St Lucia's National Youth Council and BrightPath Foundation sign MOU to Deliver Tech Training

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Left to right: Kirt Hosam, Congress WBN Country Representative, St. Lucia; Bevil Wooding, Chief Knowledge Officer, Congress WBN and Executive Director, BrightPath Foundation; Timothy Ferdinand, President, St Lucia National Youth Council; Mrs Yolanda Bertin, Program Development Officer, St. Lucia National Commission for UNESCO; and Lavorne Verdant, 1st Vice President, St Lucia National Youth Council.

Trinidad-based non-profit BrightPath Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Youth Council of St Lucia.

The MOU, signed on May 22, is the first step in a joint initiative to create youth development programmes with a strong innovation and technology emphasis.

BrightPath and NYC aim to work together to produce ICT-based solutions for increasing youth employment and to develop programmes to foster technology-based innovation

Since 2011, BrightPath’s technology training programs have reached over 500 individuals across the Caribbean.  BrightPath currently facilitates technology training to Caribbean youth through hands-on workshops and seminars in

digital content creation, online broadcasting and multimedia design. BrightPath also conducts iCAN Mobile, the Caribbean’s only dedicated, ongoing mobile app development initiative.

The Saint Lucia National Youth Council Signed its first Memorandum of Understanding with BrightPath Foundation, an international non-profit organization, to collaborate on a range of technology education initiatives targeted at the youth.

The MOU signing ceremony was held the Government Information Service offices in Castries, on 21st May 2013. The MOU was signed by Mr. Timothy Ferdinand, President, NYC and Mr. Bevil Wooding, Executive Director, BrightPath Foundation. This joint initiative will help young people to gain knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to seize the opportunities presented by modern information and communications technology.

The partnership is the outcome of the successful experience of implementing St Lucia’s first ever national Mobile App Development workshop by BrightPath for the NYC in 2012. The organisations have agreed to deepen the partnership by having BrightPath provide a wider set of its values-based digital content training programs for the NYC members. Now in addition to mobile app development, St Lucia youth can look forward to programs covering digital photography, digital music, ebook publication and other technology areas, with an emphasis on producing relevant local content.

The NYC President, Mr. Timothy Ferdinand, expressed his delight in advancing the relationship with BrightPath into a more structured and sustainable model.

“This is an historic day for the NYC and the youth of St Lucia,” he said, “We hope to leverage the alignment of this new agreement with other national initiatives focused on using technology to create new opportunities for St Lucian youth and to amplify their voice in the national community.”

BrightPath Executive Director, Mr. Bevil Wooding said, “This MOU underscores the strengthening partnership between BrightPath Foundation and The St Lucia National Youth Council in the area of technology innovation and youth empowerment."

“BrightPath is always on the lookout for collaborations with the like-minded organizations to mutually leverage on synergies gained from marrying expertise, technological resources and shared interests. We look forward to a rewarding long-term partnership with the NYC.”

Mr Wooding, who is also the Chief Knowledge Office of Congress WBN, a faith-based non-profit that also supports youth development in St Lucia, added, “Our aim is not only to meet St Lucia’s growing demand for skilled technology resources, but also to inspire the youth to play a more active role national development. We believe the values-based approach to youth engagement being employed here in St Lucia can serve as a model for the wider Caribbean.”