Like Alet said, our semifinal rounds will be held

01:13:29 at the Central Bank Auditorium.

01:13:32 So look out for that.

01:13:33 I know so far, like Alet said,

01:13:35 we have about a third of our registrations

01:13:38 for auditions booked.

01:13:39 So everyone, you have about just about three weeks again

01:13:43 to fill up.

01:13:44 These spots are going really, really, really quickly.

01:13:46 So you might want to claim your space.

01:13:50 - Yeah.

01:13:52 Alet, who's this competition, who's it for?

01:13:57 And when I say who's it for, I'm talking about ages really.

01:14:02 (Alet chuckles)

01:14:03 Is there a limit?

01:14:04 There's never a limit.

01:14:05 We allow all who are young and young at heart

01:14:09 to participate in the SLAM Championship.

01:14:13 Of course, it feels like it's aligned

01:14:16 to a certain age group and that's okay

01:14:19 because we've had persons as mature as retired

01:14:24 before getting to the finals before.

01:14:27 So it's really just a space for expression.

01:14:30 It's a space for sharing your thoughts on the stage,

01:14:32 unbridled, of course, keeping it PG-13.

01:14:36 And also just, it's a platform

01:14:39 for us to be able to push themselves forward.

01:14:42 And we're also, I'm just taking a plug,

01:14:45 we're also streaming the auditions live.

01:14:48 So for those of you who can't find space

01:14:50 inside of the libraries,

01:14:51 you can feel free to follow us on Facebook

01:14:54 and watch the live stream.

01:14:56 - Yeah.

01:14:57 Let's get back a little bit to the theme.

01:14:59 Do we have Marielle?

01:15:00 Marielle is back with us.

01:15:02 She's hearing us.

01:15:02 - Yes, I'm still here and I'm hearing.

01:15:04 - Marielle, I think I want people to know

01:15:09 a little bit about, and Alex spoke about

01:15:13 enter the dragon's mouth.

01:15:16 And for a poet who has to use that theme,

01:15:21 I'm just thinking what sort of,

01:15:29 how should he or she proceed with that theme in mind

01:15:34 as it relates to their offering?

01:15:38 - Well, with the theme, as with any theme,

01:15:43 we encourage the poets to keep it

01:15:46 within our cultural experiences,

01:15:48 their life experiences as well.

01:15:50 So enter the dragon's mouth really came out of,

01:15:54 we pulled it and we've done from start.

01:15:57 (mouse clicking)

01:16:00 The Boca Slid Fast.

01:16:02 Boca means mouth in Spanish.

01:16:05 And also the Boca, I'm trying that in Sebago.

01:16:12 We kind of used a play on our cultural experiences,

01:16:20 our history and the history of the organization

01:16:27 as well to bring that fire to the stage

01:16:32 and to encourage the poets with that need

01:16:34 to bring, to spit their hottest lyrics,

01:16:37 to bring that fire and energy that we are accustomed to

01:16:40 to the slam championship.

01:16:42 - Yeah, but Alec, it could be on any topic

01:16:46 with the theme, right?

01:16:48 - Yeah, any topic is invited to be on the stage.

01:16:52 Our only thing is it's a family show event,

01:16:57 something to participate in

01:16:58 just because it's open to everyone.

01:17:01 So it's free game.

01:17:03 You have a gross, you have a social trend,

01:17:05 you want something political to speak on,

01:17:07 you matter of the heart, you can bring it to the stage.

01:17:11 Yes.

01:17:12 - Alec, I feel like running in there, you know.

01:17:14 - Really, Marlon?

01:17:15 (Alec laughing)

01:17:16 - You have a lot of time, you have time.

01:17:18 You have time.

01:17:19 Just remember, you have a four minute limit.

01:17:21 - Yes.

01:17:22 (all laughing)

01:17:23 - That's a lot to say in four minutes, you know, ladies.

01:17:26 (all laughing)

01:17:27 - There you go.

01:17:28 - But-

01:17:29 - You have three minutes.

01:17:30 - Five minute quickly.

01:17:31 (all laughing)

01:17:31 - But Alec, just for people who are interested again,

01:17:36 please give us all the details.

01:17:39 - Okay, sure.

01:17:41 National Slam TT.

01:17:42 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,

01:17:47 formerly known as X.

01:17:48 You will see the links in all of the ads,

01:17:51 in all of the graphics that we have on there.

01:17:54 Also on Boca Slit Fest/poetry-slam.

01:17:59 You can go there and you will see the entire page

01:18:01 with all of the information, all of your guidelines

01:18:04 to be able to enter and perform to the best of your ability

01:18:07 and the links for all three days.

01:18:09 We're also on all of Boca Slit Fest social media.

01:18:14 That's at bocaslitfest.com.

01:18:17 You can go there and you will see everything,

01:18:18 including the Slam hotline for you to call

01:18:21 if you have additional questions

01:18:22 or require further information.

01:18:24 So at bocaslitfest.com, at National Slam TT,

01:18:29 you'll get all your information there.

01:18:31 - Alec, Marielle, thank you very much

01:18:34 for the information this morning

01:18:35 and we wish you all the best with your event.

01:18:38 Bye for now.

01:18:39 - Thank you.

01:18:40 - And see you there. - Thank you for all.

01:18:40 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, running in,

01:18:42 I'm running in everybody.

01:18:44 Bye ladies. - Bye.

01:18:45 - Okay. - Bye.

01:18:47 - All right, so we are going to a very short break.

01:18:49 Yeah, we have a pineapple has a pear.

01:18:54 Yeah, that's from J.L. Luchman in Tru-Rep.

01:18:58 Thank you very much J.L.

