Morning Edition: 16th May 2024

CCNTV6

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Transcript

00:00:00Very special good morning Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world. I'm Marlon Hopkins and welcome to The Morning Edition.

00:00:16It's Thursday, May 16th. Thank you very, very much. And just to that song, you remember the year that David Rudder came out with that song?

00:00:25And the whole country was singing that song. He had great success that year. Of course, that song was for Rudolph Charles, late Panarranger.

00:00:35Yeah, so I'm just, the song took me back this morning. So how was your night? I hope your night was good.

00:00:41Yeah, and that you're safe and sound with us this morning. Well, Tobago, Tobago, Tobago, Tobago, you're making the news again today.

00:00:50And for all the wrong reasons, because we understand that there was a murder last night.

00:00:56Yeah. So the police are investigating that right now. We'll provide further information for you throughout today.

00:01:02But Tobago, this is a little too much because we remember the days where you would have statistics on Trinidad and then you would have Tobago when it comes to crimes and more so murders.

00:01:15And you would have zero in Tobago. And that is not the case this year in Tobago. So Tobago, it's time to reflect and step back, you know, because I really don't know what is going on.

00:01:26Yeah, I really don't know. Yeah. So I don't know. It is causing me concern this morning. I hope for the authorities it is causing them some concern.

00:01:35All right. All right. So let's check out to see what's happening on the Daily Express today.

00:01:40On the front page, the probe is on column.

00:01:44No cancellation of investigation into understatement of revenue in Auditor General's report and for their good deed.

00:01:53Teens honored housing minister Camille Robinson, Regis Wright and minister in the Ministry of Housing Adrian Leon's left flank, a group of East Port of Spain young men who were honored by the ministry yesterday for providing assistance to the injured driver and passenger of a sedan that crashed off Lady Young Road opposite Crystal Drive in Mova on April 21st.

00:02:15Displaying their gifts are Jelani Russo, second from left, Tyreek Barrow, Kabir Bernard, Joel Frank and Tishan Charles. So congratulations to all of these boys.

00:02:29Yeah. Police probe pharmacies over fake drugs. Let's get to the Auditor General story. All right.

00:02:36So Inbert on Auditor General's claims of illegal investigation. Harris probe won't be canceled. The probe will proceed as planned. There will be no cancellation of the investigation headed by retired judge David Harris into the circumstances surrounding the understatement of revenue and the Auditor General's report for the financial year.

00:02:57And related matters, says acting Prime Minister Colin Inbert. All right. Let's move on to some sport now to the back page. Red Devils cage magpies bullet Newcastle United's Lewis Hall fires home in the dying stages during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England.

00:03:19All right. Let's move on to some sport now to the back page. Red Devils cage magpies bullet Newcastle United's Lewis Hall fires home in the dying stages during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England.

00:03:49All right. Let's move on to some sport now to the back page. Red Devils cage magpies bullet Newcastle United's Lewis Hall fires home in the dying stages during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England.

00:04:17All right. Let's move on to some sport now to the back page. Red Devils cage magpies bullet Newcastle United's Lewis Hall fires home in the dying stages during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England.

00:04:47All right. Let's move on to some sport now to the back page. Red Devils cage magpies bullet Newcastle United's Lewis Hall fires home in the dying stages during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England.

00:05:17All right. Let's move on to some sport now to the back page. Red Devils cage magpies bullet Newcastle United's Lewis Hall fires home in the dying stages during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England.

00:05:47All right. Let's move on to some sport now to the back page. Red Devils cage magpies bullet Newcastle United's Lewis Hall fires home in the dying stages during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England.

00:06:12All right.

00:06:42Yes, he said he will give us a contract. We have to fix it up. So we look official now. But we're inside. We're just looking for a little something back. You know how it is going inside of it. Plus we could charge them more. It's not his money. It's government money.

00:06:56So we eat our food and we eat our food. And you know, nobody is going to say nothing.

00:07:27And don't worry. When you make a whistleblowing complaint, you are fully protected under Section 40 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act of 2015 as amended.

00:07:38Remember, you're speaking up means there is more accountability, more transparency and less wastage of public money.

00:07:44But before you speak up, please read our whistleblowing guidelines at www.OPRTT.org slash whistleblowing. For more information on how to speak up, call 1-868-224-5707.

00:08:15Mommy, Mommy, I want to go back to school.

00:08:23Mommy, Mommy, stay home and don't go.

00:08:30And welcome back everyone. So about 150 migrant children living in this country are expected to start school in September.

00:08:38We do have on the line this morning, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association, Mr. Martin Lumpkin.

00:08:44Mr. Lumpkin, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

00:08:47Thank you for having me. Good morning, Mr. Hopkinson and good morning, Trinidad and Tobago.

00:08:52It's always good to speak with you, Mr. President.

00:08:54Well, let's get right into it. Well, I already see that you're saying, well, you have no problems with integration, but there is a but, Mr. Lumpkin.

00:09:04There is a but. Some people might say a big but in parentheses and in bold letters.

00:09:12If we are to integrate the migrant, the children of migrants from Venezuela, there has to be, there must be the requisite resources and structures in place, as well as the personnel for giving support to our educators and the students as well, too.

00:09:35Because you have different children of different cultures coming together and as such, you need to have that support.

00:09:43You have to ensure that these children are not bullied or stereotyped or ostracized, but you also have to ensure that our children are also looked after as well.

00:09:56And so we have a couple of months, and I know this has been long in the making.

00:10:01The Catholic Education Board of Management have been pushing this.

00:10:06They are in the forefront and have been putting structures.

00:10:12So we had a conversation with the chief executive officer, Ms. Mongrew, and she has given us certain assurances in terms of training, in terms of the schools that were selected.

00:10:25They had a conversation and consultation with their principals.

00:10:29So it's not a matter where we have schools that are, there isn't places.

00:10:36These are schools that have the places and the principals and staff are willing to have those migrant children.

00:10:45And so they have put certain systems in place and training.

00:10:49However, we are concerned about, one, furniture at school.

00:10:54Would there be sufficient furniture?

00:10:57Two, ventilation.

00:11:00We realize how hot it is these days.

00:11:03And when you add bodies into a room, it increases the temperature.

00:11:09And so ventilation is also one.

00:11:12What about school feeding?

00:11:14More than likely, these children will require school feeding, breakfast, and lunch.

00:11:20Will that also be a requisite as well?

00:11:24What about support for teachers in terms of counseling, bridging the gap, bilingual persons as well?

00:11:33Should it be necessary?

00:11:35Because from what I understand, it's basic training in terms of the use of Spanish as a second language.

00:11:43However, they will obtain sometimes the need for persons to give support.

00:11:52Now, from what I understand, the children that are coming into the school system can speak English.

00:11:59However, they switch from English to Spanish because their background, their parents will also be speaking to them in Spanish as well.

00:12:08So you need to have those put in place.

00:12:10And the support, what is most important is the support for the educators who are actually dealing with these students on a day-to-day basis.

00:12:23You have spoken about the system that is being put in place for these children.

00:12:31Have you had talks with anyone, the stakeholders in education, about this system?

00:12:38And is there going to be a monitoring of this system?

00:12:43What is the system?

00:12:45I lost audio. I just got a little piece. I'm still not hearing you.

00:12:51All right. Are you hearing me now, Mr. Lumpkin? You're hearing me?

00:12:55So you spoke a little earlier about the system.

00:12:59Has there been any discussion about the system with tutors?

00:13:02Have you all also, if you have had those talks, have you also made suggestions about what could be done to improve the system that has been put in place?

00:13:13I understand in another forum, the Honorable Minister did say that discussions will come soon with the association to represent the educators.

00:13:26We have not had any formal discussions.

00:13:29We had informal discussions with the Catholic Education Board of Management.

00:13:35However, we have not been privy to what is the proposal of the ministry and the Catholic Education Board.

00:13:45And so we are at this point somewhat in the dark.

00:13:50We look forward to that dialogue and conversation.

00:13:52And at that point, we will make our suggestions based upon the rollout that the ministry and the Catholic Board is proposing.

00:14:02Yeah. You said earlier that you believe that these children are going to be bilingual.

00:14:07But what about our teachers to speak with them and communicate with them?

00:14:12Do we have enough bilingual teachers in order to make this happen?

00:14:18From what I understand, the Catholic Board engaged in training for those schools that are targeted.

00:14:27I was invited to one of the training, however, I am not able to.

00:14:32But I will give the opportunity to attend.

00:14:36However, I know it will be basic training in terms of greetings and certain aspects.

00:14:44I would hope that there will be future and upgrade in training for our teachers, our administrators, our educators.

00:14:53And even the support staff, Student Support Services Division, because they will play an integral role in this entire process as well.

00:15:04And so I hope that the basic training will be done to start the program.

00:15:10And there will be future upgrades in the training.

00:15:14Yeah. But you know how we are in Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Lumpkin.

00:15:18I don't have to tell you how we are because when we're usually speaking about something and something new, we give the impression that all is in place.

00:15:25It is going to work well and so on.

00:15:27And I'm sure that there are a lot of people like you, Mr. Lumpkin.

00:15:30You have already said you're not you have no objection to integration.

00:15:34But as you know, there's already pressure on the education system in Trinidad and Tobago, pressure on schools.

00:15:43We see many schools trying to raise funds and so on, doing all sorts of things.

00:15:48And by having this integration now, I'm sure it's going to put a little more pressure on some schools.

00:15:56Yes, it will.

00:15:57And we will be monitoring our basic sites would be in terms of the resources that will be adequately or hopefully adequately assigned to the schools,

00:16:14as well as the terms and conditions of employment of all of our members.

00:16:20While we are mindful of the need to have these children educated and be placed in schools, because we have quite a bit of them out on the streets doing nothing, engage in idle time.

00:16:36And as you know, once they're engaged in idle time, there's the possibility that they can get into certain activities that are not in the best interest of the community.

00:16:47So as well as the basic fact that we are a signatory to the United Nations Rights of the Child.

00:16:55So there's a humanitarian aspect. There's a legal aspect as well, too.

00:17:00Permit me, Mr. Hopkinson and the nation, as you speak about legality, we are pleased that the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago fast-tracked that legislation

00:17:13in order to have these migrant students into schools.

00:17:18But we are tutors. We sometimes question the legislative agenda of the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Ministry of Education.

00:17:27There's a long, outstanding upgrade to the legislation which deals with the ECCE sector, early childhood care and education.

00:17:37The age for schooling to change from five to two and a half or three, which will include the ECCE sector.

00:17:46We've been told that for quite a bit of months, even over a year, it is at the Attorney General's office.

00:17:53I'm looking to be upgraded and the government has engaged in constitutional reform.

00:18:00So we're hoping that that will be part of it.

00:18:03Because while that is the case, a number of ECCE sector schools, our educators, are languishing because of that.

00:18:15They're on a month-to-month contract. They are not recognized solely as teachers.

00:18:21So there are a number of issues. So I thought I would throw that into the mix.

00:18:28We can sit down all day and talk about that. But in terms of legislation, I thought I would include that as well.

00:18:35Yeah. Mr. Lumpkin, if you'd allow me to take you to another area now.

00:18:44Because I know that over the past few days you have been speaking about the situation at the Diamond Vale Government Primary School.

00:18:51Is there any update on that?

00:18:55As of yesterday, the school had to be dismissed once again because of the lack of adequate water pressure.

00:19:06Now, there is water in the tank. There are tanks that are filled.

00:19:10However, the pump is assessed as being burnt.

00:19:16And the pump that since last Tuesday, the 7th of May, until this date, sorry, the pump has not been repaired.

00:19:25And so cleaners have been asked to fill buckets to flush toilets.

00:19:32They're getting water in the trough very slowly.

00:19:35To a point where our educators, our teachers were asked as well to fill the tanks.

00:19:43And we had to advise them that that is not part of their duties, not part of their job description.

00:19:50But you can understand, and I want the nation to understand, teachers will go so far to keep the school running, to have their children educated and in school.

00:20:00But you reach a point where enough is enough.

00:20:04You cannot have these teachers, and some of them cannot reach into the barrels.

00:20:10Some of them have challenges medically to lift these buckets and so forth.

00:20:15And if the cleaners are not present, how are these toilets going to be filled and flushed?

00:20:21And so it is frustrating for, I understand the parents, the students, and our members at the Diamondville.

00:20:30And we are calling on the Ministry of Education to put all systems in place.

00:20:36Replace the pump if it's necessary with a temporary one so that school can continue.

