2013: A rewarding year for Culture, Youth and Sport

The Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport with its three-component portfolio that is considered very important to the country’s socio-economic growth and development, has had a very successful year.

With a budgetary allocation of $2.5B for 2013, subject Minister Dr Frank Anthony, during a press briefing today reported that the ministry was able to push sporting activities to greater heights, heighten awareness of Guyanese culture and to continue providing activities to elevate the nation’s youths.

The microfilm equipment to create the digitisation programmes

at the National Archive

The Ministry spent 97% of its allocation and completed 92% of its capital programmes for 2013.

Youth

For 2013, over 430 young Guyanese were trained and certified through the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training Programme (YEST) that continues to offer skill training and entrepreneurship, to enhance the employment potential of young people who have left the formal school system, and need to be gainfully occupied.

This programme targets youths throughout the 10 administrative regions for participation in technical vocational skills at the residential Kuru Kuru Training Centre (KKTC) at Soesdyke, the non-residential Sophia Training Centre, Georgetown, and the Smythfield Drop-in Centre at Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam. Areas of training offered include Welding and Fabrication, Information Technology, Garment Construction, Information Technology, Business Studies, Carpentry, Electrical Installation, Joinery, Masonry, Motor Mechanics and Plumbing.

At KKTC, 32 students acquired their driver’s licence after successfully completing their Drivers Education Examination which was conducted by the Police Traffic Department.    Plans are also in place to introduce computer repairs at the institution.

Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony and

the Kuru Kuru Training Centre 2013 graduating class

Minister Anthony stated that the ministry, through a collaborative effort with the Canadian Government was able to recruit a volunteer who has assisted in developing a “master plan” for the institution, the first draft of which was presented to the ministry during 2013.

The New Opportunity Corps (NOC) also graduated its second batch of 115 students for 2013, as compared to 19 who graduated in 2012. Contracts were also awarded for rehabilitation of the institution’s living quarters.

Despite the many challenges, Minister Anthony said that the institution saw great success in terms of student performance from those attending the Johanna Cecelia Secondary School with as many as five subject passes at the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CSEC) exams.

President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG)

More than 700 youths received bronze, silver and gold awards for participating in the President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) Programme which has been proving very successful over the years. Youths are allowed to complete lengthy periods of meaningful involvement in community service, adventure, skills training, physical recreation and moral education.

Youth camps

The annual event organised by the ministry during July – August continues to attract thousands of youths. For 2013, a total of 10,000 youths were given the opportunity to participate in different activities that taught them new things in a fun way.

Children learning to make craft items at a 2013 summer camp

These camps were held in all 10 Administrative Regions and targeted 7,000 children, touching areas such as civic education, and special sports camps in areas such as cycling, football and cricket, and swimming which targeted over 3,000 children.

Youth Policy

The ministry also held several extensive consultations in each of the 10 administrative regions in an effort to craft a National Youth policy that addresses the specific needs for youth development, in areas such as youth health and wellbeing, growth and development issues, sexual reproduction, employment, and micro financing and business operations. The document was drafted and this year, the ministry will be making recommendations and seeking the approval of Cabinet before taking it to Parliament.

In 2013, the ministry also sought to further enhance the National Volunteer Platform and has been engaging various communities, and more city schools to encourage volunteerism among young people.

Sports

Sports continued to attract significant budgetary attention, with $1B allocated for this important social component. Of that total, $560M was directed towards continuation of works on the national synthetic track at Leonora, Region Three; $52M for the warm-up pool at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal; and $300M for the development and upgrade of sporting facilities and infrastructure countrywide.

National Synthetic Track with rubberized surface

A contract was also awarded for the laying of the foundation for the 25-metre warm-up pool. When completed, the pre-fabricated pool will be installed by Myrtha Pools.

Meanwhile, work on the national synthetic track and field at Leonora continued to progress, with the rubberised surface laid.

Foundation being built for the warm – up pool

During 2013, 217 communities in all the Regions except Seven received monetary assistance at a minimum of $1M to upgrade their community grounds under the ministry’s ground improvement initiative.

The Ministry will also shortly be commissioning its first Sports Research Centre, where students and coaches will be able to research anything relating to sports. It is planned that this important facility be developed into a sports institute.

The Resource Centre

Culture

In 2013, the Culture Ministry continued its endeavour to promote and sustain the rich and diverse culture that Guyana possesses.

There were several activities including lectures and exhibitions to mark the 250th anniversary of the Berbice Slave Revolt, and the 175th anniversary of Indian arrival in Guyana.

The 1823 monument, located between Carifesta Avenue and Sea Wall road, was also unveiled to commemorate the 190th anniversary of the East Coast Demerara slave revolt, while the design of a monument to commemorate the arrival of the first East Indian immigrants was selected.

The 1823 monument

Also, the Ministry launched the first National Theatre Art School at the National Cultural Centre and in 2013; the institution graduated its first batch of 37 persons, 24 of whom gained distinctions.

The National School of Dance expanded, with branches opening in Regions 2, 5, 6 and 10, allowing for more persons to access programmes being offered. Efforts are now focused on revising the curriculum of the dance school so that persons can be certified at the end of the programme.

The National Music School has also improved, with the addition of more instruments;   while the Burrowes School of Art continues to train and certify students in such disciplines as drawing, painting, sculpture, textile designs, art appreciation, and graphics. The National Drama, Music and Song Festivals have also provided platforms for local artistes.

The National Archive in collaboration with UNESCO launched the first phase of its digitisation project for which it has been able to purchase microfilm equipment.

In 2013, The National Museum, the Museum of African Heritage, the Walter Roth and the Dutch museums continued to host a number of exhibitions.

Apart from the local displays celebrating Guyana’s Republic anniversary, Independence and other national holidays, the National Museum held a special exhibition with exhibits from Paris which dealt with slavery around the world. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the museum also the launched its mobile services from which 66 schools benefited.

Mashramani 2013 was yet another success with thousands of locals and foreigners flocking the streets of Georgetown to witness this rich, grand embodiment of Guyanese cultural festivity. Later in the year, Mash 2014 was launched with the usual preview of costumes.

Guyana also participated in Carifesta XI which was held in Suriname in August, where a 60-member contingent had the opportunity to showcase Guyana’s rich and diverse culture through   literary, performing, visual and culinary arts, art and craft, music, fashion and culinary arts.

A Guyanese contingent at Carifesta in Suriname

The fountain at the 1763 monument was restored and the Enmore Martyrs’ Monument was fenced.

The year also saw the Ministry publishing 20 books in the Guyana Classics series, bringing the number published thus far by the Caribbean Press to 65. In addition, several other books were also published on Guyana’s history and former Presidents’ speeches.