Award Newsletter Jan - Mar 2021

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MARCH 2021

GODDARD:THE MAN Mentee reflects on Goddard’s work.

CAMILLE JONES

Shares her Award memories and some advice. #AWARDATHOME

www.theawardbarbados.com

Marlon is focused on fitness.


#DUKERS246 |MARCH 2021

COVID-19 AND THE AWARD Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which started to impact Barbados a year ago, participants of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Barbados, have been working to assist their communities in any way they possibly can. In this edition, we highlight some of the work that participants and leaders did during the National Pause in February 2021.

COVID-19 AND THE CALL CENTRE March 2021 marked an entire year that Barbadians have been battling the COVID-19 pandemic. With the arrival of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine on the island volunteers were pressed into action to help with distribution. Award participants were in that group. They have been working at the call centre that was set up to help people make appointments. Makena Sue recalled that “A wise person once told me: Take as much opportunity as you can because once it’s gone, you’ll never get it back”. With this quote in mind, she joined the team because it was an opportunity to gain experience that could benefit her later on in life.

noting that the food at the different centres and clinics was phenomenal. It was not only about the food for her. She was able to complete hours for the National Giveback programme. Later, Shakeem Howell explained that working at the call centre has verified the stereotype that Barbadians are extremely friendly. One might be against calling the homes of complete strangers, but the fact that he was greeted with warm ‘Good Mornings’ and ‘Hellos’ along with the occasional ‘small talk’ encouraged him to press on.

“A wise person once told me: Take as much opportunity as you can because once it’s gone, you’ll never get it back” Challenges are present in any working environment, and the call centre was no different. However, amidst these challenges, both Jaaziel and Makena found a bit of amusement. Jaaziel noted that when registering grown adults, their email addresses seemed to say more than they ever could. On the other hand, Makena found listening to the elderly speak about their life experiences somewhat interesting.

While Makena was thinking of this experience as an investment into her future, Jaaziel Parris saw it as an opportunity for immediate gratification Page 2

Because all three dukers had such pleasant experiences with the call centre, they would like to encourage other dukers to join this initiative. Makena posits that this is a great opportunity to help persons gain a level of patience and Jaaziel promises that you would encounter people who would make your day.


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COVID-19 AND THE SHAPE APP Duker Romona Jones is very passionate about helping persons in need and as a result, she joined the team of persons who are responsible for documenting information using the Shape app. While giving up her time was selfless move, she explained that the work she is doing will not only benefit others; it is an opportunity for her to gain some experience working in a fast-pace environment. However, the pace of the environment depends entirely on where you are stationed. Romona explained that if you are stationed at a polyclinic, then there are times when it is very busy and other times when it is slow. Whereas, if your post is a satellite station, prepare to work because satellite stations are constantly busy. When asked ‘What is the documentation process like?’ Romona gave a clear detailed response. “It is basic data entry - the Shape app is connected to

the Electoral and Boundaries Commission as well as other agencies. The process includes verifying contact information and setting up a date for the second dose of the vaccine. Romona, like many other dukers is a university student. This meant that although she wanted to be of service to her country, volunteering for long periods of time was not the greatest option. Instead, she suggests that dukers who are also studying volunteer on an on an off basis to make sure that they keep up with their studies. Finally, Romona would like to encourage other dukers to volunteer as well. She assures any interested party that no specific skills are required because everything is straight forward. Additionally, the nurses that you would be assigned to are very understanding.

Some of our volunteers at one of the call centers. Page 3


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COVID-19 AND THE CARE PACKAGES The COVID-19 pandemic put an enormous economic strain on the citizens of Barbados. Due to this, our government came up with the idea of ‘Care Packages’ as an initiative to reduce some of the economic challenges that many Barbadians are facing. Award Leader for the Princess Margaret Secondary School, Tricia Forde and Khalisha Forde from the Barbados Cadet Corps unit were two volunteers in this initiative. Both Tricia and Khalisha decided to volunteer with this initiative because they wanted to give back to their country, and this initiative fit best with their daily schedules. Tricia recalled that the packaging process took place over a three-week period during the hours of 6pm to 12am. As Tricia is a school teacher, this shift was the one that showed the least conflict with her daytime schedule. Khalisha then explained that this packaging process involved constructing boxes, filling them with the specific items, taping them shut and setting them aside for collection. Participant Khalisha Forde hard at work preparing a package.

On the other hand, Khalisha seemed very enthusiastic about the entire experience. What made her declarations even more believable was the fact that she loves her sleep, but she chose to volunteer. Finally, she spoke about the lessons she learned and expressed sadness because this initiative ended so quickly, noting that she would do it again if the opportunity were to arise.