00:20:41We are in the middle of the third term, and this is a promotion term.

00:20:47And we understand the need to have the children at school, but you cannot be sending them home half day every day.

00:20:55It is an inconvenience, but it is disrupting their education and their learning.

00:21:00And it is enough. It is enough at this point in time.

00:21:05You made a very interesting point earlier.

00:21:09You said that educators are being asked to help flush toilets at the institution?

00:21:16Yes, and this happens at a number of institutions.

00:21:20There is a procedure, there is a policy for when there is no water on the compound.

00:21:27Now one may argue that there is water on the compound.

00:21:30Yes, and that policy and procedure should not take place.

00:21:35However, there is a health and safety issue.

00:21:38If children and persons on the compound do not have adequate water to wash their hands properly,

00:21:45then you can understand what medical problems may arise.

00:21:49If you cannot flush the toilets properly, you understand the medical problems that may arise.

00:21:55And so in an effort in the beginning to have school run,

00:22:01so the pump was diagnosed as being offline last week.

00:22:06And the teachers, all right, we will be giving the Ministry of Education the opportunity to do the relevant upgrade

00:22:13and the necessary repairs to the pump or replacement so that they can get the water.

00:22:19And like many schools, we do not have a 24-hour supply.

00:22:22Not even a two-day supply at one time.

00:22:26Sometimes it's a matter of three, four days.

00:22:29You do not have water from the mains and you depend on your tanks.

00:22:34And if the pump isn't working and they have a two-story building,

00:22:38if you cannot get in the water to do the necessary, then a health and safety issue comes about.

00:22:45Now, I also want to point out, Mr. Hopkinson, it has been creeping in.

00:22:50We have seen throughout the country that the Ministry of Education is circumventing,

00:22:58is slowly eroding the authority of the principal when there's a health and safety issue.

00:23:05They have to get permission to dismiss school.

00:23:09And sometimes they say it's a quick time.

00:23:12However, it is within the authority of the principal.

00:23:16We're looking at the Education Act, Chapter 27.

00:23:20The first aspect is the safety of all on the compound.

00:23:24And that's a big duty.

00:23:26And you have to have that authority and given that leeway to exercise that.

00:23:33But slowly we are finding that the ministry is saying,

00:23:36you can't dismiss, you have to get permission from supervision or higher up.

00:23:42We have some suspicion of way higher up.

00:23:44However, we are saying, give or leave the authority of the principals

00:23:51to use their judgment to dismiss schools when you have issues as such.

00:23:56So, Mr. Lumpkin, if there is an emergency at a school,

00:24:01so the principal has to call the Education Ministry,

00:24:05get on to someone, yeah, ask permission,

00:24:10while things could be getting from bad to worse at an institution.

00:24:15That's what you're telling us?

00:24:18Sorry, Mr. Hopkins, I lost the audio.

00:24:22I tried to read your lips.

00:24:24Let me explain again.

00:24:26So, if there is an emergency at a school,

00:24:31the principal first has to call someone at the Education Ministry,

00:24:36get the permission while things could be getting from bad to worse at the school?

00:24:42Yes, it is such.

00:24:45And further to that, it's not even a phone call sometimes.

00:24:49It's a WhatsApp group that they have.

00:24:52And you have to send the WhatsApp.

00:24:54Now, we understand that for expediency, the WhatsApp group will work.

00:24:59Phone calls will work.

00:25:01But take, for example, the bomb threat we had in the Southeastern District.

00:25:06Where the occupants of the compound were at the master point.

00:25:13But you're talking about hours in the hot sun.

00:25:16And they are waiting the relevant authority to come to the school.

00:25:20And we know the challenges that the TTPS bomb squad,

00:25:24as well as the fire service has.

00:25:27And you are waiting there, waiting there in this hot sun.

00:25:31And being told you cannot dismiss school

00:25:33because you have to wait or you don't have permission.

00:25:39And this is some of the issues facing our principals and administrators

00:25:44and even our school supervisors.

00:25:47But is it a new policy?

00:25:49Sorry?

00:25:51Is it a new policy?

00:25:53I kind of lost the audio too.

00:25:56Is it a new policy?

00:25:58That is a situation that is taking place throughout the country.

00:26:00And our educators are being frustrated.

00:26:05And you can understand that when they are frustrated,

00:26:08then they don't feel the need sometimes to be pushing at their schools.

00:26:15They try their best.

00:26:17But then there's frustration.

00:26:19And job satisfaction is affected by it.

00:26:23So when we're talking about sometimes our educators being absent

00:26:27and taking time.

00:26:28And so sometimes they need that.

00:26:31Mental health is a big issue within the education system at this time.

00:26:37And we feel the Ministry of Education should be supporting our educators.

00:26:42Not bearing down an inordinate number of pressure on them.

00:26:48They should be helping to relieve the pressure.

00:26:51Especially with the challenges that they face with infrastructure.

00:26:55They face with other aspects.

00:26:58Personal aspects as well.

00:27:00We need to have an employer that is more humane

00:27:03than what we are facing at this present time.

00:27:07Just getting back to the Diamond Vale Government Primary School.

00:27:10I hope that you're hearing me.

00:27:12You are hearing me, Mr. Lumpkin?

00:27:14Yeah.

00:27:16Just getting back to that institution.

00:27:18So is it that the problem has not been fixed?

00:27:20So in that context, is there going to be school today?

00:27:22Well, we see our teachers administrator at the school

00:27:27have been reporting for duty.

00:27:30And based upon the situation, then they will take the necessary action.

00:27:34So as far as we are aware, the pump has not been fixed.

00:27:39And if there is sufficient pressure from the mains

00:27:42that they can flush the toilets, have hands washed,

00:27:45then school will continue.

00:27:47However, if the pressure is not sufficient,

00:27:49as I have said earlier, we have advised our members

00:27:54that they are not supposed to be following toilet tanks

00:27:58to help flush.

00:28:00That's not part of their job description.

00:28:03And as such, they should not engage in that.

00:28:06So if there is sufficient water to have the toilets cleaned

00:28:11and for hands to be washed, then I am confident

00:28:15that the administrator, the principal,

00:28:16will take the necessary action.

00:28:18So parents should be on standby just in case.

00:28:22But you know, to the layman, Mr. Lumpkin,

00:28:25if it is that you have a faulty pump,

00:28:28to me, that is an easy exercise.

00:28:30The pump is faulty is either you get someone to fix the pump

00:28:35or you replace the pump.

00:28:37So it's kind of difficult to understand

00:28:40why this is taking so long.

00:28:42So, Mr. Hopkinson, you can understand

00:28:46the challenges and frustration

00:28:49that a number of our principals and teachers face.

00:28:53What may seem very simple to both of us,

00:28:57we can't understand why it's so difficult

00:29:00at the Ministry of Education.

00:29:02Now, they constantly remind us

00:29:04that they have financial challenges

00:29:06and linking back to the migrant children.

00:29:10So if you have financial challenges to replace a pump,

00:29:13I hope that you can find the money.

00:29:16And where are you finding the money

00:29:18to have these students integrated?

00:29:21Now, we have been bold to say, Mr. Hopkinson,

00:29:25we believe that the education system is necessary.

00:29:30It is one that builds national development.

00:29:34And we are bold to say

00:29:36that the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

00:29:40can draw down on the Heritage and Stabilization Fund

00:29:44for this essential sector.

00:29:47I don't believe that persons would have objection to it.

00:29:50We're not saying take all,

00:29:52but draw down on some of it.

00:29:54Because yes, the Ministry of Education

00:29:56has the biggest budget,

00:29:58but they have to look at ECCE

00:30:02straight up to tertiary education as well.

00:30:05So although they have the largest budget,

00:30:07they have to look at all institutions

00:30:09in education.

00:30:12And we understand the challenges,

00:30:15but there is the Heritage and Stabilization Fund.

00:30:18So draw down on it for this essential sector.

00:30:22And I know others will say that they are essential too.

00:30:25But we at TUTA believe that education is the key

00:30:30to getting us out of a number of ills in society.

00:30:34And as such, it is necessary

00:30:37to have the funding for it.

00:30:40Enough is enough in using that excuse

00:30:44of lack of funding

00:30:46because a number of schools are languishing.

00:30:48The Honorable Minister did admit

00:30:52that our schools are aging.

00:30:54What are we doing about it?

00:30:56Our educators have been propping this system

00:30:59for a number of years.

00:31:01And as you know, when you're propping

00:31:03and you're getting tired, what could happen?

00:31:05Yes.

00:31:07Mr. Lumpkin, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.

00:31:09Thank you very much this morning, sir.

00:31:11I hope he has heard me.

00:31:13Sorry, I didn't hear that.

00:31:15Thank you very much, Mr. Lumpkin.

00:31:17Thank you very much for having us.

00:31:19All right, bye for now.

00:31:21Okay, so it's time for a very quick break.

00:31:23We do have this for you.

00:31:25It's a black-crowned night heron and a cobble.

00:31:27And it's from Sham.

00:31:29Sham, a very special good morning to you.

00:31:31Thank you very much for that photograph.

00:31:32Good luck, everybody.

00:32:03Well hit.

00:32:05Away it goes.

00:32:09That is a ridiculous look at this.

00:32:16Hey, Toby, look.

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00:32:46The Kirop and Coastal Empowerment Ministries International

00:32:50of 27 McDonnell Street, Kirop, Trinidad, West Indies

00:32:54presents Empowerment to the World.

00:32:57Come with us as we affect humanity

00:32:59with the life-transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

00:33:03We invite you to stay tuned and be here.

00:33:29What you don't know is that his four-year-old daughter

00:33:32is standing looking at her father,

00:33:34confused, begging him to wake up.

00:33:36Can you imagine what this wife and child are going through

00:33:39and what they will have to go through?

00:33:41They try to process what has happened.

00:33:43How can we begin to help?

00:33:45We can start right here

00:33:47at the Victim and Witness Support Unit.

00:33:49From investigation to counseling

00:33:51to helping families find justice

00:33:54to helping families find peace,

00:33:56this unit gives victims and witnesses hope to cope.

00:34:00We are the Victim and Witness Support Unit,

00:34:03bridging the service gap

00:34:05between the victims, witnesses, and the police.

00:34:27What's going on?

00:34:29What's going on?

00:34:31What's going on?

00:34:33What's going on?

00:34:35What's going on?

00:34:37What's going on?

00:34:39What's going on?

00:34:41What's going on?

00:34:43Alright, so welcome back everyone.

00:34:45So up for discussion now is the Anthony N. Sabga Awards,

00:34:48Caribbean Excellence.

00:34:50We do have in studio this morning Dr. Deva Amon,

00:34:53deep sea marine biologist

00:34:54and 2024 Laureate for Science and Technology.

00:34:57And we also have Robert Clark,

00:34:59communications consultant,

00:35:01Anthony N. Sabga Awards, Caribbean Excellence.

00:35:04Thank you very much for coming this morning.

00:35:06Thank you for having us.

00:35:08And Robert, I have to say, welcome back home.

00:35:10Oh, thank you very much.

00:35:12It's a long time I haven't seen you,

00:35:14so it's good to see you, Robert.

00:35:16Robert, let's talk about the awards.

00:35:18Let's talk about how long have the awards been around

00:35:20and what are you all trying to achieve?

00:35:21Sure, the late Dr. Anthony N. Sabga

00:35:24conceived of these awards.

00:35:26He saw them as an aspect of Caribbeanism, regionalism,

00:35:30and he wanted to recognize and support

00:35:32excellence in human endeavor

00:35:34that uplifts the region,

00:35:36much like Deva's work

00:35:38and the work of our other laureates.

00:35:40So it's now been going on since 2006.

00:35:43We've had 62 laureates

00:35:45from across the Caribbean.

00:35:47And yeah, we've supported them

00:35:49with over $30 million in support.

00:35:53Yeah, and these awards are coming up

00:35:55on Saturday, 25th May 2024, right?

00:35:58Correct. And we are in Barbados

00:36:00at the Barbados Hilton this year

00:36:02because we have three Bajan laureates,

00:36:04one Trini, and one Jamaican.

00:36:06You have to have a Trini in the mix.

00:36:08Yeah, yeah.

00:36:10Right, Dr. Eamon, you have to have a Trini in the mix, boy.

00:36:12So, Dr. Eamon, you're the 2024 laureate

00:36:16for Science and Technology.

00:36:18What does this mean for you?

