Jaric Titans is in pole position to make a clean sweep of the Tobago Zone of the 2018 Republic Cup National Youth League competition.

This after the recently formed club took command of all three divisional title races.

In the Under-12 Division, Titans is the lone team with a 100 per cent winning record after two matches to lead with six points, two more than Speyside Academy while Bethel United and Brother Ry’s Coaching School have three points each.

Titans also has six points in the Under-14 age-group but from three matches and is joined at the top by Bethel United, which has a match in hand and St Clair Coaching School.

And in the Under-16 competition, Titans again lead the way with three wins from as many matches for nine points, two ahead of St Clair Coaching School.

TOBAGO ZONE:

Under-12 Division:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Jaric Titans 2 2 0 0 9 5 6
Speyside Academy 2 1 1 0 9 2 4
Bethel Utd 2 1 0 1 6 6 3
Brother Ry’s C.S 2 1 0 1 3 5 3
1976 FC Phoenix 2 0 1 1 6 7 1
St Clair C.S 2 0 0 2 2 6 0
Under-14 Division:
Jaric Titans 3 2 0 1 11 1 6
Bethel Utd 2 2 0 0 5 1 6
St Clair C.S 3 2 0 1 6 4 6
Speyside Academy 2 0 0 2 1 8 0
Table Piece Utd 2 0 0 2 0 9 0
Under-16 Division:
Jaric Titans 3 3 0 0 10 2 9
St Clair C.S 3 2 1 0 7 3 7
Speyside Academy 3 1 1 1 2 3 4
Bethel Utd 3 1 0 2 11 6 3
Balko Academy 3 1 0 2 3 13 3
1976 FC Phoenix 3 0 0 3 3 9 0
Pt Fortin, Moruga, Marabella perfect in South

The duo of Pt Fortin Youth Football Academy and Moruga FC in the Under-12 age-group and Marabella Family Crisis Centre in the Under-16 Division remained the three teams with 100 per cent winning records when the South Zone continued on the weekend.

In the nine-club Under-12 Division, Pt Fortin Youth Football Academy and Moruga FC are joint top of the table with maximum 12 points each with four wins from as many matches, five points clear of San Fernando Sports Academy.

Marabella Family Crisis Centre, improved to a maximum nine points after three matches following a win by default over Instyle Boys & Girls Academy in the lastest Under-16 matches to open a three-points lead on Giving Back FC and previously perfect Princes Town S.A.

This after Giving Back FC edged Princes Town S.A 1-0 on a strike Tyrel Ganga in the 75th minute.

The race for top honours in the Under-14 Division is a much closer battle with Giving Back FC, on seven points from three matches, one ahead of Ste Madeleine Strikers with Moruga FC, third with four points and a match in hand.

Mayo Youths and Gasparillo Youths with three points apiece from two and three matches respectively are also still in the mix on the seven-team table.

SOUTH ZONE:

Under-12 Standings
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Pt Fortin Youths 4 4 0 0 21 1 12
Moruga FC 4 4 0 0 15 5 12
San Fernando S.A 4 2 1 1 10 7 7
Gasparillo Youths 3 2 0 1 10 5 6
Uprising Youths 3 1 1 1 9 7 4
Giving Back FC 3 1 0 2 12 6 3
Mayo Youths 3 0 0 3 2 15 0
Princes Town S.A 3 0 0 3 3 16 0
Tiny Mikes 3 0 0 3 0 19 0
Under-14 Standings
Giving Back 3 2 1 0 11 4 7
Ste Mad. Strikers 3 2 0 1 8 4 6
Moruga FC 2 1 1 0 5 2 4
Mayo Youths 2 1 0 1 4 3 3
Gasparillo Youths 3 1 0 2 3 7 3
Princes Town S.A 3 0 0 3 1 10 0
Under-16 Standings
Marabella Family 3 3 0 0 9 3 9
Princes Town S.A 3 2 0 1 8 2 6
Giving Back FC 3 2 0 1 4 1 6
Pres Project 3 1 2 0 2 1 5
San Fernando S.A 3 1 1 1 7 7 4
Gasparillo Youths 3 1 0 2 4 6 3
Instyle B&G 3 0 1 2 0 6 1
Ste Mad. Strikers 3 0 0 3 1 9 0

NB: The Republic bank National Youth League enters it’s crucial sixth round of matches today (Saturday) in Port-of-Spain (North Zone) and at Constantine Park, Macoya (East Zone), while the Tobago Zone will also host six crucial matches. The League takes a Sunday break to celebrate Mothers day.

Nikoli Blackman of Marlins Swim Club established a new 11-12 boys national record in the 800 metres freestyle event on the opening night of the National Open Long Course Championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva on Thursday evening.

The event was swimming as a Time Final with the gold being won by long-distance veteran Graham Chatoor of Marlins in 8:53.06 minutes

Blackman won silver in 9:23.30 to eclipse the 11-12 age group record of 9:29.06 set by Kael Yorke in 2013 while the bronze went to Delroy Tyrell of Tidal Wave Aquatics in 9:53.78.

The Chatoor siblings continued their long-distance dominance as Jada Chatoor won the girls equivalent in 9:26.70 erasing her 2017 meet record of 9:33.50.

The silver was won by her team-mate Zoe Anthony (9:55.69) with bronze going to Jade Foncette of Blue Dolphins (9:57.60).

In the preliminaries of the 100m butterfly, Kael Yorke of Tidal Wave Aquatics established a new meet record of 55.26 seconds, to surpass the 2012 mark of Cadell Lyons of 55.64.

More than 200 swimmers are competing in the meet which will conclude on Sunday, May 13th after it was brought forward from May 24-27.due to deadlines associated with the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Championships for which this meet is the final qualifier.

The CCCAN Championships are scheduled for Aruba from June 29 - July 3.

The meet also serves as a FINA sanctioned qualifier for the Youth Olympic Games from October 6-18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Barranquilla, Colombia from July 19 – August.

