News Releases

The UWI’s Sociology Unit tackles the problem of poverty in 2015

For Release Upon Receipt - April 9, 2015

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – On Wednesday April 15, The UWI Faculty of Social Sciences, Sociological Unit presents the “Poverty and Opportunity” Conference from 9am to 4.30pm at the Faculty of Social Sciences Lounge at the St. Augustine Campus.  Secondary and university students, UWI academics and interested persons will examine the phenomenon of poverty and   possible avenues to create opportunities to help eradicate systematic poverty. The featured speaker will be business pioneer and president of Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA), Gregory Aboud.

The Sociology Unit previously hosted a conference in 2013 which served as a platform for academics, students and practitioners to showcase their interests and skills and engage with relevant issues. The 2015 areas of focus will include “The Anatomy of Poverty,” which will aim to answer questions such as why does poverty exist? What are the consequences, challenges and fears – socially, economically and politically of “stepping out” of poverty? Additionally, how can the cycle of poverty truly be broken? The conference will also focus on “Templates for creating Opportunities for Getting Out of Poverty: Public Sector and Private Sector Perspectives,” thereby highlighting available avenues for persons to create opportunities to take themselves out of poverty.

Registration will take place from 8 to 8.50am on the day of the conference. Registration fees are minimal, with secondary schools being allowed five students free, additional students $10; the general public and UWI staff - $60; UWI Students (with ID): $20. 

Further information can be obtained from Dr. Ronald Marshall at 662-2002 ext. 83056; Fareena Alladin – fareena.alladin@sta.uwi.edu ; Anand Rampersad – anand.rampersad@sta.uwi.edu.

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

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