00:36:20Well, first I'll say that I'm the joint laureate.

00:36:22So it's myself and a pediatrician

00:36:24from Barbados also.

00:36:26But it's just such a wonderful opportunity.

00:36:29I feel so incredibly grateful

00:36:31to be following in the footsteps

00:36:33of so many incredible Caribbean leaders.

00:36:36And I think what I find so wonderful

00:36:38about these awards

00:36:40is that they are recognition

00:36:42in your home, in your region,

00:36:44and it's for Caribbean people,

00:36:46by Caribbean people.

00:36:48And that's so, so rare to have that.

00:36:50And I think, you know, as a scientist,

00:36:52it is very often a field

00:36:56that is undervalued.

00:36:58And so, hey, it's really wonderful

00:37:00that the Anthony and Safgar Awards

00:37:02has enabled some support for that field.

00:37:06Yeah, and you're speaking about undervalued,

00:37:09but sometimes when we speak about that,

00:37:11you know, sometimes it's just that

00:37:13we are not educated enough

00:37:14about the field,

00:37:16and maybe we don't have the structure in place

00:37:18to get more and more people involved.

00:37:20You feel that's the reason?

00:37:22Well, partly, I think the Caribbean

00:37:25produces incredible talent.

00:37:27We have incredible scientists

00:37:29being produced in this country.

00:37:31But what I think the problem is

00:37:33is that we don't retain them.

00:37:35And so definitely this award

00:37:37is a great opportunity

00:37:39to shine light on that field

00:37:41so that we can inspire others

00:37:42and hopefully it can help

00:37:44to sort of, you know, knock on the door

00:37:46and do a little wake-up call

00:37:48that, hey, we do need to support

00:37:50our locals more, essentially.

00:37:53Robert, when we speak about the awards,

00:37:55who are these awards for?

00:37:58What sort of,

00:38:00is there a particular theme every year?

00:38:03Is there a certain type of industry

00:38:06or industries that you all are targeting?

00:38:08Yeah, so these are mid-career professionals

00:38:09between the ages of 35 and 55.

00:38:11Diva is...

00:38:13Adjust them in that category, FYI.

00:38:15Diva is one of our younger laureates, right?

00:38:19And they are given in the categories

00:38:21of arts and letters, entrepreneurship,

00:38:23public and civic contributions,

00:38:25and science and technology.

00:38:27Yeah, but how does one qualify for that?

00:38:29What's the criteria for that?

00:38:31You go to answercaribbeanawards.com

00:38:33and there are nomination forms there.

00:38:35You need to have references.

00:38:37You submit your resume

00:38:39that uplifts the Caribbean in some small way.

00:38:41Somebody can nominate you

00:38:43or you can nominate yourself.

00:38:45And it's an annual process

00:38:47and happens each year.

00:38:49And it's a rigorous screening committee,

00:38:51a panel that does the work.

00:38:53And yeah, they are fascinating stories.

00:38:55I have to tell you, as Diva mentioned,

00:38:57her fellow laureate in science and technology,

00:38:59pediatric neurologist from Barbados,

00:39:01born in Canada,

00:39:03but works in Barbados for many years.

00:39:05And he discovered something

00:39:07that had eluded scientists for years,

00:39:09which is to reduce a spasm in a rat.

00:39:12It sounds like nothing,

00:39:14but it's very important to epilepsy research.

00:39:16And that had been research

00:39:18that had been ongoing for decades.

00:39:20And when he managed to do that,

00:39:22it was a big moment.

00:39:24All the pharmaceutical companies now

00:39:26use his model to find treatments

00:39:28and interventions for epilepsy.

00:39:30Yeah, so is it that you all

00:39:32go out to find these candidates?

00:39:34Or is it that people,

00:39:36they have to apply?

00:39:37It's a public nomination process

00:39:39and we advertise it every year.

00:39:41And then there's a deadline,

00:39:43but you can go through that process

00:39:45through answercaribbeanawards.com.

00:39:47And Diva's work is remarkable in itself.

00:39:49She is one of the few in the Caribbean

00:39:51to have been down to such depth.

00:39:53She's published over 70 peer-reviewed,

00:39:55almost 80, I think,

00:39:57academic papers on life in the deep sea

00:40:00and is really committed

00:40:02to more effective ocean stewardship,

00:40:04not only in the Caribbean, right?

00:40:05I think, yeah, absolutely.

00:40:07So a little bit about my work.

00:40:09So I'm a deep sea biologist

00:40:11and this isn't really something

00:40:13you think about when you think

00:40:15about the Caribbean at all.

00:40:17And what I do is essentially

00:40:19I try to understand what lives there

00:40:21because most of the deep sea

00:40:23has never been explored.

00:40:25Trinidad and Tobago by area

00:40:27is actually 70% deep ocean.

00:40:29Not our ocean, our entire area.

00:40:31And so it's our largest ecosystem

00:40:33and yet we have next to no idea

00:40:35what's going on there.

00:40:37It certainly is a source

00:40:39of many ecosystem services we rely on.

00:40:41Like it supports fisheries that feed us.

00:40:43It helps to regulate our climate.

00:40:45But it also potentially has other resources

00:40:47that we could benefit from in the future

00:40:49as well as is full of amazing,

00:40:51incredible life.

00:40:53So there's a lot to learn.

00:40:55Robert, Dr. Eamon is a very brave lady.

00:40:57Very brave lady, yeah.

00:40:59I know.

00:41:01Really?

00:41:03Will you really pass up the chance?

00:41:05No one's right?

00:41:07I mean, sure, but I'd say

00:41:09apart from the very unfortunate accident

00:41:11that happened globally last year.

00:41:13Do you remember the Titan?

00:41:15Yes.

00:41:16Yes.

00:41:18So apart from that one,

00:41:20it is one of the safest industries there is.

00:41:22There have only ever been two accidents

00:41:24and there have been thousands

00:41:26and thousands and thousands of dives.

00:41:28And, you know, there's just,

00:41:30I think so often we think of everything

00:41:32on the planet as being discovered.

00:41:33I mean, again, most of the Trinidad's deep ocean,

00:41:35Trinidad and Tobago's deep ocean

00:41:37has never been seen.

00:41:39We have no idea what lives there.

00:41:41And so when you go down there,

00:41:43you get to be part of this

00:41:45incredibly small number of humans

00:41:47that are seeing something

00:41:49for the first time

00:41:51that no one else on the planet has seen before.

00:41:53And then you get to take that knowledge

00:41:55and use it to essentially

00:41:57protect these places.

00:41:59Yeah, and you know, Robert,

00:42:01Dr. Eamon is so passionate

00:42:03about these things.

00:42:05And I think she's really trying

00:42:07to get all of us on board.

00:42:09But hear what she says.

00:42:11Well, we don't know what is underneath there.

00:42:13You know?

00:42:15That's the exciting part!

00:42:17A different effect.

00:42:19But how does one,

00:42:21how do you,

00:42:23how did you get involved in this field?

00:42:25Where did this interest begin?

00:42:27That's a really great question

00:42:29and thank you for asking.

00:42:31You know, I think Trinidad and Tobago

00:42:33is a school and

00:42:35it is absolutely

00:42:37where my love for the ocean just blossomed.

00:42:39I mean, we're surrounded by it.

00:42:41It is such a core part

00:42:43of many of our lives.

00:42:45But it wasn't until I went to university

00:42:47away that there

00:42:49I learned about the deep sea.

00:42:51I learned that there's so much more

00:42:53to the ocean than what we can see

00:42:55in the shallows.

00:42:57Yes, we have coral reefs.

00:42:59Yes, we have mangroves.

00:43:01Yes, we have seagrass.

00:43:03I was in a deep sea biology class

00:43:05in the very first lecture in university

00:43:07and the lecturer said,

00:43:09and maybe this may not appeal to you,

00:43:11but he was like,

00:43:13you know, there's far less than 1%,

00:43:15I think it's 0.001%

00:43:17of the deep ocean globally

00:43:19has ever been

00:43:21explored or seen.

00:43:23And I just found that so exciting.

00:43:26And so, but now

00:43:28this desire to explore for exploring's sake

00:43:30has moved into a desire for

00:43:31wanting to explore to understand

00:43:33and ultimately wanting to explore

00:43:35to better manage and better protect.

00:43:37Yeah.

00:43:39I'll tell you as a storyteller

00:43:41what I got out of,

00:43:43a kick out of reviewing Diva's B-Roll

00:43:45from her many ocean trips

00:43:47is how excited she would get

00:43:49about seeing things down there.

00:43:51She'd be like, is this brine?

00:43:53You know, there are foot-long muscles

00:43:55that are really thriving.

00:43:57You know what it is, like this big.

00:43:59Fantastic things.

00:44:01And it's fascinating

00:44:03for a layman to look at that

00:44:05and see, you know,

00:44:07we're still discovering things

00:44:09and we're still finding about things

00:44:11right in our backyard, as she says.

00:44:13It's very akin to space exploration.

00:44:15You know, that is outer space

00:44:17and I like to think of the deep ocean

00:44:19as inner space.

00:44:21There's so much to discover still.

00:44:23But you know, Dr. Amon,

00:44:25as I listen to you,

00:44:27if you continue to explore

00:44:29and find things that are new,

00:44:31will I start naming things after you,

00:44:33the Amon?

00:44:35Well, you say that.

00:44:37So I have, I should say I have,

00:44:39every single expedition we go on,

00:44:41we find new species,

00:44:43like every single one.

00:44:45Really?

00:44:46Yes, every single expedition.

00:44:48And I've personally been part of teams

00:44:50that helped to lead

00:44:52about eight species descriptions,

00:44:54which means naming them.

00:44:56But there's a fundamental rule

00:44:58where you are not allowed

00:44:59to name a species after yourself.

00:45:01Okay, all right.

00:45:03Yes, so otherwise,

00:45:05can you imagine?

00:45:07So, but I think you may remember

00:45:09last year there was a worm

00:45:11that was discovered,

00:45:13I say worm, tube worm,

00:45:15it's a worm like this long, right?

00:45:17And it's found in our waters

00:45:19and it was named after

00:45:21a UWE professor, Judith Gobin.

00:45:23She's the first professor of marine science,

00:45:25first department of,

00:45:27I think first head of,

00:45:29Department of Marine Science.

00:45:31Yes, because I think it's like

00:45:33about uplifting Caribbean people, right?

00:45:35Like she's one of the few

00:45:37in the Caribbean that also works

00:45:39on the deep sea and it's about just really.

00:45:41So all of this information

00:45:43that you all are collecting, collating,

00:45:45at the end of the day,

00:45:47what do you do with this information, right?

00:45:49That's a great question.

00:45:51So a step even before that

00:45:53is that deep sea exploration,

00:45:55like space exploration,

00:45:57is incredibly expensive.

00:45:59It's like submersibles,

00:46:01or remotely operated vehicles,

00:46:03big ships,

00:46:05and we don't have that here.

00:46:07Majority of countries like us

00:46:09do not have that.

00:46:11And so a big part of what I do

00:46:13is A, trying to get those resources here,

00:46:15those highly technical pieces of equipment,

00:46:17but also about exploring

00:46:19what low cost equipment

00:46:21we can use to essentially

00:46:23democratize deep sea exploration

00:46:25and research globally.

00:46:27But the research that we do,

00:46:29uncovering what,

00:46:31first question is what lives there?

00:46:33Second question is how does it live there?

00:46:35What does it eat?

00:46:37How does it reproduce, et cetera?

00:46:39And then how are we impacting it?

00:46:41Because we think about the deep sea

00:46:43as being this place far from the shore,

00:46:45not something we engage with

00:46:47on a daily basis.

00:46:49But actually when you go down there

00:46:51and often to places no one has been before,

00:46:53there's evidence of us,

00:46:55there's our trash,

00:46:57there's evidence of fishing nets

00:46:59and how climate change is having an impact.

00:47:01And so this is a place

00:47:03that is changing already

00:47:05before we even are able to understand

00:47:07what's there and how it functions.

00:47:09Yeah.

00:47:11So again, there's still a lot to do,

00:47:13but and part of this

00:47:15is just getting that baseline,

00:47:17understanding what's there

00:47:19so that we can then understand

00:47:21how it's being impacted

00:47:23and how to more effectively steward it.

00:47:25Yeah.

00:47:26So one of the big things

00:47:27for all students at UWE

00:47:29is that we are trying to,

00:47:31we're going to be undertaking exploration

00:47:33and then using that

00:47:35to hopefully inform

00:47:37the National Protected Area Plan

00:47:39that is currently sitting in Parliament.

