Dazzle Magazine Issue 30

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Shirnel Dupre Loving The Jobs You Hate

Shemmy Johannes

Issue 30

Keigan Mayers

Nature’s Kei; Insider Edition on Clean Farming

Music Saved My Life How Observation Gives You An Edge Creamy Garlic Shrimp

Keithlin Caroo is Helen’s Daughters; Mobilizing Rural Women

Try me!

Mariokart Tour

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Keithlin

CAROO

is Helen’s Daughters; Mobilizing Rural Women pg. 24

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from the publisher

O

ver the past few years Dazzle Magazine has made it its duty to showcase Saint Lucian owned businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals. We are proud to say that we have been able to inspire and motivate our readers through our impressive features and compelling articles. It has been a lot of hard work seeking and compiling these features however, I’m always elated to present to you their progress in every issue. Issue 30 exhibits yet another diverse cast of individuals who have been able to be focused and innovative, as well as lead and persevere despite their challenges.

As we end 2019, I would like to thank all of our readers and advertisers for making this year another successful one. Without your support this would not be possible.

In 2020 Dazzle Magazine plans on enhancing our storytelling through film and strive for excellence.

With that being said, I’d like to wish my amazing team, all of our readers, fans and advertisers a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Please feel free to “Like” or leave feedback on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages and subscribe to our YouTube channel @dazzlethemag. You can also recommend an individual to be featured in Dazzle Magazine by simply sending us a message.

Rankin Morgan Publisher/Managing Editor

Dazzle Magazine is a dynamic Saint Lucian bi-monthly publication that provides muchneeded exposure to young professionals and entrepreneurs, and established businesses. It covers an array of topics and categories key to starting and running a business. It also offers practical advice on everyday living, tips for a healthy lifestyle and interviews with popular and up-and-coming personalities.

Dazzle Magazine is designed to appeal to a diverse range of readers but is especially targeted at working professionals and business owners between the ages of 21-50 years. We provide our advertising clients with value for money by offering them a powerful medium to market their products, offer deals and build their brand. Best of all, we give them the opportunity to be a part of a nationwide and online marketplace of actively engaged consumers who are ready to buy, all at an affordable price.

To advertise in Dazzle Magazine, contact our sales agent via telephone (758) 452 0123 or email advertising@dazzlethemag.com for more information and terms and conditions.

table of

contents Features 14. Keigan Mayers - Nature’s Kei; Insider Edition On Clean Farming 18. Shirnel Dupre - Loving The Jobs You Hate 24. Keithlin Caroo - Is Helen’s Daughters; Mobilizing Rural Women 32. Shemmy Johannes - Music Saved My Life Professional Progress 12. How Observation Gives You An Edge Mastering Marketing 17. Marketing Techniques You Can Implement In Your Business

Publisher Rankin Morgan Sales & Marketing Alana M.I Morgan Art Director Aldrin Henry Contributors Tanisha Prospere Nadège Knight Imran St. Brice Photography Amil Alexander Mygell Felix Aldrin Henry

Health & Fitness 11. 10 Super Foods - To Improve Blood Circulation Lifestyle 31. RECAP - The Darkest Minds Eating In 35. Creamy Garlic Shrimp Gadget & Gizmos 22. Mariokart Tour Out & About 32. Out & About Instagram 34. Starting To Look Alot Like Christmas

Issue 30

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Shirnel Dupre

Keigan Mayers

Loving The Jobs You Hate

Nature’s Kei; Insider Edition on Clean Farming

Shemmy Johannes Music Saved My Life How Observation Gives You An Edge Creamy Garlic Shrimp

Keithlin Caroo is Helen’s Daughters; Mobilizing Rural Women

Try me!

Mariokart Tour

On the Cover Keithlin Caroo

contact us

For more information visit us at www.dazzlethemag.com or call us at 758.452.0123

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Keithlin

CAROO is Helen’s Daughters; Mobilizing Rural Women pg. 24

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Keigan MAYERS & Nature’s Kei; Insider Edition on Clean Farming

pg. 14

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10 Super Foods To Improve Blood Circulation Cayenne Pepper

Dark Chocolate

Cayenne is available as a pepper or a dried spice and has been associated with increasing metabolic rate and strengthening arteries and blood vessels.

Oranges

Cocoa contains flavonoids which is found in plants and fruits and has been well linked to improving blood circulation.