01:19:00 We're coming back everybody.

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01:22:02 - Hey everyone, we're talking about masks now, right?

01:22:05 And Kinetic Masks, the Carnival 2020 Band of the Year

01:22:10 is coming up this morning.

01:22:12 We have Jerry Weeks of the Management Committee

01:22:15 and we also have Jean-Claude De Freitas

01:22:17 also of the Management Committee.

01:22:19 Gentlemen, thank you very much

01:22:21 for coming this morning. - My pleasure to be here.

01:22:23 - Yeah, and we were talking of Mr. Weeks

01:22:25 is also a former king of the bands, right?

01:22:30 - Yes, correct.

01:22:32 - Yeah, so sitting down this morning with royalty, right?

01:22:36 Yeah, in masks.

01:22:38 Let's talk about Kinetic Masks

01:22:41 and your contribution for this year's Carnival.

01:22:45 - This year's contribution is really, we call Yokoso.

01:22:50 It's a Japanese style band, Japanese team.

01:22:55 It was born out of a combination of things.

01:22:58 We did a band last year called Tiber Nation

01:23:02 and there were some Japanese elements in it.

01:23:04 And immediately we saw that cultural element

01:23:09 that we wanted to bring forth for 2024.

01:23:12 It speaks about culture, it speaks about tradition,

01:23:15 it speaks about the rich heritage.

01:23:17 The name of the band is Yokoso,

01:23:19 which is welcome or open arms in Japan.

01:23:22 So we saw that as a hospitality,

01:23:25 a bringing forward of the hospitality

01:23:26 that we want to promote in Carnival.

01:23:28 It changes the flavor for us as well.

01:23:31 You know, in Trinidad we are transforming ourselves

01:23:35 into this party style band.

01:23:37 We want to maintain the cultural heritage,

01:23:39 the cultural traditions of Carnival,

01:23:41 the street theater as we know it,

01:23:43 as we have been brought up in our era.

01:23:46 So Yokoso takes that format, takes that process,

01:23:49 takes that type of presentation to the streets.

01:23:51 - How many sections are we speaking about, Mr. De Freitas?

01:23:56 - Well, the band in itself has 13 sections,

01:24:00 but whatever you all decide to show,

01:24:02 we will be able to elaborate on.

01:24:03 Okay, so this one offhand would be Shinobi.

01:24:08 So as Jerry would have mentioned,

01:24:11 it is a Japanese style band.

01:24:13 So we have incorporated the various elements of Shinobi.

01:24:16 So Shinobi, keep moving on my hair,

01:24:20 Yamato Nadeshiko, she is the perfect lady.

01:24:26 So as Jerry said, it's the theatrical,

01:24:28 the elements of the costuming.

01:24:30 So we've most importantly solicited feedback

01:24:33 and approval from the Japanese embassy.

01:24:36 So they are fully well on board.

01:24:38 Our biggest concern was the costume, the flag.

01:24:40 And this is the one that they had not an issue with

01:24:42 off the bat, they loved it.

01:24:44 It represents their flag, their culture,

01:24:46 and we are allowed to put it on the road

01:24:48 in a tasteful manner.

01:24:49 So these are the warriors, Sengoku.

01:24:56 We've incorporated three elements of Japanese culture,

01:24:59 the working class, the warriors, and the festive people.

01:25:04 So these are the geishas,

01:25:06 and we all know the concept of the geishas.

01:25:08 So on the road, everything you see

01:25:11 is incorporated into the costume.

01:25:13 You are a geisha for the two days.

01:25:15 You are whatever you portray in costume.

01:25:18 Everything you see is provided in the costume.

01:25:21 - And I wanna tell you, Marlon,

01:25:22 that all of these costumes are produced locally.

01:25:24 - Yes.

01:25:26 The importation aspect of it is very minimal.

01:25:29 All of this that you've seen here this morning

01:25:31 are produced locally by our local designers,

01:25:34 our local prototypers, and all built locally.

01:25:37 And that's something I wanna stress

01:25:38 because we do have so much talent and creativity

01:25:42 in Trinidad that still exists,

01:25:43 that we have no reason to be importing stuff

01:25:45 in the general sense.

01:25:47 So what you see here is all local.

01:25:48 - Yeah, but how long do you prepare

01:25:54 and when I say prepare, I'm talking about production.

01:25:58 How long does it take to produce a band such as this?

01:26:01 - We actually produced this band,

01:26:04 I would say, in about eight months.

01:26:07 We launched in June.

01:26:08 - Correct.

01:26:09 - And between June and Christmas,

01:26:11 all of our prototyping was done, of course,

01:26:13 in time for June, and the production started right after.

01:26:16 In fact, we are in the distribution mode as we speak.

01:26:19 So our costumes are completed.

01:26:21 You know, those people who are coming in now,

01:26:23 and I implore those who are interested

01:26:24 in still participating with us to do come to the Mass Camp

01:26:28 as soon as possible because we are almost

01:26:30 wrapping up our production.

01:26:32 Any odd sizes, plus sizes, need to be taken care of now

01:26:36 so that we can be in time for Carnival.

01:26:38 - Yeah.

01:26:39 What has the response been, Mr. De Freitas?

01:26:41 - The response has been overwhelming.

01:26:43 We have random walk-ins off the street,

01:26:45 they see the sign, they see the happies in the gallery.

01:26:49 What is this?

01:26:50 A lot of people initially thought,

01:26:51 because we have a pagoda outside,

01:26:53 they assumed it was a restaurant,

01:26:54 and when they walk in, they see the costumes.

01:26:56 I've never seen this.

01:26:58 What is this?

01:26:59 And then they even impressed more so

01:27:02 that we give you the option.