The action continued at Couva last night with the finals for the open 1500m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 200m breaststroke and 100m butterfly, together with medals for the 10 & Under 200m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m butterfly and 100m breaststroke.

Masters athletes competed in the 100m butterfly, 50m breaststroke and 100m backstroke before the open mixed and 10 & under mixed 4 x 100m freestyle relays took place.

Kevin Robinson from Cumana AC and Kaleigh Forde from Dunross Preparatory topped the field of 214 primary school athletes who ran in Mayaro on Wednesday in the Atlantic National Primary Schools 3K Road Race, the opening event in this season’s primary school athletics.

Inclement weather earlier in the morning delayed the start of the event and added the challenge of puddles along the race route from Mayaro RC to Mayaro Government.

Robinson, 14, won the overall boys’ category in a time of 12 minutes and 24 seconds, while Tafari Waldron, 13, from Belmont SDA and Ben-Israel Bannister, 12 from Mason Hall Government were second and third place respectively with times of 12.41 and 13.01.

In the girls’ category, Forde, 12, sprinted to the finishing line in 13.48, easily outpacing two rivals from Valencia South Government who were closest on her heels: Hannah Heath, 13 and Tashanique McFarlane, 13, who came second and third respectively with times of 14.09 and 14.47.

Anil Seunath, Branding and Sponsorships Officer, Atlantic said that the children showed discipline and determination throughout the race, which was a great testimony to their training.

“The wet streets did not stop the children,” Seunath said. “This is exactly the kind of spirit and drive that we at Atlantic want to see in the boys and girls who participate in the programmes we sponsor.”

Joseph Brewster, president of the National Primary Schools Track and Field Association said that he was impressed with the children’s performance.

“We are seeing the future long-distance runners for T&T and it generally starts in the primary schools. We are actually the foundation for track and field, and we are doing our part in terms of producing the athletes for future events, in terms of internationally, starting at this stage.”

The 3K is staged every year by the association as the precursor to the season’s main event, the Atlantic National Primary Schools Track and Field Championships, which get underway on May 23 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo. Both the Road Race and the Championships are managed by the association, with support from the Ministry of Education and sponsorship by LNG production company Atlantic.

It is an opportunity of a lifetime for any entrepreneur—pitching an idea for a business to a member of the royal family.

Jody White, owner and founder of Slimdown 360, and Alpha Sennon, founder of WHYFARM, got to do just that when they participated in Pitch@Palace, an event that gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to meet global industry leaders who can assist in boosting their business.

Pitch@Palace was held at several locations, including Buckingham Palace, St James Palace and at Facebook’s London headquarters.

White, whose business is about meal plans for healthy living, earned the People’s Choice Award and ended up in a third place tie with another international entrepreneur.

Sennon, who was produced a comic book about agriculture, said he found out about the competition when a friend emailed him an entry form. White, on the other hand, heard about it through the Ministry of Trade.

For White, walking the red carpet to enter Buckingham palace on the opening day felt strange. He had never been to London before and had never taken part to an event of that kind.

However, Sennon, who has been to events similar to Pitch@Palace, recalled:, “I travelled to London many times before, but I never had a reason to go to Buckingham Palace.”

The two met for the first time in the room where the delegates gathered for the event—the same room from which Queen Elizabeth II goes out on to balcony to wave to the public.

In the first round of the competition, delegates has to give 30 second pitches about their company.

“You begin to feel as though it’s your one chance. Don’t lose it, don’t mess, is what I was telling myself. It was like the biggest chance you can get. I was nervous, this can make your business,” White said.

Sennon, who had very little time to prepare for the competition, was bumped out in the first round. Still, he was happy for the experience.

In the second round, White did a three minute pitch about Slimdown 360.

“After Buckingham Palace, the next day we went to Facebook’s head office where we were assigned elevators who were past alumni of the competition,” he said.

“They talked to us, they looked over our pitches, then out of 42 people, 12 were selected to do three-minute pitches the next week at St James Palace,” he said.

White found out he was in the top 12 on a Friday. Everyone else had gone sightseeing but he stayed in his hotel room to practice his presentation and edit it.

“I did nothing for the weekend except get food and come back,” he said.

Every participant in the second round had the opportunity to ask for something for their business, and to say why they attended the event in the first place. White said he asked for a meeting with large distributors.

He felt relieved when it was over but had to wait outside of the room for the results. After that, there were interviews and meetings to attend.

White was provided with a list and asked which two global industry leaders he wanted to meet. It was difficult as hardly anyone present was in the food industry. He eventually asked for meet the head of innovation for PepsiCo.

However, the crowning moment for White was when he got to present his product to Queen Elizabeth.

About Pitch@Palace

Pitch@Palace Commonwealth is a platform to showcase entrepreneurs from the 53 Commonwealth countries, connecting them to local and international networks and helping amplify their businesses.

The objectives are:

• Promote the importance of and provide key support for entrepreneurs from Commonwealth countries and early-stage businesses

• Foster more entrepreneurial talent within the Commonwealth

• Engage and inspire local communities

• Assist innovative businesses to boost the economy

This year’s event, which took place as part of the Commonwealth Summit, was an opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch their business to CEOs, influencers, angels, mentors and potential investors and business partners.

The following is an excerpt of KPMG’s commentary on the Minister of Finance’s 2018 mid-year budget review on May 10, 2018.

In this piece, KPMG seeks to examine hereunder some of the recurrent and topical tax initiatives pronounced by the Finance Minister and offer our perspective on where we are.

The Minister of Finance, Colm Imbert, has expressed with great confidence that the economic climate of T&T has made a “welcoming turnaround” due to the economic expansion in both the energy and non-energy sectors. The estimated GDP growth rate is 2% in 2018, rising to 2.5% by 2020.

He indicated that the main factors contributing to this turnaround were the increased revenue collection, non-oil sector growth and increased production in the energy sector.