00:47:41Okay.

00:47:43There's several different offshore

00:47:45protected areas that have been proposed

00:47:47that myself and Dr. Goldman proposed

00:47:49with a few others

00:47:51and it is about validating

00:47:53whether those were good proposals.

00:47:55Yeah.

00:47:56So how are the awards?

00:47:58How are these awards going to be rolled out

00:48:00on Saturday, 25th?

00:48:02On Saturday, 25th.

00:48:04So we've had the opportunity,

00:48:06very fortunate,

00:48:08to spend a couple of days

00:48:10with each of our laureates

00:48:12producing videos about their work

00:48:14and we will show those videos.

00:48:16Our laureates will make remarks

00:48:18as they accept their awards.

00:48:20The president of Barbados will attend,

00:48:22of course, and we will have

00:48:24lots of eats and drinks afterwards

00:48:26with our entrepreneurship laureate,

00:48:28Miss, the Honorable Kerri-Ann Ifill,

00:48:30first blind president

00:48:32of the Senate of Barbados,

00:48:34first female president,

00:48:36a remarkable woman in her own right,

00:48:38and just all our laureates this year,

00:48:40particularly, they always are.

00:48:42Yes, there's Diva,

00:48:44there's Dr. Maurice Scantlebury,

00:48:46our pediatric neurologist,

00:48:48there's Stefan Walcott

00:48:50who's a musician and composer

00:48:52and Caribbeanizes classical music

00:48:54like Handel's Messiah

00:48:56and a very experienced provider,

00:48:58call center from Jamaica,

00:49:00Mr. Johan Epstein.

00:49:02So we're going to have a great evening

00:49:04learning more about them

00:49:06and we'll stream it live

00:49:08at answercaribbeanawards.com.

00:49:10Yeah, now the awardees,

00:49:12the laureates,

00:49:14what do they receive?

00:49:16And I say this in the context

00:49:18not to find out if they're getting money.

00:49:20Sure, sure.

00:49:22We're not talking about that, doctor, right?

00:49:24But what we're talking about,

00:49:26first of all,

00:49:28there's the support of half a million

00:49:30TT dollars to each category

00:49:32and then there's a citation

00:49:34and there's, of course,

00:49:36the visibility that comes

00:49:38with the awards.

00:49:40So some laureates find that

00:49:42particularly helpful.

00:49:44It shines a light on their work.

00:49:46I remember last year,

00:49:48our rice researcher from Guyana,

00:49:50Dr. Mahendra Pasad,

00:49:52he was overwhelmed by the award

00:49:54because he had toiled increasing

00:49:56the award up 50 percent.

00:49:58But to receive the award

00:50:00was such a humbling moment

00:50:02because he said, you know, Robert,

00:50:04I felt in a low place.

00:50:06I was at the end of my rope

00:50:08but this was something that buoyed me

00:50:10and brought me up and felt me real,

00:50:12made me feel so great,

00:50:14him and his family.

00:50:16And Guyana sometimes helps you

00:50:18and gives you a little spirit.

00:50:20But I think it's also,

00:50:22again, going back to the fact

00:50:24that it's Caribbean recognition,

00:50:26you get a prize, right?

00:50:28You get a medal,

00:50:30just like the Nobels.

00:50:32You get unrestricted funds,

00:50:34which is something that is so rare,

00:50:36at least in the field that I work in.

00:50:38And that really opens up

00:50:40a world of possibilities

00:50:42in terms of how you can use

00:50:44those funds to essentially,

00:50:46again, give it back to the Caribbean

00:50:48and better this region.

00:50:50Are there a lot of women

00:50:52in your field?

00:50:53That's a great question.

00:50:54I'm a marine biologist at that,

00:50:56which is wonderful.

00:50:58And I'm very fortunate

00:50:59to work with many, many of them.

00:51:01But in terms of deep sea biology,

00:51:04where there are underrepresented groups

00:51:07in terms to be in people of color

00:51:10and people from less economically

00:51:11developed countries,

00:51:12again, because of these issues

00:51:14around access to equipment and so on.

00:51:16And so that's, again,

00:51:17something that we're really working,

00:51:19that I'm really working to build up here

00:51:21through a program at UWE.

00:51:22We have three students currently in it.

00:51:24And it really is about increasing

00:51:26the country's capacities

00:51:27and the Caribbean's capacity

00:51:29to undertake this role.

00:51:31I think, you know,

00:51:32in the entire Caribbean,

00:51:33there's only about three scientists

00:51:36who have ever worked in the deep ocean,

00:51:38one being myself,

00:51:39another, Professor Judith Gobin,

00:51:41and then one from the Bahamas.

00:51:43And that's really great

00:51:44when you're talking about three individuals

00:51:45in the entire Caribbean.

00:51:47Wow. I have about two minutes again.

00:51:49Robert, I'll give you the last word.

00:51:50But Dr. Amon,

00:51:53what's next for you?

00:51:55Got it.

00:51:57I mean, I think the big,

00:51:59I work in so many different things,

00:52:01it's almost hard to answer that question.

00:52:03Except being at the awards on Saturday.

00:52:04What's next after that?

00:52:06So there's a few different things.

00:52:08So one is this big Caribbean project,

00:52:10both in Trinidad and Tobago and in Barbados,

00:52:12where we're going to be working to explore

00:52:14and use that to inform management.

00:52:16Second is I dabble in television

00:52:18and I have a new National Geographic series

00:52:20coming out in July.

00:52:22And third is working with,

00:52:26in July,

00:52:28there's a few different industries

00:52:30thinking about taking hold in the deep ocean

00:52:32that could have very,

00:52:34very big environmental impacts.

00:52:36One of them is called mining,

00:52:38deep sea mining.

00:52:40And so I'm going to be

00:52:42on the Trinidad and Tobago delegation

00:52:44at those global negotiations in July,

00:52:46helping to provide them with expert advice.

00:52:48Yeah.

00:52:50Check out our awards ceremony.

00:52:52We hope it's going to be a great one.

00:52:54It will be a great one.

00:52:56And that is Saturday, May 25th at 6.30 p.m.

00:52:58at answercaribbeanawards.com.

00:53:00And beyond that,

00:53:02the public nomination process

00:53:04will reopen again.

00:53:06So we will have laureates for 2025 and beyond.

00:53:08And next year is our 20th anniversary.

00:53:10Wow.

00:53:12So you've got to come out with a big bang.

00:53:14Yes.

00:53:16Big bang next year.

00:53:18Thank you so much.

00:53:20It's been a pleasure speaking with you all this morning.

00:53:22Thank you very much for the good work

00:53:24that you all continue to do.

00:53:26I think, Doctor,

00:53:28that in our discussion this morning,

00:53:30you have removed

00:53:32or have really given us a lot of information

00:53:34about your work

00:53:36and what is being done

00:53:38because to many of us,

00:53:40I don't know that we know exactly what was happening.

00:53:42So thank you very much for that.

00:53:44Robert, again, thank you for the good work

00:53:46that you all continue to do.

00:53:48A pelican on the hunt.

00:53:50It's from Sham.

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00:55:46Good morning.

00:55:48This is the Sky News with a news update.

00:55:50A family is left wanting answers

00:55:52after a woman and her baby

00:55:54died at the Scarborough General Hospital

00:55:56one day apart.

00:55:58Tell us, how do you feel?

00:56:00What went through your mind?

00:56:18The THA's Health Secretary says

00:56:20the deaths are being investigated.

00:56:23There are plans for a new shopping mall

00:56:25in downtown Port of Spain.

00:56:27Number 41 Independence Square

00:56:29is slated for development

00:56:31as a micro-business development

00:56:33incubator facility.

00:56:35The facility will be built

00:56:37in the form of a micro-business

00:56:39development incubator facility.

00:56:41The facility will be built

00:56:43in the form of a micro-business

00:56:45development incubator facility.

00:56:47Furthering our agenda

00:56:49of urban renewal.

00:56:51The project design includes

00:56:53a modern multi-story mall

00:56:55equipped with state-of-the-art amenities.

00:56:58With the site cleared

00:57:00and preparations underway,

00:57:02subsequent phases will focus

00:57:04on a superstructure development,

00:57:06interior enhancements,

00:57:08and the installation

00:57:10of the necessary infrastructure.

00:57:12By fiscal 2025,

00:57:14this transformation

00:57:16initiative will inject

00:57:18vitality into Independence Square.

00:57:21And in the weather forecast,

00:57:23a few spotty showers

00:57:25favoring the morning hours

00:57:27will likely interrupt

00:57:29a generally hot, hazy,

00:57:31and at times breezy day

00:57:33across the islands.

00:57:35Seas remain smooth to moderate

00:57:37in open waters,

00:57:39with swells ranging

00:57:41from 1 to 1.5 meters.

00:57:47The TV6 Daily Health Tip

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00:57:53Enjoy fruits and vegetables.

00:57:56No matter your age,

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00:58:08Focus on dietary changes

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00:58:12calcium, and vitamin D,

00:58:14and decrease added sugars,

00:58:16and make a choice for your needs

00:58:18by comparing nutrition and ingredients.

00:58:20Information by reading

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00:58:24And that's your TV6 Health Tip.

00:58:26We're coming back, everyone.

00:58:28The TV6 Daily Health Tip

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00:58:47Plus, we can charge them more.

00:58:49It's not his money,

00:58:51it's government money.

00:58:53So, we eat our food,

00:58:55and he eats our food,

00:58:57and you know nobody ain't

00:58:59going to say nothing.

00:59:01I'm sure like me,

00:59:03you are tired of hearing

00:59:05the horror stories

00:59:07of overspending and corrupt practices

00:59:09by public bodies

00:59:11that run rampant in our country.

00:59:13And like me,

00:59:14I'm here to speak upon

00:59:16bribery,

00:59:18corruption and fraud,

00:59:20coercive and collusive practices

00:59:22aimed at unfairly influencing

00:59:24others' actions,

00:59:26any violation of the

00:59:28PPDPP Act 2015

00:59:30and or its regulations,

00:59:32gross mismanagement,

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00:59:38victimization of a whistleblower

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00:59:42any activity which undermines

00:59:44the OPR's mandate.

00:59:46Now you may ask,

00:59:48how do I speak up?

00:59:50Remember I told you,

00:59:52the OPR's whistleblowing system

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01:00:04Like me,

01:00:06you may choose to use

01:00:08the 24x7 Whistleblowers Hotline,

01:00:10which features a worldwide

01:00:12messaging activation.

01:00:14Another way you can choose to speak up

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01:00:18That's right,

01:00:20you don't even need an appointment.

01:00:22Simply walk in and speak in confidence

01:00:24with the whistleblowing reporting officer

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01:00:32A third way you can choose to speak up

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01:00:38in legible handwriting,

01:00:40in English only,

01:00:42or slash whistleblower.

01:00:44Lastly,

01:00:46you can choose to speak up

01:00:48using the 24x7 online platform

01:00:50hosted by Whistleblower Security Inc.,

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01:00:54Here,

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01:01:08Now before you speak up,

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01:01:14slash whistleblowing.

01:01:16Now I know that we all want

01:01:18a better Trinidad and Tobago,

01:01:20but to get that,

01:01:22we must speak up.

01:01:24Doing so would lead to more accountability,

01:01:26more transparency,

01:01:28and less wastage of public money.

01:01:30For more information

01:01:32on how you can speak up,

01:01:34visit www.oprttt.org

01:01:36slash whistleblowing

01:01:38or call 1-868-224-5707.

01:01:43Hey CPL fans,

01:01:45have you ever dreamt

01:01:47about being a part of the CPL Broadcast

01:01:49presenting team?

01:01:51Well, now's your chance.

01:01:53All you have to do

01:01:55is simply share a video

01:01:57of your best presenting performance

01:01:59using the hashtag

01:02:01CPL Talent Search

01:02:03and you could be in front of the camera

01:02:05at this year's tournament.

01:02:07Maybe you could interview a friend

01:02:09or give us an insightful preview

01:02:10about an upcoming game.

01:02:12Or just simply show us your passion

01:02:14and discuss a memorable CPL moment.

01:02:16The winner will get

01:02:18a live sport presenting masterclass

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01:02:28But don't forget the hashtag

01:02:30CPL Talent Search.

01:02:32Get sharing.

01:02:34I can't wait to see

01:02:36what you guys have got in store.

01:02:41And welcome back everyone.