01:27:03 You can play on Monday alone, or you can play on Tuesday.

01:27:06 And once you play on Tuesday,

01:27:07 your Monday costume is incorporated.

01:27:09 In the fee, you get it, everything on the road.

01:27:12 - The band has taken two forms.

01:27:13 - Yes.

01:27:14 - Normally, we are traditionally known

01:27:16 as a t-shirt band on Monday.

01:27:18 This year, what you're seeing there are--

01:27:20 - Japanese happies. - Japanese happies.

01:27:22 It's a festive coat.

01:27:24 So we are in happies, red and blue, on Carnival Monday,

01:27:27 and we call it Festival Day.

01:27:28 That's the day we party.

01:27:30 On Tuesday, we transform now into Tuesday,

01:27:33 into that presentation, that theatrical performance

01:27:35 that we are so eager to present,

01:27:38 that displays that whole Japanese culture

01:27:40 that we're bringing forward.

01:27:41 - Yeah.

01:27:42 Tell me something.

01:27:44 Do you think, and Mr. Weeks, I'm asking you this

01:27:47 because of your many years in mass

01:27:50 and the level that you have participated

01:27:53 in the carnival and the mass,

01:27:55 but do you still think that there is a love for the mass?

01:28:00 Because you know, over the years,

01:28:03 some band leaders have veered

01:28:05 into the direction of the bikini and beads, right?

01:28:10 And let's be honest, there has been some concern about that,

01:28:14 but bands such as yours have really tried

01:28:19 to, I don't want to say reinvigorate it,

01:28:24 but continued in the tradition.

01:28:28 Do you think that people are still gravitating

01:28:30 towards bands such as yours?

01:28:31 - Most definitely.

01:28:33 We hear it every day.

01:28:34 People are, in fact, happy to see

01:28:36 that we are continuing this tradition.

01:28:38 People are looking forward to it.

01:28:40 I have had the experience in the past

01:28:41 of producing bands similar to this

01:28:43 and find people all over the city,

01:28:45 both in Spain, looking for a band.

01:28:47 We had a band where the photographers wanted to see it

01:28:49 because now there's a difference.

01:28:50 There's something else to see.

01:28:52 I mean, I'm the one who knocked my peers

01:28:54 who put the party bands together.

01:28:55 The bikini and beads look similar

01:28:57 and you hear it all the time.

01:28:58 You see one, you see all.

01:28:59 You can't tell which band is from

01:29:00 or which masquerade is from where.

01:29:02 With our band, you can definitely tell

01:29:05 what band we are from.

01:29:06 What you want to know is where the band is.

01:29:08 So you can see any masquerade

01:29:09 and identify with our band almost immediately on the streets

01:29:12 and that's what we want to represent and present.

01:29:15 We want to maintain that rich tradition

01:29:16 of being able to tell the story,

01:29:19 be part of Carnival in a particular way,

01:29:21 bring forward the creativity,

01:29:22 bring forward the art and in so many words.

01:29:25 So that's where we are right now.

01:29:26 - Yeah.

01:29:27 - You know?

01:29:28 - Go ahead.

01:29:29 - Coupled with that, I want to tell you

01:29:30 that we're also keeping alive the tradition of live music.

01:29:33 Our band has a number of live bands in it taking place.

01:29:38 Delina Darn with Raymond Ram Norein

01:29:40 is live on the streets with us.

01:29:42 That's an awesome experience.

01:29:43 That's the magical sense of it.

01:29:45 Carl Beaver Henderson and his friend

01:29:47 bringing forward a number of clips of icons, soca icons.

01:29:51 Lord Nelson's gonna be on the road with us.

01:29:54 Tony Prescott, Showing Winchester, Stacy Sobers.

01:29:58 Mr. Bygordon is gonna be on the streets with us

01:30:02 and a number of other artists are coming on board.

01:30:03 So we're gonna have a live concert on the streets.

01:30:07 - Yeah.

01:30:08 - Heritage Petroleum, Skiffle.

01:30:12 - On the Monday.

01:30:13 - Brass is gonna be us on Monday.

01:30:15 And actually we have one DJ, Mr. Desmond,

01:30:17 who's gonna support that as well.

01:30:19 So we are a believer of the traditions.

01:30:21 We are gonna have live music.

01:30:23 That's gonna be a live concert on the street

01:30:25 and anything can happen.

01:30:26 I've had the experience in the past and believe me,

01:30:28 it's a different experience.

01:30:30 - You're taking me back, you're taking me back, Mr. Weeks.

01:30:33 Mr. DeFritis, where is your mass camp?

01:30:38 - Okay, so we are at 41 Alberto Street in Woodbrook.

01:30:42 Best landmark, you know where Frankie's is.

01:30:44 The street that takes you down to Frankie's,

01:30:45 that's where we are.

01:30:46 - Yeah, any additional information

01:30:48 that you'd like to share with us?

01:30:49 - Well, no problem.

01:30:52 If you want to reach out to us,

01:30:53 you can either message us on WhatsApp at 497-2826.

01:30:57 You can call that cell number

01:30:59 or you can message us on WhatsApp.

01:31:00 You also have the band, the mass camp number, my apologies,

01:31:05 232-1755, or you can simply visit our website,

01:31:09 Kinetic Mass.

01:31:10 You can book online, you can register,

01:31:13 fill out all the information, pay online.

01:31:15 Then when you get here, we meet you at the mass camp

01:31:18 with a smile and a package saying, "Yokoso."

01:31:20 - Mr. Weeks, I give you the final word.

01:31:22 - I just want to implore mass creators to,

01:31:25 you know, we live in challenging times.