Over the last few years, the economic climate in T&T has been constricting—to put it mildly.

Both individuals and companies alike have been subjected to austere fiscal measures and have been asked ‘to do more with less’—as the nation seeks to navigate its way through the current recession.

The country faces the conundrum of maintaining T&T’s economic engines of productivity and investment, whilst it is in the midst of foreign exchange issues, new and increased taxes, and reducing government funding and subsidies.

Given that the Central Bank announced in December 2015 that T&T is in an economic recession, the government’s message of prudence and austerity must be examined in light of the ability of the country to see tangible return and progress for sacrifices made.

However, in his 2018 mid-year budget review the minister stated that T&T is now witnessing a welcome upturn. Following the presentation, a pulse check of the progress made since the 2018 Budget is necessary.

• Implementation of Property Tax

Property Tax has been a hot topic for some time now. It has been met with legislative controversy, disagreement as to its imposition by some portions of the populace, as well as an acceptance to pay but uncertainty by others.

In recent times, uncertainty was noted with respect to the applicability and ability to access exemptions from the property tax as noted in the Property Tax Act (PTA).

Commendably, the government has sought to clarify to whom such exemptions apply in the Property Tax Amendment Bill. The bill also proposed dispensing with the obligation to pay property tax for income year 2016.

With respect to the obligation to pay property tax the minister in his mid-year review has assured the nation that the waiver of said taxes will be extended to 2017—which means that property tax will be payable for 2018.

This will be welcomed by companies that have been struggling to make accounting provisions for property tax for 2016 and 2017. However, the business community and the general populace await the enactment of these pronouncements.

• T&T Revenue Authority (TTRA)

The current administration has mentioned from its inception that it intends to constitute an integrated Revenue Authority that would see strengthened collaborative efforts between the present Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise Divisions, amongst other benefits.

The proposed TTRA has also been met with mixed views by citizens and businesses in the midst of government promises that the TTRA will bring improved efficiency and administration, as well as a more robust compliance and collection system.

The TTRA is also being proposed as a solution to the alleged high revenue leakages, inefficiencies in the administration process and general dissatisfaction amongst taxpayers.

Countries such as Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados have consolidated their national revenue collection institutions into one central Revenue Authority in an aim to mitigate revenue leakages by having a 360 degree view of taxpayers’ transactions.

Much to the commendation of the government, tangible transition and progress can be seen by the relocation of Inland Revenue and Customs Division offices to new and improved facilities.

Despite prior pronouncements by the government that the TTRA will come into effect in fiscal 2018, the minister has now indicated that legislation is imminent and that the benefits of a TTRA should crystallise in the next fiscal year.

It is to be hoped that, by the time of the 2019 Budget Speech, all infrastructural mechanisms for the TTRA, inclusive of legislation, would have been put in place so that a bestowing of a functional TTRA to T&T would be completed by then; there should be no further delays.

While T&T awaits the official operation of the TTRA, we wish to take the opportunity to stress to the government the importance of specialised training of personnel and a shifting in culture to one of diligence and excellence—both of which will be key to ensuring the success of the TTRA.

• Transfer pricing

It is well known that T&T currently has no transfer pricing regime. As a result, there is a common suspicion that related party transactions may not be at arm’s length. As such, the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) reserves the discretion to invoke provisions of the Income Tax Act where they believe transactions to be artificial and/or fictitious-- particularly between related parties.

In recognition of the fact that many multinational companies have complex related party structures, which can be used as a medium for legitimate tax reduction, the government has acknowledged the need for T&T to develop a transfer pricing regime.

It is our understanding that the BIR has been and continues to engage in consultations with regard to transfer pricing. However, to date we have not seen any tangible development in this area.

Given the current economic climate, where there is a need to maintain and increase revenue, the development of a transfer pricing infrastructure is essential to managing and reducing the outflow of taxable revenues in the long run.

We had hoped that the minister would have updated the nation on this long outstanding pronouncement.

• Access to Foreign Exchange

The availability of foreign exchange continues to be a sore issue for businesses and citizens alike.

Companies are under continued pressure to source foreign exchange to meet supplier obligations and, in some cases, have ceased operations where ingenuity could not be implemented.

The average citizen continues to struggle to source the most minimal of foreign currency even where foreign currency accounts are owned.

Recently, the Export Import Bank (Exim Bank) was granted a licence to trade in foreign exchange. The minister announced that the Exim Bank was provided with a capital injection of US$100 million, which it is authorised to distribute to manufacturers for the purposes of export expansion. This was further emphasised in the review.

While this is indeed commendable, it does not address the difficulty encountered by companies that do not manufacture for export, nor the hassle faced by citizens in accessing the smallest amounts of foreign currency.

Whether we care to admit it or not, some companies and individuals out of desperation are turning to alternative source options, fearing that there is no end in sight to the shortages through official markets.

• Lottery Winnings Tax

The minister, in an effort to remedy the shortfall in revenue collection, sought to introduce a new Lottery Winnings Tax at the rate of 10% on all cash winnings, in excess of $1,000, paid out by the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB).

Whilst it was noted that the NLCB would be responsible for withholding and remitting this tax to the BIR—this tax is not yet in effect.

It is our view that the NLCB may be grappling with how best to collect and administer this tax as the infrastructure to do so may be virtually non-existent.

Not to mention, the current National Lotteries Act provides that the NLCB is exempt from tax but under the new lottery winnings tax to be imposed under the Miscellaneous Taxes Act the said NLCB will now face steep penalties and interest for failure to withhold and/or remit the tax to the BIR.

It should be noted that the minister did not provide any guidance on when this tax will come into effect or when various legislative gaps would be remedied.

• Gambling Industry

The requisite bill is before a Joint Select Committee of Parliament for review; such bill will hopefully be finalised by the end of 2018. It is expected that a well-regulated gambling industry will be in force by 2019.