Award Leader Tricia Forde pausing for a quick photo. Page 4

When asked if they enjoyed this opportunity, both volunteers responded with a ‘yes’. As it relates to Tricia, being a school teacher during this time means that you are confined to your home most of the day so this initiative was an occasion to leave home. Additionally, this opportunity provided an environment for her to network, meet new persons and interact with others.


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#AWARDATHOME: MARLON STAYS FIT AND FOCUSED Participants of the Award are still working assiduously towards the finish line despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. One such person is Silver participant, Marlon Downie, a Lower 6th form student of Combermere School. Downie who hopes to pursue a career in Auditing or Programme Development, is currently studying Computer Science, Economics and Accounting. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marlon was an active footballer, but the restrictions prevented him from continuing at his home club, Kickstart. He felt the need to continue some form of exercise to compensate for this and opted to exercise at home. He not only wanted to remain active, but to gain muscle as well. By taking up at-home workouts, he is not just maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but he is also completing his Physical Recreation section of the Award.

In addition, he created an Instagram page, @doeia_marlon246. “I created the Instagram page to help me keep records of my exercising journey.” Marlon has found that persons have slowly gained interest in his page and that a recent tag from the Barbados Boy Scouts Association garnered more interest and followers to his page, a feature that has boosted his confidence and given him motivation to continue. He says that although he was unsuccessful in getting the other members of his household to join him in his exercise, they have been very encouraging. Marlon does not necessarily use a set routine or programme but has monthly goals, “Every month, I try to increase the number of reps by 10 and every few weeks include a few new exercises”.

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Along the way he has found some favourite exercises. His favourites are sit ups and crunches in which he proudly reaches 75-85 reps per session. Jump squats seem to be the most challenging exercise to date. Over the last few months, he has experienced a few challenges. “The most challenging part is finding the motivation to exercise on days when I do not feel like exercising.” He adds that although it was a bit difficult balancing all his activities, he found that formulating a schedule with his exercise sessions mostly on the weekend has helped tremendously. He also had to take a short break from exercising to complete his studies during the exam period. When he returned to his exercising routine he had to make some adjustments.

He is now mentoring Cub scouts and younger Scouts

“When I started back my exercises it was difficult to get all the reps l had done before, so I had to start with less reps and build my way back up. For example, if I was doing 80 reps, when I restarted I had to do 60 reps to work my way back to 80 reps.” Marlon’s list of activities does not stop there. He is also a Scout at the 54th Barbados Bay Scout Group. In fact, he was a Scout prior to joining the Award. At present, he is a Venture Scout, the fourth and final level of the Youth Scouting Programme, and is combining this with his Duke of Edinburgh's International Award.

for his Service component, while he has picked up the guitar for his Skill. As for the future, he looks forward to travelling to another Caribbean island to complete his Gold Award and Queen's Scout Award. Marlon

strongly

believes

that

youth

should

participate in the Award and that his fellow Scouts combine their Scouting Award with The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. “I would highly recommend the Award. You can stay in shape and you get the opportunity to do things you didn’t know you had in yourself to do. A year ago, I would have never thought about learning to play the guitar. Thinking about it now, my father has a guitar. I decided to pick it up and to start to learn how to

AWARD TRIVIA

play.” Overall, Marlon is proud of his progress. He has

DID YOU KNOW?

been able to increase the number of reps per exercise and has had physical gains since he began.

Major David Clarke, Co-ordinator of the Barbados COVID-19 vaccination programme is the former Director Americas for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award.

He believes that it has also made him more organized and goal oriented. He encourages other youth to join the Award and recommends it to his fellow Scouts “I think that the two Award programs complement each other very well and they both open doors for new possibilities.”

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Richard Goddard The Man – A mentee’s reflection

By Carla Alleyne Described as adventurous, generous, and passionate, Richard Goddard was the Award’s longest serving Chairman here in Barbados. Over the course of his decades of service to the Award, Richard helped to build the programme into a household name among the island’s youth population. At the old family supermarket on Fontabelle, Mr. Goddard had meetings for the Open Unit. There, youngsters from all over would gather to learn life lessons. They went home with knowledge in mapwork, fundraising tactics, organisational skills, teamwork and networking.

David noted, “Working alongside Richard, I learned the importance of perseverance and developed both moral and physical courage. He was not a time waster and meetings were always on point.” Reflecting on Richard’s mentorship, David commented that one of his fondest memories was attending his first Forum as an employee of the Award in Brisbane in 1988. This was a result of Goddard’s mentorship, guidance and support.

He served as leader and mentor for many, one such person is Maj David Clarke who shared just a bit of what it was like working with Richard Goddard.

As a champion of youth, Richard was keen to provide opportunities for all who came within his reach. Through his connections to multiple service organisations on the island, several projects were completed involving Award participants.