01:31:28 Carnival Monday and Tuesday first presents two days

01:31:30 when you can let all the air down.

01:31:33 Have a festival day, really enjoy ourselves.

01:31:37 Enjoy our cultural heritage.

01:31:39 Make Carnival the best it can be,

01:31:41 as we are striving to do in our own little way.

01:31:44 And hopefully, you know, that can help us turn the corner

01:31:47 in some of the challenges that we face locally.

01:31:50 And look forward to a happy and awesome Carnival.

01:31:53 - Yeah, gentlemen, thank you very much

01:31:55 for coming this morning.

01:31:56 Thank you very much for the introduction.

01:31:57 - Pleasure to be here.

01:31:58 - And for the short event with Kinetic Mass for 2024.

01:32:01 Yeah? - Thank you.

01:32:02 - All right, so we are going to a very short break.

01:32:05 We're coming back.

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01:32:44 Green Dot, improving and simplifying lives.

01:32:48 - Hutton 83 and JMMB Bank are ready to burn.

01:32:53 We're back at the spacious Movietown car park

01:32:55 in Port of Spain every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m.

01:32:59 It's back, Carnival burns.

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01:33:07 - Six days of real endurance and fitness

01:33:09 from the fun and experienced instructors.

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01:33:14 And all hosted by the awesome Hutton 83 DJs

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01:33:20 Walk with your team and come sweat and vibe with us.

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01:33:30 Maybe you could afford to pay up to $22,500 in fines

01:33:56 and lose your license permanently.

01:33:58 No?

01:33:59 Then don't drink and drive.

01:34:01 - A message from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

01:34:07 - Greetings, Saints.

01:34:08 We are from Pillars of Truth Evangelistic

01:34:11 Outreach Ministries, and we warmly welcome you

01:34:13 to our television program, "Turning Point."

01:34:16 We are a church in the heart of the community

01:34:18 with a heart for the community.

01:34:20 Our host pastors, Apostle Dr. Reverend Dale DeVeans

01:34:24 and his wife, Reverend Dawn DeVeans,

01:34:27 warmly welcome you to join us every second and fourth Sunday

01:34:31 6 a.m. right here on TV6.

01:34:34 - Dr. Khan, you ever find this new generation of children

01:34:39 just different, Gail?

01:34:41 Like, I don't know, like what my mother and father

01:34:43 used to do with me in terms of discipline

01:34:45 and parenting and things.

01:34:46 You ever find yourself working this generation, Gail,

01:34:49 with this generation?

01:34:50 - Stephan, you're right, but don't worry.

01:34:53 CTA's coming up with the ABCs of parenting

01:34:55 in a Trinbagonian style.

01:34:57 - Huh?

01:34:58 - And we have you, the right man to start us off.

01:35:00 - Well, I thinking that might be a good thing

01:35:02 because what I thinking we could probably mix

01:35:04 the old traditional way and give them some new modern ideas

01:35:07 so we can help these younger parents,

01:35:09 especially, what you think?

01:35:10 - That's exactly what we're gonna do.

01:35:12 Let we do it.

01:35:13 - Let we do, let we go, let we go.

01:35:14 (upbeat music)

01:35:17 (upbeat music)

01:35:20 - All right, so welcome back, everyone.

01:35:46 So we are talking now with Ria Rodney.

01:35:49 She's a publisher and also a number one international

01:35:53 a best-selling author.

01:35:55 Ria, good morning.

01:35:56 Thank you very much for joining us.

01:35:58 - Thank you so much for having me.

01:36:00 - Yeah, well, let me just tell you a little bit about Ria.

01:36:04 So she's a self-publishing consultant,

01:36:06 number one international best-selling author,

01:36:08 a book coach, cognitive and behavioral coach,

01:36:11 certified parent and children's life coach and speaker.

01:36:16 Ria, a lot you have given us this morning,

01:36:20 a lot to think about.

01:36:22 Ria, what you have for us this morning?

01:36:24 - Well, first off, I just wanna say thank you for having me.

01:36:28 And you just shared some of the things about me,

01:36:32 but one of the main things that I'm here to share about

01:36:34 is the fact that I am a self-publishing consultant

01:36:37 and book coach.

01:36:38 So I work with anyone who wants to publish a book

01:36:41 and I help them to really build that story

01:36:43 that they have within.

01:36:45 You know, I've been very blessed

01:36:46 to have my publishing company,

01:36:48 which is Dara Publishing for a little over seven years.

01:36:52 And I've been even more blessed that this month

01:36:55 I've celebrated my third year of doing my business full-time.

01:37:00 So, you know, I just want to just acknowledge,

01:37:04 or I should say, encourage those that when you have a dream,

01:37:07 you have a passion, you know, to believe in yourself.

01:37:10 And in the height of a pandemic, you know,

01:37:12 I felt strongly led by God to pivot, you know,

01:37:17 to leave the comfortable place of my job and to launch off

01:37:21 and to do my business full-time.

01:37:23 And as a result of that, I've been able to work

01:37:25 with approximately around 70 authors thus far,

01:37:28 making quite a few of them self-published,

01:37:31 I'm self-published authors, but also bestseller.

01:37:35 And, you know, I'm here on my local TV station in Trinidad

01:37:38 and I've also had the opportunity of working with at least,

01:37:41 I think, very close to about 16 authors,

01:37:44 some underground home and some here in the US

01:37:49 who are from Trinidad.

01:37:50 And that I think brought me the most joy

01:37:53 being able to assist them in making their dream come true

01:37:56 of becoming an author.

01:37:57 - Yeah, real, and let's speak a little bit

01:37:59 about the assistance, because I know for people

01:38:03 who are interested, it could be a very, very daunting task.