• Oil and gas taxation regime

The minister proclaimed the revitalisation of the energy sector, evidenced by significantly higher levels of average gas production—up 20% from 2016 levels.

Both the Trinidad Region Onshore Compression project and the Juniper Platform, which came on stream in April and July 2017 respectively, were the main contributors to this boost in production.

Production volumes are expected to further increase due to enhanced activities among major oil and gas producers such as Shell, bpTT, BHP and EOGR as well as access to additional gas from Venezuela.

The minister reported that the increases in production levels, unwavering negotiations with the international oil and gas companies, and appropriate adjustments to the oil and gas taxation regime are already bearing fruit from a revenue perspective. No further details were given by the Honourable Minister on these adjustments to the taxation regime.

In his 2018 budget speech, the minister recognised that there were important issues to be addressed with the fiscal regime for the energy sector and that a start of the review of the energy tax regime was made in order to simplify and rationalise the terms of both exploration and production licences (E&P) and production sharing contracts (PSCs).

The main objectives of the reform were to encourage investment in the energy sector and to raise the Government’s revenue take. Certain critical areas mentioned included:

• making the supplemental petroleum tax responsive not to price but to underlying profitability;

• extending the supplemental petroleum tax to gas;

• reconciling and simplifying of the fiscal regimes applicable to the E&P Licence and PSC systems

• standardising and applying uniformly a 12.5% royalty rate on the extraction of oil, condensate and gas—proposed date December 1, 2017.

Recognising that this will be a gradual process, we are not aware if the necessary legislative changes are in train to give effect to the implementation of the measures mentioned above; we would have appreciated an update from the minister on this.

We await the much anticipated overhaul of T&T’s oil and gas fiscal regime which should provide incentives to the energy sector to stimulate investment, encourage exploration and, ultimately, securing a fair share of the value for T&T.

• Other Matters

We would have appreciated an update on the following matters, namely:

• The National Statistical Institute; and

• The re-establishment of the export allowance

Conclusion

We are hopeful that the worst is over and some light has begun to emerge at the end of the tunnel. Based on the Minister’s 2018 mid-year review it seems this is the case and expect the country is pleased with this good-news.

There was very little in terms of progress on key tax measures that should have been implemented.

Nonetheless, the positive outlook combined with no further increases in tax is a relief.

As T&T seeks to shift the paradigm and restore economic prosperity, it is questionable whether we have as yet made the progress and reaped the benefits envisaged as a result of embracing the austere fiscal measures that the current administration pronounced as necessary.

We therefore need to continue to be very prudent for when it’s not “a bright sun-shining day.”

In my inaugural article, I focused on exposing another breed of entrepreneurs called social entrepreneurs.

As a society, we have and continue to place emphasis on commercial entrepreneurship that possesses the capabilities to innovate and grow and known to contribute to job creation and consequently economic development.

However, for our country to improve the quality of life for citizens, we need entrepreneurs who can focus on the needs of those at the “base of the pyramid,” targeting the underserved or marginalised groups where government programmes cannot reach and where traditional private sector firms are not interested in serving. These entrepreneurs are called “social entrepreneurs.”

What distinguishes a commercial entrepreneur from a social entrepreneur?

I suggest that this breed of entrepreneurs differs from commercial entrepreneurs in three typologies: motivation; value proposition and socioeconomic transformation.

The first typology looks at the “motivation” perspective for social entrepreneurship.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review in 2008 defined social as the value of the product, service, good, process is titled toward the benefits the public or society as a whole—rather than private value —gains for entrepreneurs, investors and ordinary consumers. A key differentiator between business and social entrepreneurs is therefore motivation with the former focused on money while the latter on altruism.

Social entrepreneurs are therefore persons who possess qualities and behaviours of business entrepreneurs but whose focus is on caring and helping society rather than maximising profits. The differentiator is that the aim of the social entrepreneur is to create social value instead of personal or shareholder wealth. Social entrepreneurs focus on social mission and therefore perceives and assesses opportunities differently from corporate entrepreneurs.

The second typology relates to the value proposition of social entrepreneurship. Researchers, Martin and Osberg pointed out while most theories distinguished entrepreneurs from social entrepreneurs by profit maximisation, a critical differentiator is that entrepreneurs create value for an assumed market that would buy the product or service whereas social entrepreneurs’ value proposition is aimed at creating a better quality of life for the underprivileged and neglected.

The value proposition therefore serves as another critical differentiator between business and social entrepreneurs. It is expected that business entrepreneurs would maximise the profits of its shareholders.

The social entrepreneur’s value is to improve or transform an underserved, neglected or highly disadvantaged population that lacks the means to create a better quality of life for themselves or their families.

This does not mean that social entrepreneurs shun the profit-making value proposition.

Ventures created by social entrepreneurs can certainly generate income, and they can be organised as either not-for-profits or for-profits.

What distinguishes social entrepreneurship is the primacy of social benefit, what Duke University Professor Greg Dees in his seminal work cited on the field characterises as the pursuit of “mission-related impact” as cited in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2007.

The third typology relates social entrepreneurship with socio-economic transformation. For social entrepreneurs to be truly socially innovative it is not enough for them to simply address a social need.

Being socially innovative requires the individual or organisation to identify a previously un-addressed social issue.

This could be the development of a new green technology, the support of a disadvantaged group of people who are not currently being supported or even creating a more productive or efficient method for dealing with a current social need. However, this approach must provide something new.

Once a social need has been discovered the organisation must then be able to exploit this need in a sustainable way. The organisation must be able to identify a sustainable business model which enables them to meet this need in a financially viable way.

Lastly, for social entrepreneurial organisations to be truly innovative they need to generate disequilibria within their market.

Disequilibria refers to an organisation creating disruption and imbalance within their industry in a way that forces the market to replicate and follow in their foot-steps.

The common theme across the typologies in conceptualizing social entrepreneurship revolves around the motivation to fulfil the value proposition of improving or transforming an underserved, neglected or highly disadvantaged population that lacks the means to create a better quality of life for themselves or their families.

