First Victoria Village conference opens tomorrow

Aug 04, 2010 News

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–    Youths trained to serve as attendants

A group of young Victorians completed a two-day training programme designed to equip them to function as Conference attendants during the First Village Conference which opens tomorrow.
The display of their talent is a reaffirmation of the existence of sufficient potential to advance the expected transformation of the Village, organisers of the conference said in a press release.
Victoria, located on the East Coast Demerara, was the first village to be bought by African slaves after emancipation in 1838.
The supportive work of the young Victorians will assist in the efficient conduct of the conference but more importantly, it brings them into the core of the events and positions them to grasp the significance of the event in the face of the present challenges and the efforts to arrest the decline of the Village, organisers stated.
The training exercise for the seventeen (17) young Victorians was conducted by Ms. Angelene Poole at the Conference Secretariat, and participants were selected as representatives of the youth population as well as for the Village zones in which they reside.
Ms. Poole outlined that on the first day, training focused on functioning as a team.  Consequently, team-building activities were used to build rapport and trust among the group members.
Focus was placed on their strengths and discovery of their weaknesses to highlight the skills that each one brought to the team and to devise coping strategies for weaknesses.  Further, the participants were informed of the expectations of the Conference Secretariat, and the norms, and roles in order to grasp a clear understanding of what being a Conference Assistant entails.  Professionalism and Dress Code were discussed in depth and later participants decided on a dress code for the event.

On the second day, the conference attendants were reminded of the pioneering spirit of their ancestors and the manner in which Victoria developed by Ms. Teshana James. Additionally, they entered into the practical aspect of the training by being involved in Speech & Diction. The young Victorians were tutored on the greeting of invitees and expressed that they were both confident and prepared to undertake their tasks.
Ms. Poole added that the participants were enthusiastic and saw the importance of holding the Village Conference.  “We discussed problems besetting the village, and possible solutions.   They embraced new methodologies taught and made every effort to participate in all activities. Some who were introverted and initially appeared nervous about public speaking were noticeably more outgoing by the end of the exercise.”
The decision to organise the training programme was proposed by Mr. Rawle Lucas of the Conference Leadership and Planning Committee and it was supported by the Technology Cooperative Society Limited (TCSL) of Silverballi Street, Meadowbrook Gardens, in Georgetown.
The focus of the co-operative society includes creating and maintaining access to Internet and other communication technologies for training, research and development, and providing business support services.
Meanwhile, speakers and presenters for the Conference have already arrived in the country for the event and the Conference Secretariat is engaged in the finalisation of logistics and other arrangements.
Mr. Desmond Saul, who heads the Conference Secretariat, has expressed satisfaction in the increased interest being displayed by residents of the Village. He noted that persons have been visiting the secretariat and indicating issues they expect to be addressed by the Conference.
The emancipation of African slaves will form part of the context in which deliberations will take place, and doubtless be an unpleasant reminder that their descendants have not fully capitalized on the costly investment of their ancestors, he added.
According to Abraham Poole, one of the organizers of the conference, the sloth and failure of residents to sense and respond adequately to transformations that have been occurring within the national and global economies have been identified as a prime factor in the decline of the village economy, and one reason for the manifestation of the ensuing social, educational, and moral problems that continue to besiege the Village.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall, has been invited to address the conference, while Region Four Chairman, Clement Corlette, will also make remarks.
The formal opening of the Conference takes place from 10:00 hrs tomorrow at the Victoria Primary School.

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