"Richard was keen to provide opportunities for all who came within his reach."

The now popular Sunday morning hike was one such initiative. Those hikes started in 1983 as a joint project between the Award and the Barbados National Trust and later the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Through those hikes, locals

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LEFT: Maj David Clarke chatting with Mr. Richard Goddard at his residence in 2017. RIGHT: HE Dame Ruth Nita Barrow, Governor General of Barbados, Mr. Richard Goddard, Chairman of the DEIA Barbados and Mr. Kenneth Pile of the DEIA Barbados board in 1963.

and visitors have been exposed to some of the island’s most breath-taking views. For the Award they were a source of funds and provided practice with hiking for participants and volunteers. Other projects coordinated by Mr. Goddard were the restoration of the Gun Hill and Grenade Hall signal stations. For the youth involved these were opportunities to learn about the island’s history and make a tangible contribution to its preservation. Whatever the activity, Richard's one expectation was that young people challenged themselves. Regional Reach The impact of Richard Goddard as a leader and a visionary for the development of young people in the Caribbean, is in the Caribbean Award SubRegional Council (CASC). The regional block has existed now for over 40 years. It was started to support the development of the Award in the Caribbean and share best practices. But it has really become so much more than that. Leaders, businessmen, thought leaders in the region have benefitted from the two week camp. As might be

imagined, Richard Goddard was instrumental in creating the CASC Adventurous Journey. The first one was in St. Vincent in 1980. Since then it has been an annual adventure that takes youth from all over the Caribbean and puts them together for an expedition. But it offers much more than a chance to go outdoors. Being out of their comfort zone these young adults learn how to build networks and gain an appreciation for neighbouring cultures. Richard’s ultimate vision for the Award in Barbados was to create the opportunity for every young person in the island to undertake the Award and to develop a sustainable business model. His efforts in the 80s and 90s have laid a foundation that can certainly make that possible. Some who are leaders today were trained by him. All across the island, families have stories of Richard Goddard and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Today, Maj Clarke and others like him continue to provide voluntary service to the Award all because Richard Goddard taught them the value of service to others. Rest well Richard, we will continue your work.

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NEW TRAINING GUIDE COMING SOON The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Barbados is set to have its very own Training Guide in the near future. Mr. Garfield Callender, the head of the team, gave some insight on the main objectives of the new initiative.

"There will be information for each level of the Award. Gold level participants can look forward to some information regarding preparation for CASC."

Mr. Garfield Callender, Assessor and head of the DEIA Barbados Training Guide Committee.

“As an assessor, I’ve realized that the participants need to know exactly what they are going to be assessed on. During the assessment, many participants tend to be quite nervous. With the manual they can understand what we are looking for and will have an easier time in meeting the criteria.” The information in the manual has been compiled by a number of experienced assessors of the Award. The team includes over a dozen panel members including Charles Sealy who has been around for years, Roger Best, Jeremy Devonish, Shoneé Howell and Vasco Graham-Lynch to name a few.” “I think the guide will help tremendously, especially in the areas of Camp Craft and Navigation.” He noted that many participants, particularly those at the Bronze level are not as confident as they should be in these areas. “We are also adding tips and tricks that will address areas such as the best ways to pack

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your hiking bag and the right camping and hiking equipment.” There will be information for each level of the Award. Gold level participants can look forward to some information regarding the preparation for the most anticipated and memorable annual Award event, CASC (Caribbean Award Sub-Regional Council) camp. The guide which will be available in both print and digital formats, targets participants and their leaders. “It will be informational and once participants have the information, training and preparation should go well.” The process would not becomplete without some challenges along the way. “Having to collect a wide variety of the information from so many people was challenging at first.” So, when will the guide be available? “We are hoping to have the guide available by the start of Summer 2021 and in use when the new school year commences in September."


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DUKERS ON PATH TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP Participants of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (DEIA) Barbados, can proudly say they are a step closer to becoming entrepreneurs. Jean-Pierre Blackett, Aaron Moore, Arielle Archer, Makena Sue and Elianna Bascombe participated in the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Challenge in September, 2020. The group gained substantial knowledge in Entrepreneurship at the four-week programme hosted by the Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT). The BYBT aims to provide business mentoring, networking, advisory and marketing support services to young Barbadian entrepreneurs. Recently, we got the opportunity to meet (virtually) with a few of the participants to hear about their experiences. First, we met with Makena and Arielle, third year students at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, who both have plans to start their own businesses. When asked how they found out about the Challenge and why they decided to sign up for the programme, Makena says “I want to be an entrepreneur so when I saw the information

about the Challenge in a group chat, I thought it would be a great opportunity to take part in the Challenge to expand my knowledge and experience about Entrepreneurship.” Arielle says, “I also want to be an entrepreneur. When Ms. Carla Alleyne told me about it and I thought it was pretty interesting. I also thought it would help me in building my business. I found that it was really helpful.” The sessions were beyond their expectations. It was far more interactive and engaging than anticipated. “I thought that there would have been lecture sessions, followed by an activity to see what you had learnt, but they were not. It was very interactive, which I really enjoyed. It was not like lectures where you can become distracted or zone out easily. The game kept us alert and focused.” Makena explained. “I didn’t expect the game either, I expected it to be a competition,” Arielle added.

