Janika Jordan of Cougars Track and Field Club walked away with five gold medals, the most by any athlete yesterday, as the two-day NGC NAAA National Juvenile Track and Field Championship concluded at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. Jordan, who is nickname ‘Hulk’, on Sunday guided her club Cougars to its Eighth consecutive title of the championships.

Jordan added to her medal haul when she won the Girls Under-13 200m dash, clocking 25.47 seconds, ahead of her main rival Janae De Gannes of Zenith, who clocked 25.86. Third was Sierra Joseph of Simplex (26.10). Jordan dashed into the lead and was never headed, after being disqualified from the 100 metres final on an opening day.

On the first day, Jordan won gold in the 400m and shot put events before winning Gold in the Under-13 Mixed 4 X 100-metre event. In the penultimate event on the final day, Jordan teamed up with her Cougars teammates to win the Girls Under-13 1000m medley in 2:33.91, almost 10 seconds ahead of runners-up, Simplex Athletic Club.

Enoch Joseph completed his sprint double when he claimed gold for the Abilene Wildcats in the Boys Under-13 200m final. Joseph was dominant on the track and eased to gold in 24.60 seconds. He beat his Abilene teammate, Jabari Branche, who finished second in 25.15 seconds with Jumario Russell of Memphis Pioneers in third in 25.20 seconds. On the first day, Joseph won his first gold in the Under-13 100m dash, clocking 12.39 seconds.

J’nae Bertete of Cougars dominated the Girls Under-9 category winning both the 60 and 80 metres events impressively. Zayne Martin also scored the double in the Under-9 Boys events when he outran Cougars’ Sean Hart to the line in the 80 metres event.

Another double was recorded by Kaleigh Forde as the young Cougars Lass won impressively in the 1,000 metres and 800 metres events for the Under-13 Girls.

From the sister-isle Nathaniel Charles of Jaguar also completed an impressive sprint double in the Under-11 Boys contest when he sped to victory in the 80 and 150 metres event. Makaelan Woods of Cougars won the Under-11 Boys 300 metres event in a photo-finish with Tyrique Vincent of ZC Athletics. Woods registered the time of 43.78 seconds with Vincent clocking 43.89 for second with Malique Young of Zenith in third with a time of 47.08.

The championship closed with the Boys Under-13 medley which was captured by Cougars, with top performances from Tristin Goodridge, Khaliff Danglade, Kaiyin Morris and Dylan Woodruffe who together clocked, 2:24.32 in front of his grandfather – Olympic Silver Medallist - Wendell Mottley. On Saturday, the first day of the championships, Woodruffe landed the Boys 80 metres Hurdle event.

Cougars have stamped their authority as a dominant club having won their first Junior Championship team title a week ago after amassing the 496 points at the end of the competition.

Memphis Pioneers were second with 211 points.

The ‘Green Army’ as Cougars Track and Field is fondly called, recorded a medal count of 41 from the 51 events contested which comprised 21 gold, 11 silver and and eight bronze.