Sunflowers Seeds

Oranges and other citrus fruits high in vitamin C are natural blood thinners and are said to strengthen capillary walls and prevent plaque build up which leads to poor circulation.

Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E which is shown to help keep blood clots from forming. They are great at helping improve circulation.

Ginger Root

Garlic

Gingko Biloba

Goji Berries

Ginger is known for helping nausea and digestion problems as well as increasing blood circulation. Ginger can be eaten raw or added to foods or why not try ginger tea.

One of the world's oldest surviving tree species, Gingko Biloba dilates blood vessels and in doing so increases blood flow. It is also thought to increase blood flow to the brain.

Watermelon

Watermelons are rich in lycopene which is a natural antioxidant linked to improving circulation.

Lycopene is a natural pigment which gives certain foods their reddish colour.

Garlic has many uses and one of them is that it cleanses the blood and helps prevent plaque build-up.

Goji berries can be found in natural health stores and look similar to raisins. They are high in fibre to help boost the immune system as well as increasing blood circulation.

Avocado

Avocados contain heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids which research has shown to support the cardiovascular system and increase blood circulation.

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Marketing Techniques You Can Implement In Your Business

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arketing can sometimes be a complex effort to undertake as a business owner or marketing specialist. We’ve compiled a few pointers that you can refer to when deciding to take your business to the next step with effective marketing.

1. Explore Different Avenues Most businesses who try to market their product/ service would normally take the approach of putting all of their efforts into one channel. With so many avenues for marketing in this age, it would be even wiser to distribute resources and finances to different types of marketing. For example, if print is your primary method for advertising, but a large majority of your audience often frequents social media, then it may be time to increase your reach by exploring that avenue instead.

2. Use the Process as Content At first thought, one may assume that if there isn’t a flashy product from the production line to capture and share then there isn’t content to market with.

In actuality, whether your primary focus is a tangible product, or a service, the process by which it is made or completed can serve as valuable content for your audience. Building that relationship where persons 12 DAZZLE

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can get an inside look at what goes into something that they’re buying into can be invaluable.

3. Build Partnerships Where partnerships are concerned, you can take two routes. First off, partnering with other businesses may be a viable option for you. If you want to tap into other markets and build your following in a way that’s mutually beneficial to both involved parties this may be a route you should take. The other main option is to partner with what we call today “Influencers”.

Nurturing a relationship with an influencer/brand advocate can have great success in the long run. Their loyal followers will instantly be drawn to your product or service that they’re advertising on your behalf.

4. Leave an Impression This is the final point, but it’s equally important to the longevity of your brand in the public eye. What you don’t want is “customers”; persons who buy into your product once and aren’t particularly interested in becoming invested in the brand outside of what products or services it provides. You should always be working towards the opposite of that; creating an experience that people want to be a part of and buy into, regardless of whether or not they can obtain a product or service from it.

Shirnel l DUPRE

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Loving the jobs you hate pg. 18

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Keigan MAYERS Nature’s Kei; Insider Edition on Clean Farming

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eigan Mayers, founder of Nature’s Kei, sat with us to discuss his passion and drive for what he does. Keigan’s whole idea was to open up a farm and ensure that the food was of high quality and that meant making it organic as well. The farm, currently sitting on 4.5 acres of land, has been in operation since 2013, in La Guere, Babonneau. Nature’s Kei doesn’t only cater for businesses, they also deliver to their customers, which he’s found satisfying in that he gets to meet the people buying from him and it’s rewarding to hear how he impacted them.

Interacting with customers means getting to know how they feel one on one about your product.

“It’s been great. I’ve had a lot of people comment on the freshness of it and the flavour. They love the fact that all of our food is organically treated and I can pick it at any given time. When I started growing kale I started growing about 1200 plants and that was producing 300 pounds every 21 days. That’s a lot of kale and I sold it at $7 a pound, which blew people’s minds. And because the food is organic it lasts longer. You have a fresher product for a longer time.”

“We live in a hot, humid environment which breeds pests and disease and it’s really a struggle trying to get the right mix of organics to work with the plants so that has been quite a journey.”

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Even with the extensiveness of his business, the team is not as big as we’d think. “I fly mainly solo. My team is a mentor of mine and a farmer out of Jamaica. But on the ground it’s basically me figuring it out myself and making it work.” Which makes us wonder about the moment he knew that this was what he wanted to do for a living. “It was refreshing. I think for the first time it meant that I actually figured out what I wanted to do after a very long time. I never found

anything that really drove me to say, “oh I want to keep doing this.” I was doing a lot of things I was good at, like Information Technology and Writing but it still didn’t mean that my heart and soul was into it. I think that was my existential moment, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And when I zoned in on food, and I was like, “okay I can try this,” it was an insane idea because I had very little training in it. I mean I worked on farms for a bit as a summer job but I grew up a city boy so to say I knew what farming was well, I did not.”