Having put forward three key differences between commercial and social entrepreneurs, I ask this question: are you a social entrepreneur in T&T?

Nirmala Maharaj

The National Information and Communications Technology Company Ltd (iGovTT) is working with the Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA) to create a system that will allow literacy students to learn to read online.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, ALTA is an award-winning organisation that has been lauded for its efforts in addressing the adult literacy challenge, not only in T&T but also in Grenada. ALTA provides literacy instruction for approximately 2,000 literacy students every year and has trained more than 2,500 volunteer literacy tutors since its inception.

To further extend its reach, ALTA is now working with iGovTT to commission the design of an e-platform that will provide potential students with the option to register and access various levels of reading and spelling instruction online.

Over the years, time constraints and the stigma associated with low levels of literacy have kept potential ALTA students away from the community classes and limited ALTA’s reach into the population.

A virtual classroom can go a long way in helping to remove these barriers. People will be able to access literacy instruction in their own space at their own pace. This will also benefit current ALTA students attending classes at brick-and-mortar venues, who may opt to use ALTA Online to reinforce skills learned in the classroom.

M’aisha Thomas, a key member of the ALTA online team from conception, explained the rationale behind the development of ALTA Online: “At ALTA we see our expansion into e-learning as a natural progression. We have observed through our students that non-readers have increasingly come to rely on tech devices, tapping into ICT both for leisure and to stay informed. Leveraging this existing internet use, ALTA Online will enhance the ability of emergent readers to connect with their world via the written word.”

iGovTT has been tasked with providing the terms of reference for the e-platform and overseeing the procurement process. Since the users will have limited reading skills and be of all ages, a mobile, user-friendly interface is of key importance.

Matthias Hypolite, team lead at iGovTT’s solution architect office said iGovTT is committed to achieving a positive sustainable outcome.

“Our relationship with ALTA does not end once we find a vendor; we hope to guide the process until the e-platform is up and running, and will be checking in with ALTA regularly to gauge the efficiency and overall success of the e-platform,” he said.

The Addy Awards is a three-tiered system. After winning 33 Addy Awards at the local Addy awards where cmb competed against other agencies in the region, the advertising agency was automatically entered into the district level of competition and also qualified for the national level where the agency will be vying against top agencies from across the US and the Caribbean. Gold winners always go through to the next round of competition.

One ad in particular caught the attention of the judges. A dramatic and emotive ad, that opens with police officers and civilians jostling and shouting.

As the scene builds in intensity in the “I am Citizen” ad, instead of a crime scene everyone is playing basketball. For this ad for the Citizens Security Programme (CSP), cmb has been getting significant recognition.

At the regional Addy Awards, cmb won the Judges Choice Addy Award, Gold in TV, Gold in Public Services, Silver Addy in audio visual, Silver Addy for the CSP Basketball and the CSP Walls ads. For that ad, cmb was also nominated for the Charlie Award.

The CSP ad also garnered cmb recognition at the recent Angel Awards which honours the very best in public service advertising. The Angel Awards, hosted by the American Advertising Federation Fourth District, was held on April 13, celebrated ads that addressed community issues in Florida and the Caribbean.

Mark White, cmb’s managing director, recently attended the American Advertising Awards District Gala on April 14 in Orlando, Florida. He said the agency only submits “real work” ie material developed based on a client brief that is aired or published as part of a strategic campaign. So, Addy Awards are a manifestation of advertising discipline—namely strategic pinpointing—as the starting point of effective communication.

The awards, to him, are about much more than trophies and bragging rights.

“Ours is an exacting but not exact science, at least not yet. Until such time as bots write better creative than we do, human subjectivity prevails.”

“Baby baby falling in love, I’m falling in love again.

Everyday I love you more and more and more.”

— Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds (Released in the summer of 1975) 

All couples need to rekindle that love spark and reconnect with each other from time to time.

With the everyday hassle of life, it is quite easy for breakdowns to occur as we deal with children, school and demanding, hectic jobs. These functions that form part of our everyday lives, over time, creates distances and poor communication between couples, spouses and by extension, the family.

But you don’t have to worry about not getting it back. It may, however, take some work, an unselfish attitude and sporadic or frequent trips to a romance destination.

The Sunday Guardian spent the entire last weekend in the sister isle of Tobago, as it seeks to showcase the island as a destination with something for everybody, including honeymooners, couples, nature seekers, solo travellers and the family.

The Leve Media Familiarisation Trip, initiated and organised by Global Leve and Tourism Intelligence International, in conjunction with the Tobago Tourism Agency, a division within the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), took media on an islandwide tour to witness and experience what Tobago has to offer as an all-round romance, cultural and historical destination.

From the hotel we stayed in at Mount Irvine Bay Resort in Scarborough, with its rich history, having once been a plantation during colonial rule, to travelling along the road which was once all part of the property belonging to Irish-born French soldier Count Arthur Dillon.

This road was built specifically with the permission of Dillon to easily access the seaside village of Castara, which was once inaccessible. Today, Castara is known as the location for some of the island’s most beautiful hotels and guest-houses.

The tales of African witch Gang Gang Sarah and the silk cotton tree at Golden Lane (Des Vignes Road) in Les Coteaux Village intrigued the media, who stopped to get a closer look and pictures of the notorious silk cotton tree, a historical landmark in Tobago and the largest of it’s kind.

The tour operator explained that legend has it Gang Gang Sarah had special powers that allowed her to climb the tree and fly back to Africa, but she lost her powers one day after eating too much salt and fell from the tree and died. The tree’s roots grow deeply and strong and it has caused much damage to the narrow street upon which it stands. Several attempts were made to remove the tree but each time mysterious things happen to stop the attempts.

Another treasure of Castara is the clay oven baking tradition. 

Done only twice a week, people, including tourists, come from all over Tobago to make their orders for the finest fresh-baked coconut and pumpkin breads, cassava pones, currant rolls and sweetbread all baked in the clay oven.