NGC NAAA NATIONAL JUVENILE RESULTS

GIRLS UNDER-13
200m dash
1st- Janika Jordan (Cougars),
25.47
2nd- Janae DeGannes
(Zenith), 25.86
3rd- Sierra Joseph (Simplex),
26.10
BOYS UNDER-13
200m dash
1st- Enoch Joseph (Abilene),
24.60
2nd- Jabari Branche
(Abilene), 25.15
3rd- Jumario Russell
(Memphis), 25.20
GIRLS UNDER 13 800m run
1st- Kayleigh Forde (Cougars),
2:31.69
2nd- Kernesha Shelborne
(Oasics), 2:37.59
3rd- Judah Hall (Burnley),
2:41.21
BOYS UNDER 13 800m run
1st- Ben-Israel Bannister
(Mason Hall), 2:28.53
2nd- Andre Joseph
(Unattached), 2:31.68
3rd- EJ Andrews (FAS),
2:31.72
Under 13 - Girls 300m
hurdles
1st- Shakira Joseph
(Cougars), 58.05
2nd- Maleah Francis (Toco
Tafac), 1:05.66
Under 13 - Boys 300m
hurdles
1st- Kaiyin Morris (Cougars),
49.19
2nd- Jeremiah Francis
(DPAC), 52.63
3rd- J’ai Duncan (Kaizen
Panthers), 54.44
Under 13 Girls - Shot put
(3kg)
1st- Janika Jordan (Cougars),
6.25m
2nd- Nicola Sheppard
(Cougars), 4.97m
3rd- Jael Morgan (Mercury),
4.31m
Under 13 Boys - Shot put
(3kg)
1st- Caleb James (Memphis),
7.64m
2nd- Kaiyin Morris (Cougars),
7.21m
3rd- Antonio Smith (Abilene),
6.69
Under 13 Boys - Discus
throw (1kg)
1st- Kaiyin Morris (Cougars),
15.60m
2nd- Isaiah Sutherland (Toco
Tafac), 12.60m
3rd- Hakim Salandy
(Cougars), 12.10m
BOYS UNDER-11
150m dash
1st- Nathaniel Charles
(Jaguars), 19.94
2nd- Makaelan Woods
(Cougars), 20.08
3rd- Jaleel Eugene
(Memphis), 20.11
High jump
1st- Tyrique Vincent (ZC),
1.40m
2nd- Clinton Lewis (Cougars),
1.26m
3rd- Jerimiah Nanton (DPAC),
1.15m
BOYS UNDER-9
80m dash
1st- Zayne Martin (Memphis
Pioneers), 12.18
2nd- Sean Hart (Cougars),
12.23
3rd- Amarley Henry (Jaguars),
12.24
Ball throw
1st- Oshea Watson (Zenith),
38.40m
2nd- Amarley Henry
(Jaguars), 35.01m
3rd- Tannon Niemeyer
(Memphis), 31.33m
GIRLS UNDER-13
200m
1st- Janika Jordan (Cougars),
25.47
2nd- Janae De Gannes
(Zenith), 25.86
3rd- Sierra Joseph (Simplex),
26.10
800m
1st- Kayleigh Forde (Cougars),
2:31.69
2nd- Kernesha Shelborne
(Oasics), 2:41.59
3rd- Judah Hall (Burnley),
2:41.21
Under 13 Girs - 300m
hurdles
1st- Shakira Joseph
(Cougars), 58.05
2nd- Maleah Francis (Toco
Tafac), 1:05.66
GIRLS UNDER-11
150m dash
1st- Jhenise Garcia (Air Bon
Sonics), 21.24
2nd- Jenique McLaren (Toco
Tafac), 21.41
3rd- Maya Ramkellawan
(Simplex), 21.45
Ball throw
1st- Maya Ramkellawan
(Simplex), 39.15m
2nd- Q’Jea Stewart (Jaguars),
29.20m
3rd- Patrice Austin (Mason
Hall), 28.10m
High jump
1st- Tenique Vincent (ZC),
1.23m
2nd- O’Teilia Joefield (Mason
Hall), 1.17m
3rd- Shania Thomas
(Cougars), 1.17m
GIRLS UNDER-9
80m dash
1st- J’Nae Bertete (Cougars),
12.40
2nd- Annya Jordan (Mason
Hall), 13.04
3rd- Jadelle Joseph (Burnley),
13.27
Long jump
1st- Destiny Silverthorn (Toco
Tafac), 3.00m
2nd- Aliyah Debesette (La
Brea), 2.92m
3rd- Kyann Nicholson (Air
Bon Sonics), 2.76m

The road ahead is beckoning. High-speed change in the sports industry is creating the environment for those brave enough to plunge in head first and grab the opportunities to adapt the trends into a lucrative and viable sports business.

The relationship between sport and society is changing faster than ever, understanding and anticipating that change is important.

A recent Nielsen article made the point that equality, diversity, gender, race, sexuality and the environment have a compelling impact on all areas of the sports business.

Sport itself can provide the perfect platform for corporate partners to communicate their purpose.

The NBA as an example has well-established programmes focused on social issues and giving back to the communities where all its teams are based and support them.

It is predicted that there will be no let-up in the relentless focus on sports role. Sports that cannot demonstrate their social usefulness will lose out to those that can will prevail.

Another trend that is impacting sport is the evolution of sponsorship to partnerships.

To leverage and capture the benefits of the new trends locally and globally.