While he admitted to going in partially blind, his little experience in the field has helped level up to where he is today. “I worked on some farms during my summer vacations off of school. It was my first experience with that kind of thing and I remember after I’d worked my first week, I was sick for like three days. It was a challenge and my body was not used to the kind of energy that was needed but I still wanted to do it because I loved a challenge. That’s where I learned how to deal with toxic chemicals. Then I worked on a poultry farm, and they had pigs. I never wanted to do that one again, because while you get accustomed to the hours you don’t really get used to the smell. That basically covers my background in farming and doing Agriculture in school, which is why the transition into farming was insane. I eventually went over to Mexico

fun facts

What’s your dream sports car? Not really a sports car kind of person Last song you listened to? Standing on the shoulders of Giants Favourite Food? Broccoli to do a course on Protective Farming for about two and a half weeks and there I met the farmer from Jamaica and we started talking.”

Like all other seemingly passive careers, farming also has misconceptions for persons who are unaware of the depth in which it goes. “The biggest misconception is that it’s easy, that it’s about putting a seed in the ground and it’s just going to do its thing. Agriculture itself is a man-made thing. It’s engineered by man, it’s not how plants naturally grow. The moment you start doing any form of mono cropping, no matter how small the scale, you exponentially increase the risk factor of growing bad crop. That part makes it really tough. The other thing is that they say it’s not a science, which it is. There’s a lot of science involved

in farming. Understanding the difference between moisture and wetness; a simple thing like that, for example. Whether a seed needs darkness or light to germinate. There’s a lot to it.”

Although it’s clear that Keigan is passionate about what he does, in every field there are things that irk that you. “Being able to control the weather,” he answered when we asked him about one thing he would change if he could. “You’re fighting against a lot of things, a lot of unknowns at this point. I think what I dislike most is the general lack of data about farming. We generally grow with low levels of technology. Knowing what your soil is like and knowing what’s happening with your plants and being able to test and get information quickly; the lack of that in the space that we’re in is what I dislike the most. I can’t do anything about the weather so I’m going to dislike something that can be changed or controlled.”

For both Nature’s Kei and Keigan, we wanted to know what was in store for the future. “Personally, I would want to create a bigger impact in the industry. I’d want to bring in more technology, make it more climate smart and more productive. For Nature’s Kei, what we’re looking at is introducing elements of permaculture, which is a more sustainable way of doing farming. I also want to add some more value added items like zucchini pasta. We also want to start a herb garden, so things like essential oils. We want to start doing all these things soon, to make it a more profitable business.”

Keigan told us about his personal growth from when he started to now. “It’s a lot of personal growth that had to happen. That came in learning to bury my ego and surrendering to forces you really and truly can’t control. I also had to learn the value of food. I don’t think I really considered how much food impacted life until I started growing it and seeing it for myself.

Until I started having cancer survivors requesting large amounts of your food because they know it doesn’t have any toxic chemicals. That was a main lesson for me.”

We wish both Keigan and Nature’s Kei extreme success in their future endeavors as they embark on a roller coaster ride of risks and difficult choices. Good luck!

ADV E RT I S E WI TH US To advertise in The Dazzle Magazine, contact our sales agent via telephone (758) 460 4126 or email advertising@dazzlethemag.com for more information.

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How Observation Gives You An Edge

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n the working world, no man is an island.

Doing your own thing in your field is great, and sometimes rare... but what if you’re trying to break into an existing market with innovative plans and ideas? Here’s how being observant of others is just as important as trying to blaze your own trail.

1. You learn from their missteps Most of what you learn - whether it’s solving a math equation or learning to fish - was accompanied by you observing someone else do it first. This also applies to being a professional in any field. Mistakes are bound to happen in business, but they always allow the chance to grow and learn from them. While it’s not impossible to achieve success by focusing solely on your progress, seeing where others have faltered can be a safe way of knowing what doesn’t work.

sun.” Of course, one can invent something unique and relatively new in their field. However, a lot of what we come up with is a compilation of other things that we’ve seen, heard or experienced. Therefore, paying close attention to the efforts of your contemporaries can’t do you wrong. In doing that, you’ll also be able to identify what works well and what doesn’t.