01:02:43So the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute

01:02:45joins Caribbean Civil Society

01:02:47in driving a transformative approach

01:02:49as they launch

01:02:51the new 10-year agenda

01:02:53for sustainable development

01:02:55in small island developing states

01:02:57at the 4th International Conference

01:02:59on Sustainable Development.

01:03:01And we're joined by

01:03:03the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute

01:03:05and the Caribbean Civil Society

01:03:07as they launch

01:03:08the new 10-year agenda

01:03:10at the 4th International Conference

01:03:12on SIDS in Antigua and Barbuda

01:03:14from May 27th to the 30th.

01:03:16To tell us more is

01:03:18Nicole Lyoto,

01:03:20Executive Director.

01:03:22All right, so thank you very much

01:03:24for coming this morning.

01:03:26Thanks for having me.

01:03:28Of course, let's talk a little bit

01:03:30about the 4th International Conference

01:03:32on SIDS and the importance of it.

01:03:34Okay, great.

01:03:36Well, first of all,

01:03:38Caribbean developing states

01:03:40are across the world.

01:03:42So the Caribbean has a grouping,

01:03:44but also the Atlantic Ocean,

01:03:46the Indian Ocean,

01:03:48the South China Seas and the Pacific.

01:03:50So there are 39 SIDS in all

01:03:52across the world.

01:03:54The Caribbean has many, of course.

01:03:56So think of all of the Caribbean islands

01:03:58plus Belize, Suriname, Guyana,

01:04:00which know they're not islands,

01:04:02but they share many

01:04:04of the characteristics of SIDS.

01:04:06And SIDS were recognized

01:04:08in 2002 at the Rio Conference

01:04:10on Environment and Development,

01:04:12a very famous global conference.

01:04:14And they were recognized

01:04:16that because we're small islands,

01:04:18we have special vulnerabilities.

01:04:20Because we're small or small size,

01:04:22very vulnerable

01:04:24and special biodiversity,

01:04:26that we're far away from everything,

01:04:28so everything we need.

01:04:30And therefore, we're very vulnerable

01:04:32to things from outside

01:04:34affecting our development.

01:04:36There's very little we can do,

01:04:38nothing is caused by us.

01:04:40So this is a very special grouping

01:04:42and needs special attention

01:04:44in sustainable development.

01:04:46And so starting in 1994,

01:04:48all of the countries of SIDS

01:04:50and their partners

01:04:52came together in a United Nations conference

01:04:54to plan a 10-year

01:04:56sustainable development agenda for SIDS.

01:04:58How can SIDS be supported

01:05:00with their development?

01:05:02The first one was in Barbados.

01:05:04It was fantastic, 1994.

01:05:06Every 10 years.

01:05:08So we have an agenda for SIDS

01:05:10being developed

01:05:12and it'll be launched

01:05:14at this big international conference

01:05:16which we're very proud

01:05:18is being hosted in Antigua and Barbuda.

01:05:20So Antigua and Barbuda

01:05:22and the Caribbean is hosting the world,

01:05:24really spotlighting

01:05:26how can we support

01:05:28sustainable development in SIDS.

01:05:30Yeah.

01:05:32Let's talk a little bit

01:05:34about the strides

01:05:36that have been made

01:05:38Yes, there are many strides

01:05:40that have been happening.

01:05:42I mean, one, for example,

01:05:44is recent recognition

01:05:46of the right to a clean,

01:05:48to a safe, healthy,

01:05:50sustainable environment

01:05:52as a human right.

01:05:54We were just talking

01:05:56before the break about the Sahara dust

01:05:58and how it's affecting all of us.

01:06:00And this idea of a human right

01:06:02to a safe, healthy environment

01:06:04is something we need to recognize.

01:06:06So there's progress being made.

01:06:08But I think it's frustrating,

01:06:10disappointing that we're on our

01:06:12fourth 10-year sustainable development

01:06:14agenda for SIDS

01:06:16and some of the same issues

01:06:18keep coming up

01:06:20and certainly we're a very long way

01:06:22away from really addressing climate change.

01:06:24Climate change is one of the big topics

01:06:26that will be looked at

01:06:28at this conference.

01:06:30Yeah.

01:06:31But has there been

01:06:33a serious effort, you think,

01:06:35by, let's say,

01:06:36to embrace

01:06:38what you all are suggesting

01:06:40and recommending

01:06:42to be done

01:06:44as it relates to the challenges

01:06:46that we are faced with?

01:06:48Yeah.

01:06:49So, I mean, it's very interesting dynamics.

01:06:51So, of course, SIDS collectively,

01:06:53the 39 SIDS,

01:06:55are really advocating

01:06:57at the global level

01:06:59to other countries to say,

01:07:01listen, what you're doing

01:07:03is affecting us.

01:07:04SIDS are not the source

01:07:06of most of the greenhouse gases

01:07:08that are causing climate change.

01:07:10So, there's a lot of advocacy.

01:07:12You know, for decades now,

01:07:14SIDS are negotiating

01:07:16in all these global meetings

01:07:18saying we really need

01:07:19much more serious attention.

01:07:21And I don't know if you've heard

01:07:23of this 1.5 to stay alive.

01:07:25So, the idea is SIDS do not want

01:07:27the climate increase

01:07:29to exceed more than 1.5

01:07:31or ecosystems collapse

01:07:32because we know it collapses.

01:07:33But that target is off.

01:07:35Countries are not meeting it.

01:07:37But at the same time,

01:07:38then what do we do?

01:07:39You know, SIDS can't just say

01:07:41others need to do for us.

01:07:42What do we do?

01:07:43And certainly there is room

01:07:44for more to be done within SIDS.

01:07:47And what Canary

01:07:48and others in civil society

01:07:50are really advocating for

01:07:52is not only climate justice

01:07:54at the international level,

01:07:55but at the local level.

01:07:57Look at the coastal communities,

01:07:58the fisher folk,

01:08:00people who are already poor

01:08:01and marginalized.

01:08:02They will be most affected

01:08:03by climate change.

01:08:05They can't afford to go

01:08:06into their air-conditioned house

01:08:07or have all these fancy drugs

01:08:09to deal with the Sahara dust

01:08:11which is being exacerbated

01:08:12by climate change.

01:08:14So, how can we deal

01:08:15with climate change also

01:08:16as a climate justice issue

01:08:18in our own countries

01:08:20as well as advocating

01:08:21at the international level?

01:08:23Yeah, but we are

01:08:24small island developing states.

01:08:26Do we have a powerful voice,

01:08:28you think?

01:08:30I wish it was more powerful,

01:08:31let's say that way.

01:08:33And I think this is where

01:08:34governments certainly

01:08:35have been trying

01:08:37and doing a very good job.

01:08:38They are doing their best.

01:08:39I really believe that.

01:08:41But civil society,

01:08:43so civil society

01:08:45encompasses

01:08:47scientific researchers

01:08:48and academia

01:08:49like Dr. Deva Aman

01:08:50who was just on, wonderful.

01:08:52It encompasses

01:08:53non-profit organizations,

01:08:54community organizations,

01:08:56the media

01:08:57as part of civil society.

01:08:59Private,

01:09:00professional associations

01:09:02of engineers,

01:09:03teachers and so on.

01:09:04So, all of,

01:09:05you know,

01:09:06these people really,

01:09:07we have a big contribution

01:09:09to make.

01:09:10We are already

01:09:11contributing to

01:09:12sustainable development

01:09:13and what we'd like

01:09:14to see at this conference

01:09:16is really recognition

01:09:18of the valuable role

01:09:19being played

01:09:20by civil society.

01:09:21It's not,

01:09:22sustainable development

01:09:23is not just for governments alone.

01:09:25We need to

01:09:26be part of it

01:09:27and take this

01:09:28collective society approach

01:09:29and what we're saying

01:09:30to governments

01:09:31is support us,

01:09:33partner with us

01:09:34so we can be even more effective.

01:09:36Yeah.

01:09:37But aren't,

01:09:38isn't civil society

01:09:40between really

01:09:41a rock and a hard place,

01:09:42right?

01:09:43Because yes,

01:09:44you want to speak out

01:09:45and you want

01:09:47your suggestions

01:09:48and recommendations

01:09:50to be taken

01:09:51into account

01:09:53but there's always

01:09:55this dilemma

01:09:56for civil society

01:09:57that, you know,

01:09:58some of these

01:09:59civil society organizations

01:10:00may be depending

01:10:01on funding

01:10:02and resources

01:10:03from, you know,

01:10:04from a particular direction

01:10:06and they don't want

01:10:07to rock the boat

01:10:08too much, right?

01:10:09Yeah, yeah.

01:10:10That can be a real issue

01:10:11and I think

01:10:12civil society

01:10:13needs to be very careful

01:10:15not to get trapped

01:10:16into being controlled

01:10:18by the type of funding

01:10:19they access.

01:10:20That independence

01:10:22is really important

01:10:24so that they can have a voice

01:10:25and civil society

01:10:26is representing

01:10:27and amplifying

01:10:28the voices

01:10:29of the voiceless

01:10:31of people

01:10:32who are vulnerable

01:10:33and marginalized.

01:10:34So that independence

01:10:35is really important

01:10:37and it is a challenge

01:10:38but at the same time

01:10:39what we're saying

01:10:40to governments is,

01:10:41you know,

01:10:42recognize our role,

01:10:44support us,

01:10:45enable us

01:10:46to be more effective.

01:10:47It doesn't make sense

01:10:48not leveraging

01:10:49a partner

01:10:50that's sitting there doing.

01:10:51Let's collaborate.

01:10:53So for example,

01:10:54SIDS governments

01:10:55at this conference

01:10:56are asking,

01:10:57you know,

01:10:58the global community

01:10:59meet your commitments

01:11:01to give us

01:11:02climate finance

01:11:03to help us

01:11:04address climate change,

01:11:05right?

01:11:06To help us with

01:11:07shifting to renewable energy

01:11:09and to help us

01:11:10put things in place

01:11:11to adapt

01:11:12because we are getting

01:11:13hit already

01:11:14by climate change.

01:11:15It's not a future thing.

01:11:16So even as governments

01:11:18do that

01:11:19and say yes,

01:11:20global community,

01:11:21we need more climate financing

01:11:22in SIDS,

01:11:23what civil society

01:11:24is saying

01:11:25is government,

01:11:26please channel

01:11:27some of that

01:11:28climate finance

01:11:29down to the ground.

01:11:30Down to communities

01:11:31who are facing this

01:11:32in their daily lives

01:11:34and it's not enough

01:11:35to say yes,

01:11:36we're developing

01:11:37national policies

01:11:38and plans.

01:11:39That's very remote

01:11:40for people

01:11:41when they

01:11:42in their community

01:11:43is flooding,

01:11:44they're facing storms,

01:11:45their livelihoods

01:11:46are being affected

01:11:47by climate change.

01:11:48So channel funding

01:11:49down to the ground

01:11:50to be more effective

01:11:51and civil society

01:11:52to partner with government

01:11:53to make that happen.

01:11:54But aren't we

01:11:55as small island

01:11:56developing states,

01:11:57we are in a precarious

01:11:58position too, right?

01:11:59Yes.

01:12:00Because if these challenges

01:12:01are not addressed,

01:12:02you are in a position

01:12:03where you may,

01:12:06it's in a position

01:12:07where if these challenges

01:12:08are not addressed,

01:12:09you can perish.

01:12:10Yes.

01:12:11And there's a big movement

01:12:12now,

01:12:13you know,

01:12:14scientists and people

01:12:15who look at climate change

01:12:16and look at

01:12:17sustainable development

01:12:18are depressed

01:12:19and facing

01:12:20mental health issues

01:12:22you know,

01:12:23it can feel very,

01:12:24an impossible situation.

01:12:26It's an existential threat

01:12:28to say,

01:12:29you know,

01:12:30climate change

01:12:31and all of these things

01:12:32that are out of our control.

01:12:33And so it is really important

01:12:34we don't get,

01:12:35you know,

01:12:36this defeatist attitude.

01:12:37Yes.

01:12:38And we say,

01:12:39what can we do?

01:12:40What can we do

01:12:41in our communities?

01:12:42And so citizens

01:12:43in Trinidad and Tobago

01:12:44and the viewers,

01:12:45you know,

01:12:46engage with your

01:12:47government representative,

01:12:48have those discussions

01:12:49on what are your priorities,

01:12:50what would you like

01:12:51to see done

01:12:52and also mobilize

01:12:53yourselves

01:12:54in your communities

01:12:55and various groupings

01:12:56and what can I do

01:12:58in my community

01:12:59to contribute

01:13:00to sustainable development.