National Sports Organisations are required to have a broader skill set to succeed in today’s marketplace. They must understand: brands’ marketing strategies, and be able to align their sponsorship offer with them.

Have a data-driven knowledge of their fan base and even the competition in a similar market place and understands what it is to be flexible to brands’ requirements for sponsorship assets.

National Sports Organisations are expected to have sponsorship conversations that seek to understand the corporate partner’s goals and challenges.

National Sports Organisations must convince corporate partners that they are worth the investment.

Sponsorship in the new paradigm is hard work than ever, but it can also be more rewarding.

This week the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) will celebrate Olympic Day on Friday at Woodford Square, Port-of-Spain. The Woodford Square will host an Olympic Day celebrations in the height of the Fifa World Cup season.

The various national sports organisations will have displays - as the theme for Olympic Day will for another year be learned - move and discover.

As stated earlier in today’s column sports in our changing society is placing greater demands on Sports Organisations to think differently.

Woodford Square here we come.

• Editor’s Note:

Brian Lewis is the President of T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the organisation. briaclewis@gmail.com

BIRMINGHAM—Captain Jason Mohammed struck a fluent hundred but West Indies A started their tour of England on a losing note with a heavy 131-run defeat to Warwickshire on Sunday.

Asked to chase a mammoth 386 at Edgbaston, the tourists were dismissed for 254 in the 41st over despite Mohammed’s sensational 102 from 93 deliveries.

Wicketkeeper Devon Thomas struck 30 and West Indies senior team all-rounder Rovman Powell, 28, but Windies A lost their last four wickets for just 36 runs to decline rapidly at the end.

Debutant 21-year-old fast bowler Daniel Douthwaite (3-43) and new-ball partner Oliver Hannon-Dalby (3-55) both claimed three wickets apiece, along with off-spinner Alex Thomson (3-53).

Captain Jason Mohammed … struck an exhilarating century in a losing cause. (file photo)

Captain and opener Dominic Sibley had earlier struck a top score of 115 while left-hander Will Rhodes stroked 69 and Ed Pollock and Matthew Lamb, 47 apiece, to lead Warwickshire’s assault.

Sibley put on 72 off 42 deliveries for the first wicket with Pollock who smashed seven fours and three sixes in a 24-ball cameo, before adding 50 for the second wicket with Andrew Umeed who made 28.

However, it was a 138-run, third wicket stand between Sibley and Rhodes which opened the floodgates for the hosts.

Right-hander Sibley struck 10 fours and four sixes off just 103 deliveries while Rhodes, a 23-year-old left-hander, counted six fours and three sixes in a 58-ball knock.

Both, however, fell in the space of 10 balls but Lamb and Thomson kept the scoreboard ticking in a 47-run, fifth wicket partnership.

Left-arm pacer Dominic Drakes (2-74) and new-ball speedster Oshane Thomas (2-91) both led the Windies attack but proved expensive.

Hannon-Dalby and Douthwaite then quickly reduced Windies A to 47 for three in the seventh over before Mohammed arrived to dominate.

He put on 27 for the fourth wicket with Sunil Ambris (8) before adding 58 with Powell for the fifth wicket and a further 60 with Thomas for the seventh.

All told, Mohammed crunched nine fours and five sixes, before he was seventh out in the 33rd over with the score on 218.

West Indies will play their second one-day match of the tour on Tuesday when they take on Worcestershire at New Road.

The two matches are warm-ups for the Tri-Nations Series involving hosts England Lions and India A, which begins Friday. (CMC)

SOCHI—Dries Mertens’ perfectly struck volley finally opened up Panama and allowed Romelu Lukaku to take full advantage.

Lukaku scored two goals in a six-minute span in the second half as Belgium earned a 3-0 victory over Panama in its World Cup opener yesterday.

Saddled with massive expectations and a lineup of talent the envy of other teams in the tournament, Belgium finally showed flashes of being the dominant team worthy of title consideration.

The two goals from Lukaku came shortly after Mertens scored from about 18 yards in the opening moments of the second half, finally relieving some pressure after Belgium was unable to break down Panama for the first 45 minutes.

Lukaku’s first goal came 20 minutes later, but the pass from Kevin De Bruyne made it possible. Rather than shooting through a crowd of Panama defenders, De Bruyne cut a pass with the outside of his right foot onto Lukaku’s head and into the net.