2. Figuring out what works

Finally, it is worth noting that not every observation made requires immediate implementation on your part. This is obvious in fields that are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but even the tactics and strategies of your direct competitors may not be the best option for your business. www.dazzlethemag.com DAZZLE 17

Alongside figuring out what paths to avoid taking, keeping tabs on what’s working in your field can show you what’s potentially a viable path to take. Think of the popular quote: “There’s nothing new under the

3. Making informed decisions

Shirnel DUPRE Loving the jobs you hate

Do you ever think about the persons doing the jobs we hate to do so much? Does it ever cross your mind that what we frown upon someone else gets up in the morning just to do that?

T

hat’s, in a general sense, what J.T.P Building and Grounds Maintenance is all about. It’s their slogan, if you will and we had a chance to sit and have a conversation with the Will and power behind it all.

Shirnell Dupre, accompanied by Jeanelle Merius and Trudy Herman represented the brains and the brawns behind J.T.P’s overall value. Shirnell, the founder and idealist behind the company gave us quite the interview, both personal and professional wise.

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Dazzle: What was life like for you growing up?

Shirnell: I attended the Anglican Primary School, and then Corinth Secondary School in form 3 I left St. Lucia to travel abroad. I got certified in cosmetology, so I can do hair, nails and all the works. After a few years I decided to venture into property maintenance and started off with just a weed eater. And it was like all the houses I went to, a service was needed.

There was always something to be done, so I looked into getting the different equipment and that’s how I started to grow. Now we offer all different kinds of services.

Dazzle: What are you most passionate about?

Shirnell: Apart from being a mother, I’m passionate about my business. You see most people doing things because of the money, but I’m really passionate about what I do. From a very young age I always liked to clean and see things in a certain way so doing this means a lot.

Dazzle: What services does your company offer?

Shirnell: We do basic cleaning, detail cleaning and polishing and buffing of floors. We do construction site cleaning, tree trimmings, pressure washing, lawn maintenance, de-bushing, property clearance, upholsteries and the list goes on.

fun facts Polka Dots or Stripes? - Stripes What’s your biggest fear? -The loss of a relationship with the Lord You found a genie who could grant you one wish, what will it be? -A million more wishes Dazzle: With such a wide range of services, how are you able to manage the operations of so many moving parts within one company?

Shirnell: Well I guess when you like something, it’s easier to manage and with the help of my daughters, I get the job done. I also have a team of guys who work with me, but it depends on the job that we’re getting called to do. With some jobs you may require less or more persons but yes, I have a reliable team. I am very hands on and operate a lot of my equipment.

I believe the only way you can offer a quality service is if you know what you’re about and you can only do that by getting involved. I have a choice whether I can or can’t do something but most of the time I do it,

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especially if we’re working with floors. If the guys need a break for lunch or otherwise, instead of that being time wasted I would operate the equipment myself and get the job done.

Dazzle:You talked about your jump from cosmetology to this, so what background do you have pertaining to this?

Shirnell: I mostly got my experience through research and hands on knowledge. With time and hard work I was able to build and motivate myself to where I’m at right now. It was, and still is a lot of work and there are so many components to this job. I do not always have the educational background, just hands on experience. I continue to do this and not something like fashion, something that everyone else seems to be doing because it never interested me. It seemed like it was limiting, and right now I’m already thinking about my next move.

Dazzle: What are the most challenging parts of your profession? And how do you overcome them?

Shirnell: For most business persons, one of the greatest challenges would be management of staff.

You find that everyone has their own personalities and in my field of work, I work with mainly men so it could be a bit challenging on a daily basis. Other than that, I think I’m doing a pretty good job with everything. What I do is more a man’s field, lifting heavy things, operating machinery, you’d find a man doing that. You’d find women doing easier things, and people have that mentality that because you’re a woman you’ll automatically want things done the easier way or bend the rules to get what you want. So, standing firm and letting them know that you believe in yourself is how I push forward and that can be challenging. I’m really proud of myself because all in all I’ve proven myself. The companies I’ve worked for know that I’m reliable, and that I know what I’m about and I think having the passion for it helps a great deal.

Dazzle: You started off six years ago doing grass cutting, and now you’re doing so much, how did you move from just grass cutting to adding so many things to your list?