01:13:02Yeah.

01:13:03So it's a

01:13:04three-day conference

01:13:05from May 27th

01:13:07to the 30th.

01:13:09So after all

01:13:10of this information

01:13:11is collated,

01:13:13what's the next step?

01:13:14Well,

01:13:15the next step,

01:13:16hopefully,

01:13:17there is already

01:13:18an intergovernmental agreement

01:13:19that's decided.

01:13:20There's a document

01:13:22that SIDS governments

01:13:23and their development partners,

01:13:24other governments,

01:13:25have already agreed

01:13:26that lays out priorities.

01:13:28The next step

01:13:29is to implement.

01:13:30The next step

01:13:31is to implement.

01:13:32And so at SIDS 4,

01:13:33this document

01:13:34has already been agreed.

01:13:35At SIDS 4,

01:13:36what's really happening

01:13:37is those discussions,

01:13:38knowledge sharing,

01:13:40networking,

01:13:41identifying partnerships

01:13:43to really move forward

01:13:44with implementation together.

01:13:46And civil society

01:13:47wants to be a part

01:13:48of that implementation.

01:13:49Yeah.

01:13:50Let's talk...

01:13:52Time is against us,

01:13:53but I want you to speak

01:13:54a little bit about

01:13:55the Caribbean Natural

01:13:56Resource Institute.

01:13:57Tell us about the work

01:13:58that you all

01:13:59have been doing.

01:14:00Sure.

01:14:01So we are a non-profit

01:14:02technical institute,

01:14:03independent,

01:14:04working across the Caribbean

01:14:05for 35 years.

01:14:06Right.

01:14:07And we've been headquartered

01:14:08in Trinidad and Tobago

01:14:09since 2001.

01:14:11And so

01:14:12we work on

01:14:13sustainable development,

01:14:14really focusing

01:14:15on the aspect

01:14:16of stewardship

01:14:17or taking care

01:14:18of nature

01:14:19to benefit economies,

01:14:20well-being,

01:14:21livelihoods of people.

01:14:22Yeah.

01:14:23And so for this conference,

01:14:24what we have been doing,

01:14:25we do a lot

01:14:26of technical work

01:14:27and research and so on

01:14:28in these areas.

01:14:29But what we've also

01:14:30been doing

01:14:31is mobilizing

01:14:32Caribbean civil society.

01:14:34And we developed

01:14:35this paper called

01:14:36Caribbean We Want

01:14:37to say,

01:14:38what do we want

01:14:39on the ground?

01:14:40What are our sustainable

01:14:41development priorities?

01:14:42What do we think

01:14:43needs to be done?

01:14:44And we've taken this

01:14:45to SIDS 4

01:14:46to discuss with governments

01:14:47and other partners.

01:14:48Yeah.

01:14:49Anything you'd like to add

01:14:50before you leave us

01:14:51this morning?

01:14:52Just to encourage people,

01:14:53check us out

01:14:54on social media.

01:14:55Look for Canary Caribbean

01:14:56and we're on all

01:14:57the big channels

01:14:58and feel free

01:14:59to send us comments,

01:15:00send us your thoughts,

01:15:01download the

01:15:02Caribbean We Want.

01:15:04If you search for

01:15:05Caribbean We Want Canary,

01:15:06you'll get it.

01:15:07And so please get involved

01:15:08in the conversation.

01:15:09Yes.

01:15:10Ms. Lioto,

01:15:11thank you very much

01:15:12for coming this morning.

01:15:13We do appreciate you.

01:15:14Thank you.

01:15:15We're coming back.

01:15:33As a former Miss World,

01:15:34I have spent many hours

01:15:35walking in high heels

01:15:37and constantly on the move.

01:15:38So I understand the importance

01:15:40of joint health.

01:15:41That's why I trust Omega XL.

01:15:44As you know,

01:15:45beauty works

01:15:46from the inside out.

01:16:02I've definitely

01:16:03seen a difference

01:16:04in my knees,

01:16:05the stiffness in my hips.

01:16:06Because it's an oil extract,

01:16:08I think of it like olive oil

01:16:10in between my joints

01:16:11that are loosening it up.

01:16:12Omega XL

01:16:13has really kept us

01:16:14feeling great.

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01:18:13Today I want to share with you

01:18:15just a few thoughts

01:18:16on communication.

01:18:17To build healthy

01:18:18parent-child relations,

01:18:19communication is not an option.

01:18:22Effective communication

01:18:23is the lifeblood

01:18:24of good relationship

01:18:26between parents and children.

01:18:28Please listen

01:18:29attentively to your child.

01:18:31Everyone hears,

01:18:32but not everybody listens.

01:18:34Listen actively.

01:18:36Use language

01:18:37they can understand.

01:18:38Use language

01:18:39that is appropriate

01:18:40for their age.

01:18:41And make sure

01:18:42that when you're speaking,

01:18:43be very clear

01:18:44and be very, very specific.

01:18:46So what does

01:18:47behave good mean?

01:18:48What does stop

01:18:49behaving badly mean?

01:18:51Be very clear

01:18:52and be very specific.

01:18:54Please do not use

01:18:55any derogatory words

01:18:56to them at all,

01:18:57at all, at all.

01:18:58Use kind language

01:19:00because that helps

01:19:01to set a positive tone

01:19:02in the house.

01:19:04Express your feelings

01:19:05and your satisfaction

01:19:06to the situation.

01:19:07And of course,

01:19:08please encourage

01:19:09your children

01:19:10to do so as well.

01:19:11Remember,

01:19:12the conversation

01:19:13should be,

01:19:15children,

01:19:16we love you.

01:19:17We love you

01:19:18and we respect you.

01:19:19Do the best you can.

01:19:20It's all that you can do.

01:19:21Be mindful

01:19:22of what you say

01:19:23and how you say it.

01:19:25If you found this useful,

01:19:26please share

01:19:27and like

01:19:28and follow our profile

01:19:29for more parenting tips.

01:19:31The letter for today is C

01:19:32for communication.

01:19:41All right.

01:19:42So welcome back, everyone.

01:19:43So we are discussing now

01:19:45the United Way

01:19:46Trinidad and Tobago

01:19:47Day of Caring 2024.

01:19:49And we do have

01:19:50in studio this morning,

01:19:52Kendall Tiloka,

01:19:54Resource Development Manager

01:19:56and Joanne,

01:19:57and Jozan Basanu.

01:19:58Why am I making,

01:19:59let me do that over.

01:20:01Pay the people

01:20:02the respect that they deserve.

01:20:03All right.

01:20:04So we do have Kendall Tiloka,

01:20:05Resource Development Manager

01:20:07and Joanne Basanu.

01:20:09UWTT champion at Nutrien.

01:20:11Is that good?

01:20:12Better?

01:20:13Yes.

01:20:14Thank you very much

01:20:15for coming this morning.

01:20:16Thank you for having us.

01:20:17Kendall,

01:20:18let's speak a little bit

01:20:19about United Way,

01:20:20Trinidad and Tobago.

01:20:21Sure.

01:20:22So United Way

01:20:23has been around

01:20:24for close to 25 years now.

01:20:25Yes.

01:20:26We were founded in 1999.

01:20:28One of our founders

01:20:29is actually Mr.

01:20:30President,

01:20:31Mr. Neeraj Hassan Ali.

01:20:32So we have been around

01:20:34for 25 years,

01:20:35operating in Trinidad

01:20:37and Tobago.

01:20:38And for 25 years,

01:20:39operating in the priority areas

01:20:41of education,

01:20:42family well-being,

01:20:43equity,

01:20:44and disaster resilience

01:20:45or community resilience

01:20:46as we like to say.

01:20:47So when we started off

01:20:49as an NGO

01:20:50back in 1999,

01:20:52we started off as an NGO

01:20:53to help other NGOs.

01:20:55Helping them with funding,

01:20:56making them,

01:20:57helping them to be

01:20:58more sustainable.

01:20:59And what we have done

01:21:00over the years

01:21:01is that we have actually

01:21:02evolved to have programs

01:21:03of our own.

01:21:04Right.

01:21:05And as part of that,

01:21:06we generate funding

01:21:07for our employee

01:21:08workplace giving campaign.

01:21:09And the connection

01:21:10between that

01:21:11and the Day of Caring

01:21:12is that

01:21:13because the employees

01:21:14were donating

01:21:15to United Way,

01:21:16we needed to find

01:21:17like a tangible way

01:21:18for them to actually connect

01:21:19to the beneficiaries

01:21:20who they were,

01:21:21who their donations

01:21:22were going towards.

01:21:23So the United Way

01:21:24Day of Caring

01:21:25actually started off

01:21:26as that.

01:21:27As a way of connecting

01:21:28those donors

01:21:29to the beneficiaries

01:21:30who were benefiting

01:21:31from those donations itself.

01:21:33Yeah.

01:21:34So Jozan,

01:21:35tell us about

01:21:37I see that you're

01:21:38the UWTT champion

01:21:40at Nutrien.

01:21:41Yes.

01:21:42Tell us a little bit

01:21:43about this.

01:21:44Okay.

01:21:45So at Nutrien,

01:21:46volunteerism is very important

01:21:47to us.

01:21:48So being the champion,

01:21:49I am responsible

01:21:50for being that catalyst

01:21:51to encourage people

01:21:52to participate

01:21:53and encourage people

01:21:54to be care ambassadors

01:21:55at our site.

01:21:56At Nutrien,

01:21:57it's very easy

01:21:58because volunteerism

01:21:59is so important to us.

01:22:00It's part of our

01:22:01culture of care.

01:22:02So this year,

01:22:03we'll be heading

01:22:04to St. Mary's,

01:22:05and we'll be partnering.

01:22:06We have over 40 volunteers

01:22:07already.

01:22:08And it's just to

01:22:09spur on and get

01:22:10that activity going

01:22:11and all our pre-work

01:22:12and stuff

01:22:13for the Day of Caring.

01:22:14So it's an

01:22:15excellent initiative.

01:22:16So Kendall,

01:22:17how are you all

01:22:18going to roll out

01:22:19this Day of Caring?

01:22:20What is planned

01:22:21for this day?

01:22:22So there are

01:22:23multiple projects

01:22:24that have been planned

01:22:25for this day

01:22:26across Trinidad

01:22:27and Tobago.

01:22:28Currently,

01:22:29we have about

01:22:3053 projects

01:22:31that are going to be

01:22:32executed throughout

01:22:33the country.

01:22:34And they range

01:22:35in various ways.

01:22:36So as Josanne mentioned,

01:22:37it would be sometimes

01:22:38a project

01:22:39at a primary school.

01:22:40It could be where

01:22:41they would be doing

01:22:42refurbishment

01:22:43of a classroom,

01:22:44painting.

01:22:45Some of them

01:22:46will be doing

01:22:47sustainable gardens

01:22:48within communities

01:22:49as well.

01:22:50There's a couple

01:22:51of recycling drives

01:22:52that are going on

01:22:53as well.

01:22:54I know that there

01:22:55are some

01:22:56reforestation projects

01:22:57and beach cleanups

01:22:58that are going on

01:22:59also.

01:23:00So there are quite

01:23:01a range of projects

01:23:02that are going on

01:23:03and how it rolls out

01:23:04is basically

01:23:05the companies

01:23:06actually arrive

01:23:07at their project sites

01:23:08as early as 6.30

01:23:09in the morning

01:23:10on Sunday

01:23:11and they take

01:23:12their volunteers

01:23:13throughout,

01:23:14guide them

01:23:15to what sites

01:23:16that they need

01:23:17to look at

01:23:18and they start

01:23:19their work

01:23:20of prepping,

01:23:21painting,

01:23:22replanting

01:23:23and they usually

01:23:24end like around

01:23:2512.30

01:23:26or 1 o'clock

01:23:27on that day.

01:23:28And usually at that time

01:23:29or during that time,

01:23:30they get to connect

01:23:31with let's say

01:23:32the students,

01:23:33the parents,

01:23:34the community

01:23:35members as well.

01:23:36So they get

01:23:37to experience

01:23:38and connect

01:23:39with these individuals

01:23:40who they've been

01:23:41donating to

01:23:42throughout the years

01:23:43and really see

01:23:44the impact

01:23:45of the work

01:23:46that they have been

01:23:47having over that

01:23:48period of time.