Lukaku added a second on a breakaway minutes later, chipping Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo as he left his net.

Belgium is now unbeaten in its last six World Cup openers, dating back to 1986.

Panama was unable to duplicate what Senegal accomplished in 2002 as the last team to win in its World Cup debut. The Central Americans played their style — physical, aggressive, sometimes looking more like wrestling than soccer — and managed to hang with the Red Devils for more than an hour. But they never created threatening scoring chances — Panama scored only nine goals in 10 World Cup qualifying matches — and eventually Belgium finished its opportunities.

The emotion was heavy for the Panamanians who flocked to the Black Sea resort town to see the country play its first World Cup match. Fans cried at hearing their national anthem and the players on the field fought their own emotions while singing. Their voices rose with every Panama attack and the singing and dancing almost never stopped. Panama’s players stayed on the field to salute the fans several minutes after the match ended.

Luminaries like Panama President Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez and baseball star Mariano Rivera were in attendance. They would have just preferred something a little less challenging than one of the pre-tournament favorites.

Even if it wasn’t pretty for a half, Belgium did what it was supposed to do in Group G. The victory keeps the team on track for its final group match against England, which is likely to determine the top spot.

Panama needs a result against England if it wants any opportunity of the final group game against Tunisia to have meaning.

Dancer and choreographer Kieron Sargeant has been travelling around the world representing T&T, most recently in Nigeria and Mexico. He’s now seeking funding to go to the Ecole des Sables Centre in Senegal, where he has been chosen to represent T&T in studying the Black Dances: About Technique Acogny.

Sargeant, who has been the Theatre Arts teacher (Dance) at Pleasantville Secondary School for the past nine years, possesses a Certificate in Dance and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from UWI St Augustine. He also holds a Masters of Science Degree in Management and Educational Leadership, a Post Graduate Diploma in Adult Literacy and Design, as well as a Diploma in Health and Family Life Education and Instruction. He is trained in dance styles like Caribbean Folk Dance, West African Dance and Modern Dance Techniques.

Sargeant has taken T&T folk dance to Mexico where he was invited to be an Artist in Residence for Danza Extrema XIII Festival Internacional supported by Secretaria de Cultura of the Federal Government through the Instituo Nacional de Bellas Artes of Mexico to conduct Masters Classes in T&T folk dances and also to research their folk dance Danza de Los Malinches which is similar to the Maypole dance in T&T.

Said Sargeant: “The response to our folk dances in Mexico was astounding.

They loved every minute of it because they are very much rooted in this style of dance so dancing it from a Trinidad and Tobago perspective was really enjoyable for them to learn and appreciate at the same time.”

Sargeant has facilitated dance workshops in Abuja and Nigeria, where he showcased T&T’s folk dance culture and heritage for Nigeria’s International Dance Day Celebrations.

Sargeant said: “It was also a great opportunity for me to see the culture of Nigeria and to also learn some of their African dances which is closely linked to African influenced dances we have in Trinidad and Tobago like Ibo and dances of the Orishas, particularly Ogun and Shango.

But my main activity in Nigeria was to produce a choreographic work for which I was awarded a choreographic fellowship award with 15 talented men, who were a combination of dancers, drummers and percussionists organised by the Festival of African and Caribbean and Culture (FESTACC) with partnership with Ijovudu Dance International led by Sani-Abu Mohammed Allen for their international dance day function.”

Sargeant is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Choreography at the Florida State University, where he has been awarded the Dean’s Scholarship, the Dance Alumni Scholarship and the Congress of Graduate Students External Funding Award. He has created a choreographic work called The Crossing for the school’s Dance Concert and in the 2018/2019 semester, he will be teaching a Caribbean Folk Dance Course, which is the first in the University’s history. It was within the first three weeks at FSU that Sargeant was approached by worldrenowned choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, who was interested in his folk dance techniques. She subsequently introduced Sargeant to worldrenowned choreographer Souleymane Badolo who encouraged him to apply for the course, where his application was chosen from hundreds of others as the sole T&T representative.

