The American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T) Trade and Investment Committee, in partnership with the Institute of Critical Thinking, UWI, hosted its sixth National Youth Productivity Forum – Governance… Towards a More Productive Trinidad and Tobago. This forum was designed to encourage critical thinking around the issues of productivity as it relates to Trinidad and Tobago and to create an avenue whereby the nation’s youth had the opportunity to learn and discuss their views on topics of national and global importance. NorthGate College fully supports these kinds of initiatives and was specially selected to present at the Youth Forum.
For the discussion round, secondary schools in the country were divided into five zones- North, South, East and Central Trinidad and Tobago. In each zone four schools represented perspectives of Government, Labour, Business or Civil Society, respectively. NorthGate College represented the Labour Sector and was required to attend a series of Critical Thinking training workshops initiated by AMCHAM T&T. The students were asked to submit a position paper, prepare and deliver an oral presentation on the issue in front of a panel of judges. The final round revealed the winners from each perspective.
NGC amongst the other representatives of the Labour Sector, namely Holy Name Convent Port of Spain, and Presentation College Chaguanas, in the end captivated the judges and emerged as the winners!
We congratulate the team’s coach and a member of our staff, Natasha Smith and the Form 6 team: Ruth Johnson, Rebekka Wooding, Deborah Thomas and Daniel Gordon for an excellent job and representation of the College.
All of this year’s National Youth Productivity Forum winners were invited to a meeting with the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency President Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona. O.R.T.T., S.C. He regaled the group with personal and professional stories, with historical anecdotes and humour, all with the stated purpose for them to see themselves as having significant input to make in the future of the country, not limiting themselves based on their contexts or expectations.
What a memorable experience for the team! Each leg of this process would have added value to their personal and leadership development. Not only did the team engage with the assigned tasks as if these were real situations for which they had to find real solutions, but displayed the maturity and poise to interact with the decisions and decision makers of our island state. We are proud of them and proud to know that they are but a representative sample of a wider student population. Well done team!
