News Releases

The UWI and CDB partner on “Community Inclusion Programme”

For Release Upon Receipt - July 17, 2020

St. Augustine


Head of the Academy of Sport, The UWI, Professor Funso Aiyejina presents a grant to Aaron Ramraj, father of CIP participant Ishmeel Ramraj, who is accompanied by Programme Coordinator, Community Inclusion Programme (CIP), Trinidad, Ryerson Bhagoo at The UWI SPEC

 ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago.  July 17, 2020 – The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) have continued to partner on a pilot “Community Inclusion Programme” (CIP) targeting “at risk” youths in vulnerable communities in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. On Wednesday, July 8, financial grants were given to 30 young people from the Cane Farm community to support them and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony took place at The UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC) at the St. Augustine campus.

Through special funding from the CDB, these youths were given training and guidance in various aspects of life to assist them with the challenges they face. The CIP differs from similar life skills programmes by incorporating sporting components and drawing parallels with sporting disciplines using athletic and sporting icons from the host country (Trinidad and Tobago in this instance) to inspire the participants.

Mr. Daren Ganga, former West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago cricket captain and Projects Officer of the Dean’s Office, The UWI Faculty of Sport assisted in the distribution of the grants. He said that the participants, ages 11 to 16, attended the eight-day programme from April 8 to 17, 2019. Principals of neighboring primary and secondary schools as well as various community groups were invited to nominate children for the programme.

“This community (Cane Farm) was chosen as the pilot location primarily because it is a ‘fence-line’ neighbor of The UWI, St Augustine. In addition, this community lies in an area deemed a crime ‘hotspot’ within the East-West Corridor of the country,” Ganga explained.

Projects Officer, Faculty of Sport, The UWI, Mr. Daren Ganga, presents a grant to a recipient at The UWI SPEC

Similar to the Cane Farm youths, 45 CIP participants in August Town in Jamaica also benefitted from financial grants from The CDB on June 28, 2020. Each CIP pilot programme received a lump sum payment of US$4,500.00, which meant on average, each registered participant from Cane Farm received TT$ 950.00. Mr. Ryerson Bhagoo, Project Coordinator for Trinidad and Tobago and Ms. Simone Forbes, Programme Coordinator for CIP Jamaica were both present at their respective distribution ceremonies.

Prof. Funso Aiyejina, Head of Academy of Sport at UWI St. Augustine, thanked the CDB for the grant funding, thanked the Project Coordinators, and congratulated all grant recipients. He encouraged them to continue to develop their sporting and life skills to have successful lives.

End

 

Notes to Editor

Photo Captions

The CDB and UWI Community Inclusion Programme (CIP) Grant Distribution Ceremony at The UWI SPEC

Image 1: from L to R - Head of the Academy of Sport, The UWI, Professor Funso Aiyejina presents a grant to Aaron Ramraj, father of CIP participant Ishmeel Ramraj, who is accompanied by Programme Coordinator, Community Inclusion Programme (CIP), Trinidad, Ryerson Bhagoo at The UWI SPEC

Image 2: from L to R - Projects Officer, Faculty of Sport, The UWI, Mr. Daren Ganga, presents a grant to a recipient at The UWI SPEC

Background information: Community Inclusion Programme in the Cane Farm Community, Trinidad

Principals of neighboring primary and secondary schools as well as various community groups were invited to nominate children that met the criteria set out (Young people between 11 and 16 Years old, Young people from vulnerable communities) with the understanding that the first thirty (30) kids would be afforded the opportunity to attend.

 The training sessions left the Cane Farm youths eager to learn more. The facilitator in Trinidad, Ms. Aneesa Mohammed, prepared slides, activities (group & individual) and video presentations utilizing a variety of mediums to address each participant’s learning style. Mr. Clayton Morris, former T&T Football Captain and Mr. Lendl Simmons, a West Indies and T&T cricketer added a high level of prestige and quality to the sporting component. In addition to football and cricket, participants were exposed to basketball and a fairly new sport to Trinidad, footgolf at the Brechin Castle Golf facility in central Trinidad.

With approval from CDB, a reunion with the thirty (30) participants from the CIP in Cane Farm was also organized which gave them the opportunity to attend the Final of the Regional Super 50 Cricket Tournament 2019 at the Queen’s Park Oval (QPO) on December 1st, 2019. Arrangements were made for cricket players to meet with the group of participants for brief interactions and to offer words of encouragement. This event was in keeping with the theme “Sport as a Tool for Development and Peace” introduced to participants at the main programme (April 2019). Participants had the chance to be exposed to an environment where professional sport was played live and it created a “real-life” image of what can be achieved by some of these aspiring youngsters

More about The UWI Faculty of Sport

Launched in 2017, The UWI Faculty of Sport integrates teaching and research, professional development, community partnerships, and co- and extra-curricular student sport through three main units: Professional Programmes, Outreach & Projects Unit, Co-curricular & Intramural-Activity Unit and the Academic Programme & Activity Unit. The faculty is made up of four Academies of Sport: Cave Hill Academy of Sport, Open Campus Academy of Sport, Mona Academy of Sport and St Augustine Academy of Sport. For more information visit www.uwi.edu/sport

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, The 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, Social Sciences and Sport. The 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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