01:38:09 So what, when they make contact with you,

01:38:13 what are some of the expertise

01:38:17 that you are going to share with them

01:38:19 and also some of the services?

01:38:21 - Okay, well, for me, one of the first thing I want to do,

01:38:24 I want this individual to really develop

01:38:27 an entrepreneur mindset,

01:38:29 because you have to understand firstly,

01:38:31 that as you are about to embark on this journey

01:38:33 of becoming an author, whether it was spiritually led

01:38:37 or perhaps it's something that you want to do

01:38:40 because of your perfection,

01:38:42 you got to first get your mind in the right place,

01:38:45 because if you don't, you're not going to succeed, right?

01:38:48 There are so many authors out there who are striving

01:38:51 and who are earning a good income off of that,

01:38:53 but you first got to position your mind

01:38:55 to understand that you are about to embark in business.

01:38:59 Secondly, it's important for me to educate my authors

01:39:03 about the publishing process,

01:39:05 so they have a clear understanding

01:39:07 about what to expect and their role.

01:39:10 And then once they work with me,

01:39:11 it's a bit of a done for you and done with you.

01:39:14 So I really have an entire team who will help us now

01:39:17 to take, who will help them, I'm sorry,

01:39:19 to take their dream and to take those words

01:39:22 they have on paper and turn it into an entire book.

01:39:25 So we work collaboratively in that sense,

01:39:28 but my goal is to bring their vision alive,

01:39:32 not to just take over whatever it is

01:39:35 they want, but to really work alongside them.

01:39:38 And for me, it's very important that I motivate them,

01:39:41 that I help them to really work past

01:39:44 whatever doubt they may have,

01:39:45 because even though they made that step to contact me,

01:39:49 I've seen over the years,

01:39:50 authors who have this book now published

01:39:55 and they're doing nothing with it, right?

01:39:57 And why is that?

01:39:58 Because they are afraid of failure,

01:40:00 they are afraid of putting themself out there,

01:40:04 and they're also afraid of rejection.

01:40:08 So in this space, even though they hire me

01:40:10 as their self-publishing consultant,

01:40:13 there's where my life coaching come in, right?

01:40:15 And that extra drive as a book coach

01:40:17 to really help them to gain that mindset

01:40:20 so that as we draw closer to the finish line,

01:40:24 they have that confidence to really build that story,

01:40:27 because we all have a story

01:40:29 and we have an audience out there

01:40:32 who is waiting for us, right?

01:40:34 And that story will impact lives.

01:40:36 - So Rhea, it is safe to say,

01:40:39 and I'm gonna use your words,

01:40:40 so you are going to be with the individual

01:40:43 from the birth of the project to the end.

01:40:47 - Yes, and we do that in as little as 90 days,

01:40:51 depending on the complexity of the book,

01:40:53 it could go a little bit further than that.

01:40:56 But I have mastered the art

01:40:58 of getting these books published within 90 days,

01:41:02 whether the book is completed,

01:41:04 and I mean written,

01:41:05 or if we have to do the writing and the mentorship.

01:41:08 But a lot of that is relying on the individual,

01:41:11 understanding that we have a timeframe,

01:41:13 we have a schedule,

01:41:14 and I'm here to be their accountability.

01:41:17 So they have my support and guidance the entire way.

01:41:22 And I shoulder 85% of the job on getting this book done.

01:41:28 - Yeah, let's speak a little bit about the viability, Rhea.

01:41:34 Of someone becoming an author and involved in writing,

01:41:39 because you know how some of us are in Trinidad and Tobago,

01:41:41 boy, you want to be a writer,

01:41:44 you want to live,

01:41:46 how you go live,

01:41:47 and how you take care of your family and so on.

01:41:49 Let's speak about the viability of that.

01:41:52 - Well, first off,

01:41:55 I tell everyone have a story, as I said,

01:41:58 and this story could impact lives.

01:42:00 But you could decide if you wanna write for a hobby,

01:42:03 or if you wanna write to make an income.

01:42:05 And once you know that your goal is to create an income,

01:42:09 then you have to write a book

01:42:11 that you can monetize and leverage.

01:42:14 A good feel story is not gonna take you all the way

01:42:18 where you could have a salary.

01:42:19 So this is where even if you're writing a memoir,

01:42:22 and you're sharing your story,

01:42:24 you want this to be a self-help memo.

01:42:27 You want that whatever it is you went through

01:42:30 and you overcame,

01:42:32 there are other people who are going through.

01:42:34 So you wanna really make sure that you have an audience,

01:42:37 and you wanna really make sure

01:42:38 that your story serves a need.

01:42:41 So you have to know what is the pain point of my audience,

01:42:44 and how can my story assist?

01:42:46 What tools can I give them to help them to navigate

01:42:50 or to see a win?

01:42:52 So once you write a book,

01:42:53 whether it's a business book,

01:42:55 a self-help book,

01:42:56 or whatever it is in that regards,

01:42:59 that cover these component,

01:43:00 now you can monetize and leverage.

01:43:02 And how do we do that?

01:43:04 Not just by a book sale, right?

01:43:07 One of the things you heard me say that I'm a coach, right?

01:43:10 So you could create a coaching program,

01:43:13 or a workshop,

01:43:14 or a digital product

01:43:16 that further supports your message

01:43:19 that could reach more people.

01:43:21 So now let's say for instance,

01:43:23 you create a coaching program,

01:43:25 and let's just say this program,

01:43:27 you're selling it for $1,000,

01:43:28 and it's like an eight weeks program,

01:43:30 and the person pay for it,

01:43:32 and they do it themselves.

01:43:34 And you get 10 person to enroll,

01:43:36 that's $10,000.