Alston Taylor, who has been clay oven baking for the past five years and just recently remoulded his clay structure, showed how the clay oven is set up for baking. It takes lots of bamboo and some pitch oil.

But there is a technique to doing it, as the bamboo has to be cracked first to avoid an explosion. When the clay has been heated enough, the dough is placed in it and a cloth seals the opening until the dough is fully baked. Lucky for the Sunday Guardian, we got to try a slice of cassava pone that was still warm. Needless to say, it was delicious! After a long day of touring, it was to the Pigeon Point entrance at the Waterholics beachfront where we experienced a sunset cruise courtesy Team Waterholics led by Alex Nedd. The cruise can be reserved for groups, a family or just couples.

This glass bottom boat cruise took us snorkelling at Buccoo Reef then to Coral Gardens, where we learned about some of the fish that inhabit the beautiful Caribbean sea.

Next, it was off to the famous Nylon Pool, a natural metre-deep crystal clear swimming pool with a sandy bottom in the middle of the sea, otherwise known as the fountain of youth as it bears natural skin exfoliators.

To end the cruise it was straight to No Man’s Land for a bonfire cool down where dinner and music met smiles and conversations and even new friendships.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of sporting facilities through construction and upgrades—pavilions, the installation of floodlights, the provision of recreational items such as swings, slides etc and the creation of paved walking and jogging pathways.

Communities differ in leisure and sporting activities, therefore, creative approaches have to be employed to achieve the same common objectives across the country: greater utilisation of the facilities by larger numbers of people.

Lessons can be learnt from the approaches adopted in England and New Zealand where the emphasis has been placed on developing a strategic plan for the utilisation of sporting facilities.

The focus has been on competitive sport in schools; improving links between schools and community sports clubs; working with the sport’s governing bodies focusing on youth; investing in facilities and working with communities and the voluntary sector.

Firstly, there must be a strategic plan with an efficiently functioning management system. Such a system would include all the major stakeholders’ such as the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, SPORTT, THA, Education and Health Ministry’s; National Sporting Associations, UWI/UTT, the private sector and community representatives.

Secondly, it is important to listen to the voice of the people as it empowers them in decision making. Data must be collected and used for strategic planning and implementation. Failure to do so can result in the repeat of what took place during the NAR regime (1986-91) where basketball courts were laid in several communities that were used for everything else but basketball as the communities did not have an established basketball culture.

Thirdly, the data collected can be used for differentiating between new and existing users of sporting facilities based on age, gender, religion and other important socio-economic demographics. This will be critical toward developing new strategies to keep people actively involved.

Fourthly, baseline data must be established and monitored to measure various trends such as dropout rates. Furthermore, the data collected will help in assessing desired outcomes as well as determining the steps to be taken to improve all programmes.

The recently adopted Sports Policy 2017 offers a lot in theory in terms of what is expected in addressing the optimal utilisation of facilities as well as getting more people involved in sport and physical activity. However, it is only through robust data and the implementation of informed strategies can these objectives be properly assessed to determine whether or not they are meeting their desired outcomes.

T&T senior national women’s team goal shoot, Kalifa Mc Collin and her benecos Mavericks suffered a shock loss to lowly Severn Stars 44-55 in Round 11 of the England Vitality Netball Super League at the University Arena, the University of Worcester England on Saturday.

Mc Collin in her second season after campaigning with Celtic Dragons last year started in attack with Karyn Bailey and tallied 12 goals from 14 attempts which helped her team 15-10 first quarter lead.

However, midway through the second period and while ahead 21-17, Mc Collin was replaced, but in the end, they still led at the half-time buzzer, 25-23.

Meanwhile, Stars took their first lead at 34-33 to end the quarter ahead 39-35.

The final period was the same as Stars, the former club of T&T’s Afeisha Noel (2017 season) piled on the pressured and raced into a 43-36 advantage and never looked back.

Bailey converted 27 of 29 attempts in the loss for Mavericks to improve to 405/450 on the season while Mc Collin now has 130 from 156 attempts in her supporting role

For Stars, it was sweet revenge after a 68-46 defeat when both clubs met on February 24.

Mc Collin and her team-mates will do battle with table-topper Wasps on May 18.

Wallace’s Swifts win 54-53

T&T’s Samantha Wallace and her New South Wales Swifts improved to a 2-1 record in the Suncorp Super Netball League after a nail-biting 54-53 win over Giants at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia, yesterday.

It was a genuine tug-of-war between the NSW rivals and it was the GIANTS who blinked last, an errant pass leading to a Swift’s possession and, like she did against the Firebirds in Round One, Sophie Garbin, who replaced Wallace at the half-time interval capitalised and iced the match in the final minute.

English Rose, Helen Housby, was the Nissan Player of the Match – scoring 23/27 in a battling performance for the Swifts while Wallace tallied 15 from 18 attempts in her two quarters of play, and Garbin, 17 of 18 for the winners.

The win improved Swifts which also defeated Thunderbirds by one goal (54-53) to a 2-1 record and 13 points, in the fourth spot, level with Melbourne Vixens while West Coast Fever heads the

The second day of Connecting the Dots: Work Life Balance Ageing, a recent conference hosted by The UWI Research Development Impact Fund, in collaboration with the Institute of Gender and Development Studies and the Social Work Unit, took up the tempo of the opening day, did some major gear shifts in changing perceptions of the ageing process and its relation to work and productivity and conclusively proved the imperative for data-driven policy formulation and implementation.

Focusing on ways forward, the realisation of the enormous benefits of connecting the dots between Caribbean practice in the field of ageing and national policy planning, energised all participants with the mission “to carry the conversation out into communities who can help with the research which can guide policy.”