01:23:49But how are

01:23:50projects chosen?

01:23:51That's a good question.

01:23:52That's an excellent

01:23:53question.

01:23:54So there are

01:23:55two ways.

01:23:56So United Way

01:23:57itself,

01:23:58we have a network

01:23:59of NGOs

01:24:00and schools

01:24:01that are

01:24:02actually

01:24:03as let's say

01:24:04October

01:24:05of the year

01:24:06before,

01:24:07we have those

01:24:08entities submitting

01:24:09projects to us.

01:24:10So we curate

01:24:11or curate

01:24:12our own list

01:24:13of projects

01:24:14and then

01:24:15there are

01:24:16some companies

01:24:17who actually

01:24:18have a connection

01:24:19with their own

01:24:20communities,

01:24:21their own

01:24:22schools

01:24:23within their

01:24:24fence line

01:24:25and they bring

01:24:26those projects

01:24:27to the table

01:24:28as well.

01:24:29So that 53

01:24:30projects

01:24:31that are

01:24:32currently

01:24:33being

01:24:34curated

01:24:35by

01:24:36the

01:24:37NGOs

01:24:38and schools

01:24:39within

01:24:40their

01:24:41fence line

01:24:42and

01:24:43they bring

01:24:44those

01:24:45projects

01:24:46to the

01:24:47table

01:24:48as well.

01:24:49So that's

01:24:50one way

01:24:51that we

01:24:52curate

01:24:53our

01:24:54list of

01:24:55projects

01:24:56within

01:24:57our

01:24:58fence line

01:24:59and

01:25:00they bring

01:25:01those

01:25:02projects

01:25:03to the

01:25:04table

01:25:05as well.

01:25:06So that's

01:25:07one way

01:25:08that we

01:25:09curate

01:25:10our

01:25:11list of

01:25:12projects

01:25:13within

01:25:14our

01:25:15fence line

01:25:16and

01:25:17we

01:25:18have

01:25:19some

01:25:20NGOs

01:25:21within

01:25:22their

01:25:23fence line

01:25:24who

01:25:25have

01:25:26a very

01:25:27good

01:25:28all right Kendall is there anything else you'd like to tell us this morning some

01:25:33major points that you want to make yes I would like to encourage the nation to

01:25:38find something to do on Sunday May the 19th if it's to give the elderly labor

01:25:43hand cleaning their garden or cleaning their yard taking out the garbage if it

01:25:48is that you know there's some kind of type of cleanup to be done in the

01:25:51community some type of gardening project you'd like to do some way to show that

01:25:55you could care everywhere if you could find some way to do that on Sunday May

01:25:59the 19th or even be inspired by the message of United Way and the day of

01:26:04caring even then afterwards we encourage you to do so because caring is not just

01:26:09for one day caring and kindness is for every day every moment of the year so

01:26:14that's what I would like to call Trina and to be good to do right now because

01:26:17maybe too late for you to choose a whole project and get it scooped out and that

01:26:21kind of thing so I I rather ask Trina to be able to do something that is near

01:26:26and dear to their heart where they could show care everywhere yeah

01:26:28Josanne anything else you'd like to add as Kendall said I would just like to

01:26:33reiterate what he said it's a day to show you care everywhere I think the

01:26:37theme is so applicable because it gives everyone a hearing it deals with

01:26:41inclusion equity and as Kendall said I would love to encourage everybody to

01:26:47just show you care everywhere not just on May 19th but every day yeah Kendall

01:26:52if people want to contact or get in contact with you all how do they do that

01:26:57well sure you could contact us at seven one seven eight six three zero that's

01:27:02seven one seven eight six three zero that's our office number or you could

01:27:05reach out to us at United Way at UW TT comm that's our email address or follow

01:27:10us on all socials at United Way TT that's on Facebook Instagram as well as

01:27:16on LinkedIn so you could reach out to us on any on any of those channels and

01:27:20we get back to you yeah Josanne Kendall it was a pleasure speaking with you all

01:27:23this morning yeah thank you for the good work that you all continue to do in our

01:27:27communities we do appreciate it yes thank you for having us we are going to

01:27:31very short break we do have this for you a view from the ferry at Scarborough to

01:27:36Port of Spain and it's from Angela Henry small Angela good morning thank you very

01:27:42much for coming back everybody

01:28:01hello I'm seeing you at five right

01:28:42hello I'm seeing you at five right

01:28:48hello I'm seeing you at five right

01:28:53hello I'm seeing you at five right

01:28:58hello I'm seeing you at five right

01:29:04hello I'm seeing you at five right

01:29:09Wind битgrunts

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01:29:22is an essential investment in your health

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01:29:47to eat? Improve your dog's quality of life with the satisfying, nutritious flavors of

01:29:53dog chow. Anytime you leave your keys in the ignition when you pull up to your driveway,

01:30:09you make yourself an easy target for theft and robbery. Make it tough for criminals.

01:30:16Don't give them a chance. Switch off your engine, remove your keys and stay alert. A

01:30:23message from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. So, how can you spot and identify

01:30:52perpetrators and victims of trafficking? Many victims are found living and working

01:30:57together in the same place and sleep in shared and inappropriate spaces. Victims work excessively

01:31:03long hours. They often sleep in the daytime and work long nights. They are often escorted

01:31:09everywhere they go and may appear to be malnourished. They may show signs of physical abuse, drug

01:31:15and alcohol use and may also appear withdrawn, fearful or intimidated. Victims who are migrants

01:31:21are often not in possession of their identity or immigration documents and have irregular

01:31:26immigration status. Perpetrators can be male or female and may appear to be managing or

01:31:32controlling the victims and they may even at times appear to be the victim's best friend,

01:31:38boyfriend or employer. We are the counter trafficking unit of the Ministry of National

01:31:43Security Trinidad and Tobago safeguarding human life. Alright, so welcome back everyone.

01:32:02So the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society in collaboration with the Scotiabank Foundation

01:32:06has launched this year's campaign to combat smoking and vaping among youth in Trinidad

01:32:12and Tobago. The theme this year, don't follow the cloud, lead the crowd. With us now is

01:32:18Dr. Asante Leblanc, Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society. Dr. Leblanc, good

01:32:23morning. Good morning, Marlon. Good morning, Trinidad and Tobago. Yes, doctor, always good

01:32:28to speak with you. Let's talk about how serious this situation is first among the youth population,

01:32:36smoking and vaping.

01:32:37You're asking what the situation was amongst the youth? Yes. Okay, great. All right. Doctor,

01:32:57doctor, apparently, doctor, apparently we're not hearing you. We're not hearing you. So

01:33:03what we will have to do, we are going to try to correct that situation because we do

01:33:10want to hear what Dr. Asante Leblanc has to say. All right, so we are going to a very

01:33:14short break. We're coming back, everybody.

01:33:38So you've decided to speak up because you realize staying silent will cost this country

01:33:42millions, and you want to do your part. But you may ask, what is the OPR's role when I

01:33:48speak up? Well, let's see. We begin with stage one, the handling of your complaint. First,

01:33:53the whistleblowing reporting officer validates and assesses the urgency and impact of the

01:33:58whistleblowing complaint. He or she must ensure the details of the complaint are clear. This

01:34:03includes information such as the dates and times, the location, if there are any witnesses

01:34:09and so on. Then, the whistleblowing officer confirms the reliability of the information.

01:34:14Now, depending on the information given within your whistleblowing complaint, it may be forwarded

01:34:19to a more relevant authority such as the commissioner of police or director of public prosecutions.

01:34:25And not because you decided to speak up and make a whistleblowing complaint. Should you

01:34:30expect the alleged person to get lock up the next day, it doesn't work like that. The OPR

01:34:36will be guided by due process, which takes us to stage two, investigating your complaint.

01:34:42How is the complaint investigated? Within five working days of receipt of the complaint,

01:34:47the whistleblowing reporting officer will acknowledge receipt of the complaint, update

01:34:51the whistleblowing log, and apply a file ID to each claim. Conduct an initial assessment

01:34:56of the complaint to determine the next course of action. The whistleblowing reporting officer

01:35:01will then investigate and gather additional information, document the findings of the

01:35:06investigation, then forward the findings of the investigation to the chairman of the whistleblowing

01:35:12committee. Your complaint, having reached the whistleblowing committee, is now in the

01:35:17final stage, stage three, concluding the investigation and findings. Upon receipt of the report from

01:35:23the whistleblowing reporting officer, the whistleblowing committee reviews the findings

01:35:28and recommendations of the investigation. The committee then reports any legal or regulatory

01:35:34non-compliance to the OPR board and or relevant governmental and or law enforcement authorities

01:35:41to ensure corrective action is taken where appropriate. And upon conclusion of the whistleblowing

01:35:46committee's review of the report, the whistleblowing reporting officer shall report the outcome

01:35:52of the investigation to the whistleblower in writing once the report was not made anonymously.

01:35:58Millions down the drain should not be the norm in Trinidad and Tobago. Let's all work

01:36:02together to protect our public purse, bringing more accountability and transparency to public

01:36:08procurement. So, we encourage you, don't be afraid to speak up. As a whistleblower,

01:36:15you are completely protected under Section 40 of the Public Procurement and Disposal

01:36:19of Public Property Act 2015. But before you speak up, please read our whistleblowing

01:36:25guidelines at www.oprtt.org. For more information on how to speak up, call 1-868-224-5707.

01:36:37This is Mary. Mary has bills to pay and takes a chance parking in front of the building

01:36:54at the no parking sign. Mary returns to her car and this is what happens. Mary decides

01:37:08to call when she's five minutes away to let her daughter know that she is close by. But

01:37:14Mary forgot one thing. After two tickets, Mary just isn't paying attention to her speed.

01:37:43Don't be like Mary. Obey the laws of the road. A message from the TTPS.

01:38:00Alright so welcome back everyone. So we are continuing our discussion on the Cancer Society's

01:38:04No Smoking and No Vaping Campaign 2024. We do have on the line Dr. Asante Leblanc, Director

01:38:10of the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society. Dr. Leblanc, thank you for joining us and

01:38:14staying with us. Good morning. Good morning Marlon. Good morning Trinidad and Tobago.

01:38:20Thanks for having me. Doctor, well let's begin this way because you all are focusing on the

01:38:25youth. How serious is the situation of smoking and vaping among the youth? Marlon, we are

01:38:34noticing an increase in the vaping and smoking, but especially the vaping among the youth

01:38:40of Trinidad and Tobago. A lot of parents reach out to us, a lot of schools reach out

01:38:45to us saying that it is a big problem. And we are seeing more vape shops appearing, we

01:38:51are seeing ads on the radio, and this is of a great concern to us. So is it because of

01:38:58these ads and let's say social media, what they have been seeing on the media, what they

01:39:03have been listening to in the songs, this is what has been influencing this trust and

01:39:10this excitement and interest by them as it relates to smoking and vaping? Well, you know,

01:39:17it is multifactorial because this is learned behavior from the adults in their lives. This

01:39:24is also peer pressure. Then we have to deal with the social impact of stress on the youth

01:39:30so they are looking for something to relieve the stress, so to speak, of a stress coping

01:39:34mechanism. And then we have to look greatly at the manipulation by the tobacco industry

01:39:39luring youth to think that this is a healthier option. You know, now we are seeing the talk

01:39:45of it being a smokeless environment and we are going to become smokeless, but we have

01:39:49to actually redefine what is smoke because burning an aerosol and puffing out all of

01:39:55that cloud is smoke. And so we have to know, you know, the theme of World No Tobacco Day

01:40:01at the end of the month is protecting our children from the influence of the tobacco

01:40:07industry. And we have to be very strong in this because our youth are being influenced

01:40:12by many factors. And when you look at TikTok, all the social media platforms, you look at

01:40:18the TV, you look at the radio, you look at the music, you look at the adult influence.

01:40:22We really have to give them a fighting chance and we have not been doing that. So we have

01:40:27to step up our game. But doctor, has this been having a negative impact on our youth

01:40:34population, both mentally and physically?