Shirnell: As I said before, I saw that things needed to be done and I’m thinking why limit myself to just this one thing? If there’s no grass to cut and something else needs to be done, then I can do it. And with the help of my mother, helping with getting the equipment from the States willingly, she’s been a great help. She’s been supporting me through everything, encouraging me to keep going. That helps a lot to know she believes in me.

Dazzle: How do you unwind at the end of a long day?

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Shirnell: When you love the things that you do, it doesn’t feel like work. I mean you do get tired, but these are things that have to be done. I don’t let it beat me up and tear me down. I’m someone who meditates a lot. I spend a lot of time with my thoughts so even that could be relaxing for me. So at some point in the day, mostly at night, I would have a cup of coffee and spend time with myself, just recollecting on the day and coming up with a plan for the next one. Prayers also help me. I pray a lot ceaselessly throughout the day and it keeps me sane and brings a lot of clarity.

Dazzle: What words of inspiration do you have for persons coming up in the working world?

Shirnell: Well I mean, I can tell them life has its challenges, but people just have to continue to believe in themselves. They have to understand that it may not necessarily work in their timing but if you have the vision and the passion for it just do whatever it takes because eventually it’s going to pay off.

We wish Shirnell well in her endeavours and hope that both and and J.T. P Building and Grounds Maintenance see a bright and prosperous future.

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Keithlin

CAROO is Helen’s Daughters; Mobilizing Rural Women

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Top 3 Reasons To Try Out Mario Kart Tour

M

ario Kart is a Nintendo title that has been capturing the hearts of individuals of all ages since the 20th century. Since the announcement of a new instalment into the franchise, fans of all ages have been eager and anticipated the release date for the mobile game.

The decision to make the newest version of the racing to be mobile has opened doors of accessibility to individuals who do not own the newest Nintendo console and who are not willing to purchase on just to play a single game. But why play this version of Mario Kart when there are other versions one can choose from? Here are your three reasons why.

Brings back memories

those

childhood

Remember when the first instalment of Mario Kart came out for SNES and you were excited to race against family members and friends to see who would be victorious? That's the same feeling Mario Kart Tour invokes. The new mobile game available for free for both iOS and Android devices presents us with the same roster of our childhood favourite characters plus many more additions and variants, either for festivities such as Halloween or Christmas, or fun quirky costumes which represent the culture of the cities featured in the races. Mario, Luigi and the whole 22 DAZZLE

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gang are back with a modern look, mobile-friendly driving mechanics and a truckload of childhood nostalgia.

Ready to play everywhere and anywhere The Mario Kart title is no longer subjected to Nintendo consoles only. As the company has been making steady steps into the world of mobile apps, Mario Kart Tour is just one of the few applications they have produced. Other games like Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes have been introduced to the mobile landscape but there was not as much hype around the two unlike like Mario Kart Tour. The game is only a few megabytes so there’s no need to worry about it taking up too much space on your device.

It is recommended, however, for your device to be running at minimum Kit Kat 4.4 for Androids and at minimum iOS 10 for iPhones. Once you have met these requirements, you are all set to compete against friends to see who gets the highest score on the leader board no matter where you are. All you need is a stable wifi connection and may the race begin!

Everyone can play it!

No matter if you are young or old, Mario Kart Tour was designed with simple mechanics that you would

find in any other mobile game, making it easy to learn and fun to play. You can choose from Gyro Handling (tilting your device to steer), the Auto Drifting option (you drift in the direction you swipe on the screen) or turn off drifting all together (swiping the screen would not make you drift). These options were made and tailored so that users can play the game however they feel most comfortable. You do not need to be a toddler, pre-teen, teen or adult to figure out how the game works. Everything is easy to understand and if it is not, a tutorial is provided when you first install the game. Mario Kart Tour was designed to be played by everyone no matter how old you are.

At current, multiplayer is not in the game yet, so you can’t play with your friends, however, that does not kill the competitiveness that comes with the ranking and leaderboard system in the game. You can add your friends using their ID generated in-game and see what their weekly ranking score is and try to best it.

Go on and relive your childhood experiences. Mario Kart Tour is a game suited to invoke nostalgia in anyone of any age.