01:43:37 Look how advanced that is from book sales, right?

01:43:41 $10,000 by 10 individual.

01:43:44 Again, look at the team and the message of your book,

01:43:48 your audience,

01:43:49 and you craft a signature speech.

01:43:52 Now you are positioned as a speaker,

01:43:54 every author is a speaker,

01:43:55 but now you're positioned at a different level

01:43:57 because your book serve a need,

01:43:59 it have an audience.

01:44:00 So now you could go out there

01:44:02 and look for a speaking gig.

01:44:03 Speaking gig pays great,

01:44:05 but even the free one pays

01:44:08 because you could sell your book,

01:44:09 you're getting more visibility,

01:44:10 and you could promote your product.

01:44:13 And there are so many other ways

01:44:14 in which you can monetize and leverage,

01:44:16 and that is how you earn a six figure or seven,

01:44:21 you know, and even if it's five figures,

01:44:22 that's how you're gonna earn it

01:44:24 by writing a book that you can monetize and leverage,

01:44:27 and then understanding the entrepreneurial mindset.

01:44:31 If you don't have that,

01:44:32 then it's either a hobby

01:44:35 or you're safe to stay at your job.

01:44:37 But once you're willing to adapt and to pivot,

01:44:41 and once you understand what is needed,

01:44:45 what that book needs,

01:44:46 and what you can do to scale it,

01:44:48 there's no doubt that you can live a comfortable life.

01:44:51 - Rhea, we just have about 30 seconds again,

01:44:53 how can people contact you?

01:44:56 - Sure, so you could visit my website,

01:44:57 which is www.dara.co,

01:45:02 not com, Dara Publishing, sorry, .co.

01:45:06 So www.darapublishing.co,

01:45:10 and of course you could find me on Instagram,

01:45:12 on Facebook, on LinkedIn,

01:45:14 Rhea Rodney or Dara Publishing.

01:45:17 - All right, so we have put up for you,

01:45:21 I don't know if you can see it,

01:45:23 2.0, 2.0, the year all the lemons were served.

01:45:28 Rhea, you're seeing that?

01:45:30 - No, I'm not seeing anything on the screen.

01:45:31 - All right, but you know what I'm speaking about.

01:45:33 Can you tell us a little bit about this?

01:45:35 - Yeah, so this is my book "Antology",

01:45:38 it's one of my book,

01:45:39 and we did this book in 2021,

01:45:43 and it's really focused on all the challenges

01:45:45 that people would have gone through during the COVID time.

01:45:49 It doesn't necessarily have to be about COVID,

01:45:53 but you know, what was those lemon

01:45:54 that light tossed our way,

01:45:56 and how were we able to rise above it,

01:45:59 to rise above the adversity?

01:46:01 So in this book, it have a collaboration of 15 women

01:46:05 who shared their story of that adversity

01:46:07 and how they were able to rise above it.

01:46:10 And I'm blessed to say,

01:46:11 I think I have about six authors from Trinidad

01:46:14 that are part of it, right?

01:46:16 So it was such a wonderful experience,

01:46:19 and it's all about, again,

01:46:21 motivating our readers to help them to rise

01:46:24 through their challenges,

01:46:25 which was the theme of this particular collaboration.

01:46:29 - Where can people get the book?

01:46:31 - It's available on Amazon.

01:46:33 - Yes, all right.

01:46:34 Thank you very much, Rhea.

01:46:36 Was a pleasure speaking with you this morning.

01:46:38 Bye for now.

01:46:39 - Thank you for having me.

01:46:40 - Okay, we are going to a very short break.

01:46:42 We are coming back everyone.

01:46:43 (upbeat music)

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01:48:14 - It ain't have no shame in crying,

01:48:17 no matter your age or sex,

01:48:20 or laughing and kicksing for that matter.

01:48:24 It's when we keep things in,

01:48:26 then the pressure does start.

01:48:28 You need to express yourself.

01:48:31 Establish a safe and nonjudgmental environment

01:48:39 in your home and family circle.

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01:48:46 not afraid to discuss their feelings with you.

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01:49:00 At the end of the day, do your best as parents.

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01:49:14 The letter of the day is F for feelings.

01:49:17 (speaking in foreign language)

01:49:24 - Shut up!

01:49:28 I've had enough of all of you.

01:49:31 You ungrateful.

01:49:32 - I've had enough of you.

01:49:33 You think you're from our countries,

01:49:34 and the boss pretends I was working day and night

01:49:36 like slaves and expect us to be grateful?

01:49:40 (speaking in foreign language)

01:49:44 Just allow us to leave.

01:49:52 - Please, give us our passports and allow us to leave.

01:49:55 - You could for nothing say free to leave.

01:50:00 If you step one foot out of here,

01:50:04 I will see to it that immigration sends you back

01:50:07 to whatever hell you came from.

01:50:10 - If you know of or suspect human trafficking activity,

01:50:15 call the counter-trafficking hotline at 800-4CTU

01:50:19 or 800-4288.

01:50:22 Human trafficking is a crime.

01:50:24 Identify it, report it, stop it.

01:50:27 A message from the counter-trafficking unit

01:50:29 of the Ministry of National Security.

01:50:32 (upbeat music)

01:50:35 - Ah, boy.

01:50:41 Feel like I'm gonna buy myself a senorita tonight.

01:50:48 - Nah, nah, nah.

01:50:49 You know you might be promoting slavery?

01:50:51 - Slavery?

01:50:52 - Mm-hmm.

01:50:53 - What are you talking about?

01:50:54 - Hey, modern-day slavery or human trafficking

01:50:58 is just what some of these people just do.