01:40:37Definitely, definitely. So the thing that's important to understand is that with vaping

01:40:43and smoking, this leads to addiction and addiction of nicotine. And then that is then a bumper

01:40:49drug to addiction of other drugs. So then that affects the cognitive, the brain development

01:40:54of the youth because their brain is not fully developed at that age because we're seeing

01:40:58them start at younger and younger ages as well. It affects their lungs, their actual

01:41:02respiratory system. We are seeing popcorn around. You're seeing it can then give them

01:41:07chronic lung diseases. We're seeing them being affected. They're then at risk for

01:41:11cancers, mouth cancers, esophageal cancers, lung cancers and other cancers because of

01:41:16what's included in the vape liquid, the aerosols and stuff. So there's definitely a big

01:41:22negative impact. And Marlon, what we have to do is what we want to do and what we're

01:41:27doing and we've been doing this with the Scotiabank Foundation is empowering and educating

01:41:31the youth of our society so they take ownership. They become youth advocates and they lead

01:41:38the crowd and not follow the cloud. And that's what we have to do because we have to give

01:41:43the youth the credit and let them be empowered to make that informed decision and say no

01:41:48to vaping and smoking. Yeah. But doctor, what about these ads? Because I know, you know,

01:41:55there have been ads out there that tell you that vaping is not as dangerous as smoking.

01:42:03And in fact, they tell you that all of the repercussions of smoking, that is not going

01:42:09to happen to you if you're vaping. Yeah. Totally erroneous. And this is something

01:42:17that we have to, this is what we educate the youth about. And if you look at other

01:42:22countries, other developed countries, Australia, the UK and Canada to name a few, they are

01:42:31including vaping now and banning vaping in closed areas. They're banning vaping even

01:42:35in cars with children under 16 in some countries. So this is a big problem worldwide. It's not

01:42:42only regionally or in Trinidad and Tobago. And, you know, we now have to debunk the myths,

01:42:48educate them with the truth and allow the youth to see that this is not the right thing.

01:42:54Now, because we have had the tobacco control after Trinidad and Tobago and worldwide, we have

01:43:00been having more control of tobacco and, you know, being an active campaign of no smoking,

01:43:06the tobacco industry said, well, you know what, let's find an alternative. And this is wrong.

01:43:10But when you look at the impact of smoking and vaping on our climate, the health of our

01:43:15population, it's tremendous. It's a huge negative impact. And we need to make a change and we need

01:43:22to enforce our laws and make the necessary legislation so that we can save our population.

01:43:28Yeah. What's the Cancer Society's message during this no smoking, no vaping campaign?

01:43:36Our message is very clear. Say no to smoking and vaping. Be leaders. Lead the crowd.

01:43:43Lead your peers to the right choices. You know, this is not just about cancer. It's about the

01:43:50impact of vaping and smoking on the body itself, on holistically, on NCDs, which is a big factor.

01:43:57The non-communicable chronic diseases are regionally and in Trinidad, it's one of the

01:44:02leading causes of death in our society and morbidity. So we really are trying to...

01:44:08And we're not, you know, Marlon, we're not speaking down to the children. We're not saying

01:44:12say no because we say so. We're saying let's give you the information. What do you think?

01:44:17What do you need to know? Why are you making these choices? How can we help you? And empowering them

01:44:24to be the leaders that we know they can be, that we know they have to be of the future,

01:44:29and making them advocates so that they can lead the crowd, as we say, and not just be

01:44:35follow fashion, you know? And that's so, so important right now. Yeah, I see you would have

01:44:40spoken about legislation earlier. Is there a need for more legislation as it relates to this? Yes.

01:44:47Our tobacco control act, which we were very active, the Trinidad Fair of Anxiety, was very

01:44:51active in effecting in 2009. It needs some tweaking to include vaping, and this is something

01:45:00that we are looking into and trying to have adjusted. So we are looking and asking policy

01:45:05makers to look into it because this needs... We need, you know, if we have the information,

01:45:11we know it, let's... And while the horse may have left the stable, let's try and bring it back in.

01:45:16So let's try and make that change because this is a very serious issue, and it's deleterious. It

01:45:22has a huge negative impact, and we have to make a change. We have to stop it. Yeah. Dr. LeBlanc,

01:45:29any parting words? We would like to invite all schools. So what this campaign involves is not

01:45:36only the videos, which you may have seen, but it's also us going out into high schools, meeting

01:45:42different high schools in different symposiums, and we speak with the students. We have skits.

01:45:47We have the talk. We educate them. So we invite principals of schools who are seeing this today

01:45:52to reach out to us. You can email us at projects at cancer.tehe, and you also can call us at

01:45:58280-4536, and we're happy to come out there and help you. Thanks to the Scotiabank Foundation.

01:46:05These symposiums, Marlon, are amazing, and it's not only Trinidad. It includes Tobago.

01:46:10Reach out to us, and then also we have literature available. We are willing to help you. You know,

01:46:16let's just work together. Let's empower our youth. Don't let's just say, well, you know,

01:46:22let's empower the children. Let's empower them. Let's give them the tools to make the informed

01:46:24decisions, and let them be that nature and that power of change that we need in society today

01:46:31when it comes to smoking and vaping. Yeah, Dr. LeBlanc, thank you very much for speaking with

01:46:35us this morning. We do appreciate it. Bye for now. Thank you so much, Marlon. Have a good one.

01:46:40All right. You too, doctor. All right. So, we do have this for you.

01:47:03All right. So, welcome back, everyone. So, let's discuss the hidden gems

01:47:06of Dennis Williams, Franklin the Merchant. Now, this event highlights the legacy of Merchant,

01:47:12and will be held on his birthday. To share more about the event are his wife,

01:47:17Ruthlyn Dixon-Voxel, and Calypsonian Edwin Ayung Crazy. Crazy?

01:47:25It's crazy. Yeah? It's crazy. Yeah, man. We are here to promote that Merchant show,

01:47:31right? You know, Merchant was a genius. Both of us made the Calypso finals in 1978 when Calypso

01:47:38Rose won. So, and we were very good friends. We were friends from that time, 78. And now his wife

01:47:45here, Ruthlyn, she's paying a tribute to him in Hidden Gems. This show will be having at Sapa

01:47:50Sunday. Don't forget people out there. Sapa Sunday. We have a full cast. She knows the cast.

01:47:56Ruthlyn. Ruthlyn, tell us about the cast. Thank you very much for coming this morning.

01:48:02Well, I must say a pleasant morning to everyone. Yes. The person Merchant was,

01:48:07he was a merchant of the music. And I could not look at the older ones that sang his songs

01:48:15that he have left behind. So, I look for young people like Corinna Shee. I look for Kion,

01:48:23I look for Stalin grandson, Sonia. I look for, my God, I get it. I look for all the best.

01:48:34Hedon Francis. Chuckie. Chuckie, Chuck Gordon. I look for people. Stacey Sobers. I look for

01:48:41showing Winchester. I look for Ronnie McIntosh. I look for young people who could show you that

01:48:47although it was 20 something years ago that the music could be now because the message live on.

01:48:53I can bring everybody in the show because this is what I'm doing. I just scratching the surface.

01:48:59When I say scratch, one scratch, the surface ain't scratch yet. We ain't get nowhere yet.

01:49:04So, we use the songs that some of the songs like where Barron sing. I then bring in Shigalo's song.

01:49:12I sing it with crazy song. And a lot of people don't know his Merchant Work. So, I call it the

01:49:18hidden gems because Merchant Leave message, he tell us about the world. He tell us about what

01:49:23happened going and take place in the world. Some he sing like looking us in the world today is

01:49:29big ball of confusion and we're looking at the news and we're listening what happening. He tell

01:49:34him, he tell him by training, he be careful of what you do when you're doing it, what you say

01:49:39when you're saying it. And a lot of people don't know Merchant Work. A lot of people don't know

01:49:43what he sang. But what about the songs like crazy song, the party now start and then we do it over.

01:49:53And it's a big hit too. Every Christmas they will play that. The party now start. That's

01:49:58Krunter. But I sang Krunter. Merchant compose the party now start in 1992. The party now,

01:50:06well what happened now, Merchant compose that song I think for Ronnie McIntosh. Because Ronnie

01:50:10McIntosh was singing with Chandelier band. But we were singing in Kitchener 10 review. So, Merchant

01:50:17used to give the manager Jazzy Pantin all the songs that he did for other singers. So, when

01:50:23Jazzy Pantin heard that song, the party now start that I sing. He said that's crazy. He said that

01:50:28give crazy that song. And I went and sing it and it become a big hit. 27 bands split in Panorama.

01:50:34And up to now, look in Grenada from Mother's Day, I was there and I sang it and the people

01:50:38went crazy. So, I will be singing that song down here. Yeah, I will be there. So, I'm looking out

01:50:46for the people to come out and to support the show. Come and hear classics. One thing I must

01:50:50say about Merchant again, I think that this man, the kind of music this man did, he should be given

01:50:56like a doctorate. That was the class like Joker Divines. He should be given a doctorate for the

01:51:01kind of work that he did. You know, the kind of melodies. And when Merchant strum a guitar,

01:51:06it's the sweetest strum that you will ever hear. And nobody taught him. That was a gift from God,

01:51:11you know? Yeah. I, as a young man, not too long ago, right? But I remember the days when I would

01:51:19see Merchant performing outside the Mystic Inn at City Gate. You remember those days? Yes, yes.

01:51:26And let me tell you something. Just the way that you would have heard Merchant singing on a record

01:51:32is the same way. Yes. So, he was prolific. He was a boss. Yeah. So, Ruflin, tell us,

01:51:40just remind us about this Hidden Gems again. It's at 5 o'clock at Sapa on Sunday. It's at 5 pm. We

01:51:46sat in 5 pm shop. Ticket would also be available on that day in Sapa from 9 to 10. The reason being,

01:51:54we want people to come out. If you miss the show, you miss the show of the century because

01:52:00you will hear a song you wouldn't believe that is Merchant did it. Merchant penning. When I went to

01:52:06cut to make cut, know that I'm doing Merchant. So, I say not one song from another artist. Only

01:52:14all that register under Dennis William Franklin Merchant that will be performed on that day.

01:52:20I even used Merchant work in the early to bring his son second star out as an artist. About seven

01:52:26or eight in the songs. Not telling the world registering it as him because he leave work

01:52:31behind that this that still not sing as yet. Really? Yeah. Yeah. Work that did not sing as yet

01:52:39and I was hoping that one day he might take it and fix it to this because Merchant work is timeless.

01:52:46It is. It is timeless. Forever green. Because you remember, if you remember when it had the

01:52:50goofy second went and he sing, let me say star went and he sing cool me down. He sang in a red

01:52:58juicy and thing and cool me down and all that. That is Merchant song. But I put it under my son

01:53:03to give him a chance to get into cut and you know, I vocally train him and I did a lot of

01:53:09things to help him to reach where he is today as an as a artist. Right. Right. Whether you remember

01:53:15or you forget, I did the work because you cannot go out there and let the estate look bad. But it's

01:53:20not one song he sang for Merchant. He sang many songs coming up before he went out on his own.

01:53:26Because if you check it, this cannot be a one time thing, you know? No, I would not like it to be a

01:53:33one time thing because these songs are sung now. It does not necessarily mean that they have to

01:53:38come back. Yeah. That is what I'm saying. The scratchy surface. You have to go deep. Yes. Because

01:53:43I have a lot of artists that even Marshall Montano sing work for Merchant, you know? Right.

01:53:48It's Merchant work is a lot of people dancing and they're fetching and they don't even know

01:53:53they're fetching the Merchant. Yeah. A lot of people, you know, a lot of artists. So before

01:54:00time runs out, where can people get tickets? Well, tickets is available. I pick up my phone.

01:54:06Ticket is available in Sapa on Sunday. Right. It is in Wacridu. At least right by Skinner Park.

01:54:13At least. At least by Skinner Park. Devon, Devon Bar. Devon, yeah. Devon Bar. Sion. Sion Barbershop.

01:54:22Sion Barbershop. Ronnie and Carol in Portisbane. Yeah. Two co-office. Two co-office. And

01:54:29Crosby. Alright. Crosby in Portisbane. I'm sorry. Yeah. Ruflan. Crazy. Crazy is what we're going to

01:54:36see. I'm going out singing the whole piece. Go ahead. Let's go one time. Play the instrumental.

01:54:48I dream I was in Africa and I was a warrior hunting lion and tiger.

01:54:56Brave like my forefather. Come and check out that Merchant Show. Sunday, Sapa, five o'clock. I will be there too.

01:55:04With a power, a power pack star. A power place cast. Crazy. Thank you very much for coming this morning. All the best.

01:55:12Alright. So that's the end of our show for today. We leave you with this image captioned Studley Bay in Tobago.

01:55:18See you tomorrow everybody.

01:56:25This is the moment to

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