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Keithlin

CAROO is Helen’s Daughters; Mobilizing Rural Women

K

eithlin Caroo, the founder of Helen’s Daughters grew up in Fond Assau, Babonneau with both a love for her rural community and a dream of working for the UN. Currently working in the United States, Keithlin is the Special Assistant to the President of the General Assembly at the UN, which makes splitting her time between her work and her organization a tricky task. While she started off in St. Lucia, attending the Ave Maria Girls Primary School, St. Joseph’s Convent and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, she ventured off to obtain her degree in Political Science and a minor in International Relations in Puerto Rico before moving to the U.S, Keithlin’s heart, still firmly rooted in St. Lucia is what made her decide to start Helen’s Daughters as a way of honoring where she came from and giving back to her country.

Dazzle: The Instagram Bio for Helen’s Daughters says “Mobilising Rural Women through entrepreneurship” how do you explain what that is?

Keithlin: I look at female farmers as invisible in the agricultural sector, and I say this because people do not recognize the value of rural women. In rural areas (where poverty is generally higher), 40% of households are headed by single mothers and most of them are involved in farming, but when people think of a farmer they automatically think of a man. Women are thought of as vendors and not actually those who grow food, with that stereotype, most women are blocked out of opportunities such as farmer training, adequate financing and overall support, which is where we come in. Our motto means that we’ve created a support network for rural women that provides the missing links for them to get access to larger markets, from trainings, farmer education and soon direct access to selling their produce to larger markets such as hotels and the food retail sector.

Dazzle: You mentioned having no background in agriculture, so what spurred your interest in wanting to start this movement?

Keithlin: I was raised in Fond Assau, and it was home for the first 19 years of my life, so that being said, even though I wasn’t pushed towards a career in agriculture, I grew up in a community that was shaped by it. Both sets of my grandparents were farmers, and farming contributed significantly to my household.

When I joined the UN, I started noticing the agricultural advancements in West Africa in particular, and I saw how it affected the local population socially and economically and I couldn’t help to compare the reality of rural communities in St. Lucia. Personally, I saw how my community changed from the ‘banana days’, with less opportunities, particularly for women and youth. There are more social ills, higher rates of teenage pregnancies, more dependency on drugs and alcohol, and I honestly feel that if there was a significant investment in agriculture, especially giving opportunities to young persons and women, the realities they face now can change.

fun facts Favourite dessert? – Tres Leches Best way to spend the weekend off? - on a boat or on the beach What is your dream travel location? - Ghana

Dazzle: Being in the UN was your passion, so explain to me how that became something that you wanted to do?

Keithlin: It took a long time for me to figure out what I wanted to do. First, I wanted to be a Biologist because I love animals and then it was a Vet. I think at some point I just wanted to impress my parents.

When I attended Convent I realized I had an affinity

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for social sciences; The Languages, Social Studies, History and things like that. Not to mention, at Convent and SALCC, my language teachers were the most inspiring women I had ever met. I wanted to have a career where I could utilize multiple languages, then one day my dad said to me, “You could do International Relations” and it immediately clicked.

I saw certain women like Len Ishmael who was the Director General of OECS at the time, and just seeing her, how she carried herself, holding her own in rooms where most often she was the only woman there, and the impact she had on St. Lucia, had me sold.

Therefore, when I went to the University of Puerto Rico, I did Political Science and got into it even more.

I landed an internship with the UN while I was a Grad Student and technically, as soon as I graduated, I got hired by the UN. Five years later, and I’m still here.

Dazzle: Who were others that inspired you, even for Helen’s Daughters?

Keithlin: If I can start close to home, I’d say my grandparents. They were both farmers and worked tirelessly for their children and grandchildren to have more than what they did. For Helen’s Daughters, the women farmers that are a part of the organization are the biggest inspiration because they are resilient beyond a doubt, their stories, their sacrifice and their grace through it all has affected me both personally and professionally.

Dazzle: How much of an influence have your parents been in the process?

Keithlin: Well I think my parents, particularly my mom, have sowed the seeds of selflessness in meservice before self. I don’t think they ever foresaw the path that I would choose, but they both knew that whatever path I chose or whatever door was opened for me, I would hold it open for others- I was just raised that way. I have seen my mother nurture dozens of friends, family and colleagues. For my father, who is a teacher at St. Mary’s College and a former National Football Coach, I’ve seen him help students or his players financially when no one else would give them a chance.

Dazzle: When you made it to the UN, what was it like?