People interested in donating towards Sargeant’s journey to Senegal can donate to his account at RBC Account number 100098171582404, or visit To Study Black Dance: Acogny Technique Senegal on Facebook

The Emancipation Support Committee of T&T staged the 10th annual Yoruba Village Drum Festival on Saturday, at Yoruba Village Square, Piccadilly Street, Port-of-Spain. The event was a huge success, attended by Laventille West parliamentary representative Fitzgerald Hinds, South African Ambassador Thami Xoliswa Nomatamsanqa Ngwevela, Port-of-Spain Deputy Mayor Hilan Morean and ESC chairman Khafra Kambon.

Aside from drummers from across the nation and Africa participating, and performances by chanters and other artistes, acclaimed rapso artist/cultural activist Sister Ava (Ruth Ava Sam Shallow) was presented with the ESC’s Keeper of the Tradition Award by Minister Hind

T&T Red Force Divas ended their Cricket West Indies T20 Blaze campaign in fine style on Monday night at Sabina Park, Jamaica, but had to settle for third place in the competition after a seven-wicket win over the Windward Islands.

T&T coach, Gerald Garcia, acknowledged his side did not play good T20 cricket initially, but is confident his team will give a much better showing in the Super50 which bowls off today with T&T tackling Barbados from 9:30 am.

“Thinking positively and knowing the ability of the players we have, I expect better cricket in the 50 over the competition. But it’s all about the human being executing their skills on the day. If we can dominate all the elements in the game though, we have a team that’s good enough to beat anyone in this competition,” said Garcia.

T&T lost two out of its five matches in the competition and subsequently surrendered the title it won last year.

Windies off-spinner and T&T vice-captain, Anisa Mohammed echoed Garcia’s comments, noting that the T20 is behind them and the team is now looking ahead to defending their Super50 title.

“It’s disappointing to lose the T20 title. We didn’t start the tournament playing our best cricket. Our batters failed us against Guyana and Barbados, but having said that I think the batters are starting to play the cricket we know they can play,” she said. “The T20 is over and behind us and we’re going into the Super50 with high hopes of defending that title.”

Jamaica emerged as the new T20 Blaze champion by beating Barbados in the final round. With no final to be played as the competition is decided by a head to head rule, the result came down to the final round encounter between the two. While Barbados was unbeaten up to that point and were ahead on net run rate, Jamaica had previously lost to T&T. Their win, therefore, put the two teams on equal points and made Jamaica the winners on a head to head.

T&T ended the day in what was only a consolation match, as the tournament was decided just an hour before.

They dominated the Windward Islands by restricting them to just 103 at the end of their 20 overs for the loss of five wickets. Pearl Ettienne top-scored for the Windwards with 37 not out. Lee-Ann Kirby, Kirbyina Alexander and Karishma Ramharack picked up two wickets apiece to prevent Windwards from playing their usual aggressive game.

In reply, the T&T batswomen raced to their target in 14.2 overs for the loss of three wickets. Kirby top scored with 46 in a 31-ball innings that included three fours and three sixes.

FINAL ROUND RESULTS

WINDWARD ISLANDS 103 for five off 20 overs (Pearl Etienne 37 not out; Karishma Ramharack 2-16, Lee-Ann Kirby 2-21)
T&T 105 for three off 14.2 overs (Lee-Ann Kirby 46 not out). T&T won by seven wickets.
LEEWARD ISLANDS 50 off 17.5 overs (Evra Giddings 4-18)
GUYANA 53 for two off 10.1 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 28 not out). Guyana won by eight wickets.
JAMAICA 108 for five off 20 overs (Natasha McLean 42, Stafanie Taylor 38; Deandra Dottin 2-19, Shakera Selman 2-24)
BARBADOS 104 all out off 20 overs (Hayley Matthews 30; Roshana Outar 3-16, Karla Cohen 2-20). Jamaica won by four runs.
Editor’s Note:
Coverage provided by Caribbean Women Entertainment Sport Network (CWESN) a non-profit organisation dedicated to covering women in sport. Follow them on FB and Twitter @CWESN, IG @cwesportsnet or visit their website www.cwesn.com for women’s sport coverage.

Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal has been banned for one Test and fined 100 per cent of his match fee following an International Cricket Council (ICC) charge of ball tampering that was brought against him during the second Test of the three-match series between Sri Lanka and Windies at the Darren Sammy National Stadium in St Lucia.