01:51:01 You know some of these women were tricked to come here?

01:51:04 Some are held against their will, abused, and even beaten.

01:51:11 Most times the girls don't even see any of the money

01:51:15 that is paid for them.

01:51:16 Every night, they just had to come out looking nice and sexy

01:51:20 for somebody like you.

01:51:21 Human trafficking is a serious problem and a serious crime.

01:51:27 Persons who solicit commercial sex services

01:51:29 may be contributing to human trafficking.

01:51:32 A message from the counter-trafficking unit

01:51:34 of the Ministry of National Security.

01:51:37 (upbeat music)

01:51:39 All right, so welcome back.

01:51:45 We are talking tennis now, and we do have president

01:51:47 of the Tennis Association of Trinidad and Tobago,

01:51:50 Mr. Hayden Mitchell.

01:51:51 Mr. Mitchell, thank you very much for coming this morning.

01:51:53 - My pleasure, man.

01:51:54 - Yeah?

01:51:55 Well, let's talk about the National Interclub League.

01:51:58 - Right here, we are quite excited

01:52:00 to have this league back again.

01:52:02 This is our third edition of it.

01:52:05 It is for all the clubs in Trinidad and Tobago,

01:52:09 and we have two divisions.

01:52:10 We have a premiership and a championship division.

01:52:13 Right there.

01:52:14 I mean, it's not football, right?

01:52:15 But it's tennis, right?

01:52:18 This year, we have about seven clubs taking part.

01:52:22 However, some of the clubs have both premiership teams

01:52:24 and championship teams, right?

01:52:26 And really, the gist of it is to bring the clubs together.

01:52:30 It's really atmosphere of a lot of fun.

01:52:33 - Yeah.

01:52:34 When is the event being held?

01:52:36 - Right, so the event started last weekend, right?

01:52:39 At the National Racquet Center.

01:52:40 And it goes on this weekend as well.

01:52:42 So Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

01:52:44 Sunday is the closing ceremony.

01:52:46 We'll be giving out prizes and the trophies

01:52:49 to the championship clubs and the divisions.

01:52:52 - Is this the first time you're having such an event?

01:52:54 - No, this is our third time.

01:52:57 We started it just before COVID,

01:52:59 but COVID just throws off everybody, right?

01:53:02 But yeah, this is our third event.

01:53:05 And this is really for the adults,

01:53:09 but we really also want to have, in future,

01:53:11 a junior club event as well, too.

01:53:13 - Yeah.

01:53:14 Why, Mr. Mitchell, why is an event,

01:53:19 or how did you all come up with this event

01:53:24 and say it had to be for a reason?

01:53:26 What were you trying to achieve?

01:53:28 - Well, one of the main things

01:53:31 is to bring the clubs together, right?

01:53:33 Because you want to bring the clubs together

01:53:34 because tennis is really a social event, right?

01:53:37 Yes, you have the competition phase,

01:53:38 but it's really a social event.

01:53:40 You want to make sure that there's a lot of activity,

01:53:44 physical activity happening.

01:53:45 You know, with COVID,

01:53:46 there was a lot of non-participation in sports, right?

01:53:51 And for us, it's quite important

01:53:53 to get the sport back up and running.

01:53:55 You want to have an atmosphere that is fun.

01:53:59 You want to bring the kids,

01:54:00 because it's not only about the players that are playing,

01:54:02 but it's really about the family.

01:54:03 You want to have events where families

01:54:05 can come out and interact.

01:54:07 And for this event, you know,

01:54:09 you want people to come out

01:54:10 and they could also interact with clubs.

01:54:12 And the youngsters, you know,

01:54:13 the ones young and young at heart,

01:54:16 could also join clubs in the area.

01:54:18 So we have clubs as far as point 14 and 14-3.

01:54:22 We didn't have Tobago coming this time,

01:54:24 but we have Tranquility, we have Tennis Patrons,

01:54:27 we have Total Tennis, we have Sevilla.

01:54:31 I mean, we have a lot of clubs in it.

01:54:33 So once people come to the events,

01:54:35 they can actually join clubs

01:54:36 and they could go to clubs that are in their communities

01:54:39 and they could learn tennis

01:54:40 and participate in physical activity.

01:54:43 Very important for us.

01:54:44 - For parents who would want their children

01:54:46 to become involved in tennis in Trinidad and Tobago,

01:54:50 what are the avenues via which

01:54:52 they can get involved in the clubs?

01:54:54 Yeah, what are the avenues?

01:54:56 - Well, the first thing is they could always

01:54:58 go into our website and you can see

01:54:59 the listing of all the clubs.

01:55:02 The good thing is through Minister Shampo Kujo,

01:55:05 they are now launching a Sporting Communities Project,

01:55:08 right, which is very big.

01:55:10 It's something that they wanted to launch last year,

01:55:12 but they'll be doing it this year.

01:55:14 And tennis is one of the sports,

01:55:16 one of the sports that will be in that as well.

01:55:20 So we are going into the communities to find the talent,

01:55:24 not only to find the talent,

01:55:25 but to get people physically moving, all right?

01:55:28 And once it is, we realize this is a sport,

01:55:30 whether it's tennis or football, whatever it is,

01:55:33 you then go into those clubs that are in your area.

01:55:37 And once you're in those clubs, you get development.

01:55:40 Once you have development happening in those clubs,

01:55:43 then you actually can get pulled into the national program.

01:55:47 And from that national program,

01:55:48 that's where you represent Trinidad and Tobago.

01:55:51 But it's not, you know,

01:55:53 you think about tennis and a lot of these sports,

01:55:55 is there a lot of opportunities for people for scholarships

01:55:58 and those sorts of things.