Keithlin: It was a long journey, from an unpaid, 3 month internship, which had me sleeping in an airbed in some basement in Brooklyn because I couldn’t afford anything else, to hoping that I would get a job after the internship ended and taking the UN exam, it was difficult but it paid out after all. I joined the UN at 25, which now that I look back, the organization

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nurtured me. I was exposed to different cultures, languages and traditions all in one place, not to mention, working in the Secretariat which is probably something I will never forget. This year it came full circle, now that I serve in the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the same Office that Sir Julian Hunte occupied in 2003-2004, it was the first-time a Caribbean nation held the highest Office in the UN and it’s something I’m truly proud of.

Dazzle: What is your/ Helen’s Daughters biggest achievement so far?

Keithlin: Our biggest achievement would be that we got selected as a case study and got partnered with the University of British Columbia in Canada. The farmers did an exchange and got expertise from humanitarian engineering students to help find solutions for their farming problems such as ways to tackle climate change, sustainable farming practices and even using Google Earth and data mapping to understand where to find the best areas to plant. Also, we’ve been featured in Forbes and CTA, which for me is huge because we are realigning people’s minds to not only think of the Caribbean as sun, sea and sand but a place where innovation and ingenuity outside of the tourism and entertainment markets also exist.

For me though, I still feel like I’m waiting for that big achievement.

Dazzle: How do you plan on taking Helen’s Daughter to the next level in the future?

Keithlin: We’re already working on that. We created a social enterprise called Green Gold. We are using our training programs designed by Helen’s Daughters to refine female farmers to actually sell to larger markets such as the hotel and food retail sector.

We’ve developed an online marketplace so that it’s easier for the buyers to put in a purchase, but a bonus for the farmers is that we are using this portal to also issue their payments via direct deposits just like any other salaried worker so that they can have a financial footprint which has been a huge obstacle for farmers in getting loans or legitimizing their business.

We wish Keithlin and Helen’s Daughters great success in their future endeavours.

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//Feature

ShemmyJ Music Saved My Life pg. 32

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The Darkest Minds

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eleased in 2018, The Darkest Minds is a science fiction film-based on Alexandra Bracken’s 2012 novel of the same name.

The movie is a dystopian science fiction thriller surrounding Ruby Daly, a sixteen-year-old kid with psionic abilities who in a world where any child with abilities is locked away, must fight for her freedom and those of the people she cares about.

This adaptation, like most YA novel adaptations touches the topic of teenagers or young adults beating the odds to save the world. It’s what the narrative has been for some time and with this one, it’s not that different. An unexplainable illness kills off more than half of the world’s kids and gives the survivors extraordinary abilities. Those survivors are placed into groups, depending on what they can do and are all locked away in government-controlled rehabilitation camps.

Green is safe. They’re not a threat, just extremely smart. They’re the intelligent ones. Blue can manipulate things around them (telekinesis), Yellow manipulates electricity, Red breathes fire and Orange has psionic abilities. Reds and Oranges are considered the most dangerous and if they’re not being used for war training, they’re being taken care of.

The film introduces new talent, but also gives comfort with already existing and promising actors. Amandla

Stenberg plays the main character, Ruby Daly. She meets, not trusting at first, the camp doctor, Cate (Mandy Moore) helps her escape and soon she meets the kids she ventures dangerous paths with.

The Darkest Minds touches on subjects that may be sensitive to others in a way that makes it seem lackadaisical. Perhaps it’s not meant to be as thought consuming as you’d hope it to be. It’s for young adults, people who, despite the common thought of older folks, face rejection, discrimination and disappointment on a daily basis. It’s for people who fear judgement from people who fear what they do not understand.

The film encompasses real issues, in a not so real way.

The twist and turn of fantasy and real life makes this film worth the watch.

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Shemmy JOHANNES Music Saved My Life

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azzle Magazine had the pleasure of sitting with Shemmy Johannes, more widely known as Shemmy J, for an interview and insight on who he was and how he started off in the music business.

Even before he started singing his own songs, Shemmy J was deeply involved in the music industry.

His father, along with his uncles and his aunt, had been part of a band during his younger days, and had been a great influence in his love for music. But first he started off not singing, but adding his own twist to already known songs, remixing and doing covers to rap and dancehall.

Shemmy J started writing and recording his own songs during his second form of the Sir Ira Simmons Secondary School and from his then on he’s been actively pushing his craft. He’s been professionally singing since 2015, co-writing Hurt It by J Mouse and his first song Like A Star doing remarkably well.

He gave us an insight as to his brand and how he managed to establish himself in the music business.

Dazzle: What steps have you taken to establishing your brand as “Shemmy J”?