Very few university conferences result in anything more than the publication of papers presented, a few more drops in the cerebral goldfish bowl. But Connecting, as many delegates confirmed, was no ordinary conference. With its art exhibition, resident artists, animation, documentaries, live performances and awards Connecting brought creativity and creative thinking to the endeavour of making new knowledge, of changing perceptions, not only on campus but in all our wider local and regional communities.

Proceedings got under way on the second morning with an award ceremony, recognising local and regional pioneers and icons in the field of ageing. There was an extended family reunion atmosphere, as several student ushers and awardees testified to the awe experienced in meeting pioneers whose books or practice had inspired them.

Awardees included Dr Joan Rawlins, a key member of the committee which developed T&T’s 2007 National Policy on Ageing; Dr Jennifer Rouse, first Director of the Division of Ageing; Subesh Ramjattan advocate, activist and author of Ageing has a Silver Lining –Coping with Rainy Days and Philip Ramdass, indefatigable voluntary worker, receiving an award on behalf of the T&T Association of Retired Persons. Former National Calypso Monarch and UWI alumnus Roderick “Chucky” Gordon gift-wrapped the awards with his patriotic kaiso I Believe in the Red White and Black.

Given last year’s scare over pensions, the day’s keynote address by Niala Persad Poliah, Executive Director of the National Insurance Board of T&T, might have been contentious but Persad Poliah quickly reassured participants that she too can connect the dots and that the NIB “had found an ally” in the WLBA project, in relation to “planning for a longer working life.” Increasing life expectancy, the doubling of the over 60 sector of the population along with a contraction in the workforce aged 15-60, all suggest that older people should have the right to continue working beyond the current compulsory retirement age.

The following two roundtables took this discussion forward, concentrating on work/ageing issues.

The consensus established early in the conference that we have much to learn from each other regionally was fully endorsed by Dr Letnie Rock’s presentation on the Barbados ageing experience. Our neighbour has successfully instituted a comprehensive policy (connecting dots between the Ministries of Social Care and Welfare, Health and Social Security, the National Assistance Board (NAB) and the Community Development project) to address biophysical, social security and economic needs based on longer life expectancy.

Some of the national policy recommendations (along with many of its implementations) will resonate with T&T’s aspirations: “the full implementation of a national policy with a gender equality and rights based approach that seeks to provide an enabling environment for persons as they grow older, a multi-sector approach, the continued involvement of seniors in driving policy agenda, temporary and permanent housing solutions for the elderly and the provision of socialisation and recreational opportunities.

Countering the “over the hill” perception of the aged, HR specialist Diane Hector shifted focus to the more productive tags: “The best is yet to come” and “age is just a number.” She cited an ILO recommendation for labour policy revision, which would aid in developing the aged’s potential as a valuable and valued human resource, in terms of experience, skills, competence, knowledge transfer, coaching and mentoring.

Douladel Willie-Tyndale of the Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre questioned the extent to which our societies facilitate productive engagement for the elderly, noting that their unmeasured paid and unpaid activities along with their presence in the workforce already directly contribute to their families and communities while reducing financial dependence. She suggested age-friendly initiatives to formalise and facilitate these contributions.

This suggestion was developed by Mr Francis Joseph, Population Affairs Officer of UNECLAC, who cited strategies for making the workplace more age-friendly: occupational health and well being support; fairness in recruiting and training; flexibility in both work and retirement; information on retirement, caregiving and healthcare, along with policies which recognise the needs of older adults who are care givers.

The last sessions on ways forward in research and outreach recognised the fundamental problem of “the disconnect between academia, activists and practitioners.” There was agreement that the open conversation inaugurated at the conference “needs to be intelligible and accessible” both for the aged themselves and the wider community/society. Participants also agreed that while “output from this conference would greatly help reviewing national policy, policies need to be based on experiments and pilots, as in the Caribbean we have policies which are not implemented or measured”—another powerful argument for the continuing and developing the WLBA’s research project.

There’s no better time than the present to flood the airwaves, the social spaces and all of T&T with goodness, than the present. That’s the view of Promotional Outfit, Magnum Xplosion, the team behind the inaugural Inferno concert, which takes place on June 9 at the Jean Pierre Complex, Port-of-Spain.

“This will be an unforgettable show,” said one of the event’s organisers. “We’re bringing back what’s needed to the concert experience in the Caribbean, delivering the reggae/dancehall artistes who can make people move, sing along and forget pointless differences. Now is the time for that.”

The show, carded to become a staple event on T&T’s annual entertainment calendar, will deliver Capleton, Barrington Levy, Busy Signal and Sizzla Kalonji to the masses; a powerful cast to say the least.

With some 22 albums under his belt, Capleton has been missed in T&T. For years, many have waited with bated breath to revel in the excitement he brings to the stage and with hits like, Alms House, Music is A Mission and Tour, among countless others, there’s no doubt that the man many refer to as the Fireman, will unleash a performance to remember. Likewise, Barrington Levy has never failed to impress. His appearance in Trinidad has been long awaited. Together with Sizzla Kalonji, a revered and respected reggae artiste, and possibly dancehall’s most suave entertainer, Busy Signal, Inferno is guaranteed to be a record-breaking concert event.

Secure enjoyment, the main goal of the promotional outfit, when it comes to patron comfort, organisers are working tirelessly to amp up what’s been the norm at concerts of this calibre. “We’re working on covering all bases when it comes to security. No one attending Inferno should feel intimidated or bothered by anything on show night,” said the organiser, adding that it is their aim to bring people of all social classes together, to show off what a truly beautiful nation of people we are in T&T.

Details on Inferno are available on Instagram @infernoconcerttt. “We also have a hotline for those requiring additional info. Interested persons can call 684-SHOW (7469),” said the spokesperson.

The energy surrounding this show is like no other. “Many are excited to welcome four of the greatest Reggae/Dancehall artistes of this era. General admission tickets are $275 and VIP $450 and they’re already going fast so we’re really encouraging patrons to get them early before the price increases,” said the spokesperson.