Participants of the BYBT program Elianna Bascombe (foreground), Arielle Archer and Makena Sue. Page 11


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Elianna, an Upper Sixth Form student at Queen’s College who aspires to be an Environmental Risk Manager commented, “I decided to join the BYBT programme as it seemed to be an opportunity to expand my knowledge base further into the realm of business. I had the necessary time on my hands, which was a relatively rare occurrence, and the necessary support in place for participating in the programme, so I was happy to participate.” The game starts out by asking participants to choose what size shop, what products they will sell and their focus. These options were based on the amount of money they wanted to spend and what they believed would be most profitable. They were also able to choose opening hours, the amount of staff, the methods of advertising and what and how many goods they will have in their inventory to sell. The game ran on a weekly schedule, which could be sped up or watched day by day. At the end of the week they received a summary of what had been sold, customer complaints, the profit and the most profitable items.

The participants admitted that they had to make a few changes along the way. They started a food business, but after evaluation of sales, they switched gears to a sports supplies outlet which they proudly named “JAM E Sports”, a name incorporating each team member's first name initial. Although 5th formers, Aaron and Jean-Pierre did not join the Challenge with plans of becoming entrepreneurs, they said that they are now considering it for the future. The pair who are also Venture Scouts and school-mates, was informed about the Programme by their Scout and Award leader, Fabian Norville. Despite the age differences within the group and that it was the first time that some of them were meeting each other, the young participants

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Pictured above: Participant Aaron Moore listening attentively during one of the sessions.


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worked well together and each made valuable contributions towards the task. “At first, it was a bit awkward working with people we didn’t know, but it got easier as time progressed.” Jean-Pierre recalled. “I was not expecting a small group. I was expecting a classroom style setting, but it was not, and it was not boring at all.”

Participant Elianna Bascombe taking notes during one of the sessions.

“What stood out to me were the three major steps in building a business: Profit, Ethical thinking and Hype,” Aaron explained. Each participant agreed that they would recommend the programme to their peers. Elianna says “I would recommend, especially to persons who wish to try entrepreneurship. It gives an idea of the challenges and what you should be prepared for and take note of.” “I would definitely recommend the challenge to my friends and I would actually participate in it again” said Aaron.

"I would definitely recommend the program to my friends and I would actually partipciate in it again,”

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ACTIVITY Use the clues below to complete the crossword puzzle of famous women in history.

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THE PEOPLE ...THE PASSION Short interviews with participants, leaders and assessors sharing what it means to be #dukers246. In this edition of “The People... The Passion“ we feature Camille Jones.

CAMILLE JONES

Do you have any nicknames? Camz, Milley What is your personal motto? In Deo Fides What are your favourite foods? Fries: curly fries, waffle fries, loaded fries, chili fries Any hobbies or interests? I used to be pretty good at archery. I really want to pick that back up. No day is complete without... Prayer...and YouTube Favourite TV show? CSI Miami Describe any pets you have. I don't have any pets currently but I love dogs and hope to have one soon. Describe your favourite local location. Ragged Point Lighthouse Share a fond memory or your time as a Participant? CASC 2013....if you know, you know

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Share a fond memory of assessing a Unit. Dinner time with any bronze group is always entertaining. Bad fires build character. Lol What do you find most rewarding in your role as AJ Assessor? Watching participants achieve things they thought they couldn't. What tips and tricks can you give participants? 1. Stretch! Don't say I never warned you 2. Support each other What are your expectations for the future Award in Barbados? I want the Award to become the #1 extra curricular activity across the island.

Do you want to share your story? or Do you want to hear someone else's story? Submit your name or the person you want to nominate to the Duke office.


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UPCOMING EVENTS Follow The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Barbados Instagram and Facebook pages for updates on upcoming events.

April SVG Collection Drive

May May 10: BYBT Enterprise Challenge May 10: Launch of CASC 100 Challenge Sign up to be part of the Global Celebration for Founders 100 (Contact deiabarbados@gmail.com for more information)

Sheraton Mall Sargeants Village Christ Church Tel: 436-8754 Fax: 436- 1630

deiabarbados@gmail.com www.theawardbarbados.com

@dofebarbados /deabarbadosaward


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