Shemmy J: It’s just a lot of work—networking, meeting different people and understanding the industry. It’s not just about writing songs and putting it out because I’ve even done a music business course. So, it’s a lot of hard work.

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Dazzle: How did “Oside” start off and what’s it all about?

Shemmy J: Well you know you can’t do everything on your own and you sometimes need to have a team and ambassadors to make it. In doing my course I learned that it’s essential to have a brand, something that identifies you in your work, or your image whether it be your writing or the clothes you wear. I then came up with “oside” which is “okaylaylay” side. The side with the people, the fans and my team and it’s my famous catchphrase so it just came together. My team is big but it consists mainly of my managers Rankin Morgan and Jodena Celestine, my producers (J Media, Vybez Productions) and everyone else who helps makes this what it is,

especially the fans. Once you’re onboard with Shemmy J you’re part of oside.

Dazzle: With so many genres of music to choose from, why soca?

Shemmy J: Well like I said I love doing dancehall and reggae, that’s what started me off. But it all starts at home and in St. Lucia the people gravitate more to Soca. They do gravitate to dancehall but if it’s someone regional or international. So, I had to switch it up, and do what I thought would get people’s attention. I focus more on what comes naturally to me, because from 2015 to now I can say that my music has changed, it’s taken a whole different direction. I started doing groovy soca and while it’s still incorporated there are now dancehall Afro beats and it’s a whole new thing.

Dazzle:What’s been your most memorable collaboration so far and what was the experience like?

Shemmy J: I should say “Bouncin” with Imran Nerdy.

We did it in 2017 and since then my career has taken off. The whole experience was a blessing. I’m a big fan of Imran, and before I started doing this myself, I listened to him a lot. And he uploaded a beat on YouTube and the moment I heard it I fell in love and

fun facts Favorite song from another artiste? Burna Boy- Ye What’s your biggest secret? I’m very emotional

Shemmy J: In my mind I say I’ll never have another “Bouncin” so I just want to put out good music. I just have to keep doing my best in whatever I put out and that’s that.

Dazzle: What lessons have you learned so far from trials you’ve faced as a musician?

Shemmy J: I’ve learned that you must always be professional. When you’re professional you’re accepted in a different way. You must always be humble. In this industry there are a lot of bullies. There are people who want to see you fail. There are people who want to give you criticism, but it’s not constructive you know? They’re just there to break you down and cause drama but you have to be humble.

Dazzle: Who are you aiming to stand shoulder to shoulder with later on in your career?

Shemmy J: There are a lot of people, but I’d say Burna Boy. I hope that I can stand shoulder to shoulder and meet him one day. Locally, I’d say Teddyson John. He’s always given me good advice and that’s something that’s hard to find in the industry.

Dazzle: What major plans for the future are you working on now?

Shemmy J: I want to take the music internationally and make people know more about St. Lucia. Locally I’ve been accepted but you know you can’t get comfortable. You have to keep striving for more.

We look forward to seeing more from Shemmy J for the upcoming carnival season, both locally and internationally. Good luck in your endeavours, Shemmy.

How do you prepare for a stage performance? - By getting into my own zone and focusing on executing my performance. the lyrics started flowing naturally. We had a studio session the next day and I presented the idea to him and he was all onboard. The music video was done by Loggo, and we’ve had a close relationship for some time. He wasn’t here when we dropped the song and said that as soon as he came down, we had a video to do and Imran was open to it. The song and the video were on two different levels. When we released the song, everyone loved it but the video took it an extra mile. It opened a whole new network, new relationships. We placed second with it at the Soca Monarch competition and it’s been a blast since then.

Dazzle: Do you feel any kind of pressure to match what you did with Bouncin?

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ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound (500 grams) shrimp, tails on or off Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 cloves garlic minced 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth 1 1/2 cups reduced fat cream 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

method

Heat oil a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season shrimp with salt and pepper and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, until just cooked through and pink. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Melt the butter in the same skillet. SautĂŠ garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Pour in the

white wine or broth; allow to reduce to half while scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan.

Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Add the parmesan cheese and allow sauce to gently simmer for a further minute or so until the cheese melts and sauce thickens.

Add the shrimp back into the pan, sprinkle with parsley. Taste test sauce and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve over pasta, rice or steamed veg. www.dazzlethemag.com

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see more pictures on www.dazzlethemag.com & facebook.com/dazzlethemag

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94 Likes dazzlethemag Starting To Look A lot Like Christmas #SaintLucia #christmas2019 #simplybeautiful 2 67 1

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