BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (SKNIS) -- The adolescents who were awarded last year as the 25 Most Remarkable Teens (MRT) of St. Kitts and Nevis displayed projects that addressed a wide cross section or areas relevant to youth development ranging from sport and cultural expressions to remedial reading support and dance.
This was evident at the 2014 – 25 Most Remarkable Teens Project Display ceremony held last Friday, November 06. Chairperson, Youth Officer Sharon Cannonier, explained that the awarded teens were tasked with accomplishing a volunteer project of their choice in no less than four hours.
“When I see young people doing it [volunteering] now, it amazes me,” Miss Cannonier said. “It’s very impressive and it gives them something productive to do as opposed to getting in trouble. For them to take time out at such a young age is remarkable.”
Awarded teens Tessani Steinburgen and Ashika Williams, both from St. Kitts, undertook a netball camp. Miss Steinburgen revealed that certain expectations came along with attaining the award.
“This title per-say has acted as a guide as I became aware of the standard I had to maintain because of the recognition and exposure that came along with the territory,” Steinburgen said. “As a result I was able to strive for greatness, and nothing but, to really show and prove that I was a remarkable teen.”
Gene Amory Jr. of Nevis was able to carry out two projects. A Bikes not Bombs, Earn a Bike Camp and a Mock-a-Jumbie Camp. He explained that as a mock-a-jumbie himself, his group often had to ask assistance from the mock-a-jumbies in St. Kitts during the Culturama season. He explains that the second camp filled a cultural niche.
“We started a camp, we had 14 students,” he revealed. “Everyone made the sticks and our costumes were proudly sponsored by Honourable Mark Brantley. Now we perform in many places, Four Seasons [Resort] and even at the first Nevis Blues Festival.”
This year’s 25 MRT will be awarded Thursday, November 12 at a special sitting of Parliament at 7:30 p.m., where the Parliamentary Representatives will present the awards to the young people from their constituency. The general public is invited to view the session live on ZIZ Television.