01:55:59 So keeping kids involved in sport is a major thing for us,

01:56:04 of course, in the sport of tennis,

01:56:05 but there are lots of opportunities, educational for one,

01:56:09 and other opportunities in sports.

01:56:11 - Yeah, when we think about sport,

01:56:12 where does tennis stand in Trinidad and Tobago?

01:56:15 Because we all think maybe the number one sport

01:56:18 is football and cricket.

01:56:20 Yeah, maybe vice versa.

01:56:21 Yeah.

01:56:22 (laughing)

01:56:23 Don't want a row now.

01:56:24 - I know, right.

01:56:25 - But where does tennis stand in all of this?

01:56:28 - Right, so it depends on what matrix you're using.

01:56:32 - Yes. - What matrix you're using.

01:56:33 So I saw recently they sent out,

01:56:35 this is the Ministry of Sport,

01:56:38 they sent out a document in terms of sport tourism.

01:56:41 - Yes. - Right?

01:56:42 And they had eight activities that happened last year.

01:56:45 Of those eight activities,

01:56:47 tennis had four international events,

01:56:50 and you're looking at sport tourism.

01:56:52 So we referred activities that brought people here.

01:56:54 Last year, a lot, hundreds of people, you know?

01:56:58 So it depends on what you're using to measure.

01:57:02 - Right. - Right?

01:57:03 Our vision is really to have tennis in the top five events.

01:57:07 We understand, we are realistic that football,

01:57:09 you could add every sport that is being played, right?

01:57:15 Add all of them together and it still wouldn't amount

01:57:17 to the amount of people that play football.

01:57:18 - Right. - Right?

01:57:19 Just because it's so easy to play,

01:57:21 have a ball, you could just go in a park.

01:57:22 You know, tennis is limited by actual physical,

01:57:26 you know, the courts. - Yes.

01:57:28 - The amount of courts that you have,

01:57:29 so it's limited by that.

01:57:31 But there are also ways that we can do it in schools,

01:57:34 you know, creating smaller courts and mobile courts

01:57:37 and that sort of thing.

01:57:38 You know, so our aim is to be in the top five

01:57:41 sports in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:57:43 - Yeah, when we think, because when we think about tennis,

01:57:48 we usually think about these big international stars.

01:57:53 When you look at the expertise of not only the athletes,

01:58:00 but I'm speaking about the structure in Trinidad and Tobago,

01:58:08 the expertise of the coaches in Trinidad and Tobago,

01:58:13 how do you view, again, a positioning or standing

01:58:18 to compete at that level?

01:58:22 - Well, good, so, Mano, what you're talking about

01:58:24 is development. - Right.

01:58:25 - Right?

01:58:26 So development, you have it happening

01:58:27 on many different levels.

01:58:29 So let's talk about coaching.

01:58:31 Trinidad and Tobago is one of the only countries

01:58:35 in Central America and the Caribbean

01:58:38 that is certified to give accreditation to coaches.

01:58:43 - Yes. - Right?

01:58:44 So that is one of the things that we took on our belt

01:58:48 when we first came in, because we realized

01:58:50 for development to happen, a key pillar

01:58:52 is coaches and coaching development.

01:58:55 We have the head of coaching, who is Kyle Hannis,

01:58:57 and he's actually an ITF tutor, right?

01:59:01 So I want to put that in perspective,

01:59:03 because he's now somebody who ITF hires

01:59:06 to go and do coaching all over the world.

01:59:08 And we have that resource right here.

01:59:11 We have quite a few other resources

01:59:12 who ITF have been developing.

01:59:16 There's a guy called Jamil Danclair,

01:59:17 who actually got a scholarship from ITF

01:59:20 to do his master's in sports administration.

01:59:23 So we have those people here.

01:59:25 We just have to make sure that we have the structure

01:59:28 in place, because building a facility is one thing, right?

01:59:33 So we'd have the nice facility,

01:59:34 we have the tennis facility, we have the aquatics,

01:59:36 but you have to make sure you have a structure in place

01:59:39 that can run that facility and the correct personnel

01:59:43 to help develop the sport.

01:59:45 - Mr. Mitchell, we're pressed for time.

01:59:46 But just give us the information again concerning your event.

01:59:51 - Right, Inter Club this weekend, Friday.

01:59:55 Bring the kids, bring everybody.

01:59:56 Friday, Saturday, Sunday starts at nine.

01:59:59 Come with a racket, come and have fun.

02:00:02 And let's get moving to Atlanta, baby.

02:00:05 - Yeah.

02:00:06 Can people get additional information via social media?

02:00:10 - Yeah, there are social media.

02:00:11 We have all the handles, hashtags,

02:00:13 all these young people have everything, right?

02:00:15 So Tennessee, we have the website.

02:00:17 You could go on to Instagram, Tennessee's Instagram page

02:00:20 and get all the information as well.

02:00:22 - Yeah.

02:00:23 Mr. Mitchell, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

02:00:24 Thank you very much. - Same here.

02:00:25 Thanks a lot, Mark.

02:00:26 - So which I'll say, walk with your racket.

02:00:28 - Walk with your racket.

02:00:29 - Yeah, coming down, right?

02:00:30 So we do have Emmy Prime this evening at nine.

02:00:33 No?

02:00:34 All right, what, all right.

02:00:36 Well, okay, so here's what.

02:00:38 That's gonna do it for our program for today.

02:00:40 Remember, we go to the rooftop tomorrow for entertainment.

02:00:44 This is an image from Vishal.

02:00:47 Vishal, thank you very much.

02:00:49 See you tomorrow, everybody.

02:00:50 (upbeat music)

02:00:53 (upbeat music)

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