Many are already saying they’re excited to attend this concert, anxious to see some of the best artistes perform on one big stage, on June 2, in Trinidad.

“South people stake their claim on me,” Vaughnette Bigford likes to joke. “It’s almost as though they feel a sense of ownership.” And well they might, as the La Brea-born entertainer frequently performs in Naparima Bowl, the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (Sapa), and other popular southern venues. “That’s where most of my base is. Southerners come out to my concerts!”

Now, Bigford is seeking to attract a greater audience, and widen the span of her appeal to embrace music lovers from the north as well. While she has, of course, performed at several collaboratives at northern venues, she will be holding her first full-length concert upwind of the Caroni bridge on Saturday June 9th at the Little Carib Theatre at 7.30 p.m.

“The Little Carib is one of my favourite spaces,” she enthuses, “along with places like Kaiso Blues in Newtown and the Central Bank Auditorium. I love the acoustics, and I feel a certain connection to my audience. I like to see their faces, read their expressions. I also feel a sense of connection to all the artistes who have passed through there before me.”

The music for Vaughnette Bigford in Concert was arranged by Michael Low Chew Tung (Ming), Theron Shaw, and Rodney and Khalen Alexander, although she says she “chooks her hand” into arrangement as well. “All of my band members contributed to the arrangements, actually.”

Guest performers for the night will be Michael Salcedo on the steelpan, John John Francis on vocals, and what she promises will be “a special surprise”.

Bigford is fresh from her 2017 Born to Shine CD tour, during which she performed before ecstatic fans at venues throughout Trinidad. The feedback on her signature concerts, Shades of Vaughnette, was excellent, she says. “We’ve already sold about 1,000 copies of the CD.”

It was an exciting tour, made more notable for her by the evident appreciation people have of the music of Trinidad and Tobago. “There was a lot of nostalgia for music they hadn’t heard in a long time; Carol Addison, Kalyan, Oliver Chapman, Wildfire…I gave a different interpretation of it, and that took them back to their special place. Even for the younger people, you could see that it resonated with them.”

Recently, she has been faced with a few health challenges, including respiratory issues, which, for a singer, can be difficult. “A guitarist can put his instrument in a case to protect it,” she explains, “but as a singer, I can’t.”

Now back in fighting form after her post-Christmas-to-Carnival hiatus, she is once again ready to stand before her audiences and sing her heart out. This time, she is coming with something different. “We’re bringing new music, to appeal to a broader audience.”

She refuses to be typecast as solely an interpreter of local songs. “I love doing that, but I also do other things, and this will be a reminder. For example, I haven’t done jazz or World music in a long time.”

And many of her newer fans, who may know her only from Born to Shine or recent concert tours, might be surprised to discover the Vaughnette that had been showing off her wide range of skills since 2004. For her, it will be a kind of homecoming. “I want people to know I’m an artiste who has always done different things. They are going to see a different side of Vaughnette.

ROSLYN CARRINGTON
 

Pan Lara Youth Steel Orchestra comprising of boys and girls from Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, the Bahamas, Panama and Jamaica performed to a hall filled Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, on May 8.

The group, led by Trinidadian Debbie Lara, played varied musical selections from Reggae, Jazz, and R&B to Latin and Soca, to a capacity audience with a full spectrum of steel band musical interpretations.

Their repertoire included songs like Sorry by Justin Beiber, Tan Tan by Fitz Vaughn Bryan Orchestra and Hello by Kes, as well as a specially written composition Tania Maria by the band’s arranger Sheldon Thwaites. The evening’s presentation ended with the performance of Signal To Lara a composition by Super Blue.

The concert was a welcome feature by the Kennedy Center on the Millennium Stage in the Grand Foyer and was attended by a packed audience from all over the world including many of the Trinidadian and Tobagonian parents of the youths as well.

Pan Lara Youth Steel Orchestra is a group of all excellent students in the Washington DC metropolitan area and has performed internationally including a visit to South Africa, where they performed for children in Soweto; a trip according to Debbie Lara, “that changed our lives completely.”

In addition to performing throughout the Caribbean, the youths have performed at many of DC’s signature musical arenas besides the Kennedy Center the Strathmore musical arena as well. Their musical arranger was Sheldon Thwaites.

Accompanying the group on vocals was Gabriella Nguyen and Alexis Turbat. Dancing to the interpretations of Fitz Vaughn Bryan’s Tan Tan and Super Blue’s Signal to Lara were dancers in costume from Richards Carnival experience.

Lilliput Children’s Theatre, T&T’s influential children’s arts institution presents its production themed Juliet and Romeo —A Tobago Love Story on May 19-20, at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s.

Juliet and Romeo—A Tobago Love Story is an ode to William Shakespeare’s classic tale, this time set in Tobago: The land of tambrin music, speech band, ole time wedding and the heel and toe. Tobago, where everybody happy like pappy and the living nice for so.

However, in the beautiful village of Moriah, where the story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence. In the words of the old-time calypso Mastifay, “It was murder, federation with war and rebellion when they meet up by the junction.” In the midst of all this bacchanal and confusion, two unlucky children of these forever feuding families meet up and fall in love and decide to get married but eventually commit suicide. Fortunately, their unfortunate deaths put an end to their parents’ incessant fighting.

The veteran company is known for staging thought provoking productions that challenge audiences to imagine alternative political, social and cultural views. Once again, the young thespians have risen to the challenge of acting, dance and song. The production will be enhanced by the creativity of veteran Lilliput costume and set designer Merylle Mahabir. Under the tutelage of the talented Wendell Manwarren with the support of drama tutors, Elisha Efau Bartels and Tonya Evans, Juliet and Romeo promises to entertain, excite and thrill its audience with acting, song and dance.

• For more information, join the Juliet and Romeo Facebook (FB) event page at https://www.facebook.com/lilliputchildrenstheatre/ or connect with Lilliput on FB at www.facebook.com/lilliputchildrenstheatre or on Twitter @NDLFA.