At the end of the second day’s play, the standing umpires Ian Gould and Aleem Dar requested video footage of the final session.

They found that Chandimal was putting sweets into his mouth and then applying saliva unto the ball.

The umpires then decided to report him for ball tampering and a decision was made to award the Windies five runs and change the ball.

The Sri Lankans did not take to the charge kindly and decided to protest by refusing to take the field for two hours.

Play on the third day was set to start at 9.30 am but they did not come out until 11.31 am, protesting the umpire’s decision.

The matter was reported to the ICC match referee Javagal Srinath and a hearing was set for after the match.

On Monday, the game ended in a draw with the Windies batting at 147 for five, looking for 296 runs to win the Test.

The third session of the match was badly interrupted by rain and the game ended as a stalemate.

Sri Lanka will now head to Barbados for the day/night Test match starting on Saturday at 3 pm, without their captain.

After meeting with Srinath on Monday evening, Chandimal admitted to putting something in his mouth but he said he could not remember what it was.

Srinath in a release stated: “After reviewing the footage of the incident, it is clear that Dinesh applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct.

“The footage shows that upon receiving the ball, Dinesh took something from his pocket and put it into his mouth. After sucking or chewing whatever he put in his mouth for a few seconds, Dinesh then proceeded to spit on his finger and polish the ball with his saliva which would have contained the residue of the artificial substance that he had in his mouth, on two separate occasions.

“During the hearing, Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn’t remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defence and the fact remains it was an artificial substance.

“In the pre-series briefing held on the back of the ICC Cricket Committee recommendations, both the sides were explicitly told that the match officials would be extra vigilant towards all aspects of fair play, including changing the condition of the ball and as such it is disappointing that this has happened.”

Chandimal has 48 hours to lodge a complaint, but it is more than likely he will not be able to play in Barbados because the ICC committee will not be able to meet until Saturday when the game is due to start. Also if he loses the appeal he could stand to miss a total of four Tests and the punishment will also be meted out to coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinghe.

If Chandimal cannot get to play in the final Test, then his leadership role could go to the veteran Rangana Herath who was dropped for the last Test.

Vice-captain Ruranha Lakmal is another option to lead the side.

Additionally, Sri Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha were also charged with a breach of Article 2.3.1, a Level 3 offence which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”.

They have been charged with their involvement in the Sri Lankan cricket team’s refusal to take to the field at the start of Saturday’s play, causing a two-hour delay in the start of play.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson in supporting the punishment handed down, said he would be seeking to have stiffer sanctions imposed on those persons found guilty of similar offences.

“The ICC fully supports the match officials in their decision and will continue to do so in any other such instances. The strong message from last month’s ICC Cricket Committee was that there needs to be stiffer sanctions for offences such as changing the condition of the ball, and as such, we will be recommending to the ICC Board at next month’s annual conference in Dublin to upgrade this to a Level Three offence,” Richardson said.

The John Leotaud trained Jamaican bred three-year-old colt General JN justified all the hype and his very short-priced in the betting market with another impressive display to win the feature First Citizens Midsummer Classic over 1,900 metres on the main track at Santa Rosa Park, Arima.

In front of a Labour Day crowd, Kerron Khelawan made it look all to easy with the Jerry Narace 1-9 favourite.

When starter Carlton Ramsaroop sent the nine-horse field on its way for in the $170,000 purse event General JN broke alertly but Affirmative which was drawn in stall one wanted to be at the head of affairs. Passing the winning post for the first time Affirmative led from General JN which was ‘tanking along’ with Prince of BelleVue close up and just ahead of Streaking Far with Dancin Deputy tracking the pace. These were followed by Warmonger, Master of War, No Man’s Land with Just So contented to observe from the rear.

Going down the back, Miguel Vasquez aboard Affirmative attempted to up the tempo but Khelawan was motionless on General JN which was cantering over his rivals.

At the far turn Affirmative still, lead but only on sufferance as General JN moved effortlessly to join him at the head of affairs. These were followed by Prince of Belle Vue, Streaking Far, Dancin Deputy and Warmonger.

However, at the top of the straight General JN pulled his way to the front an opened up a two-length gap on Affirmative as Prince of Belle Vue rallied against the rail with Streaking Far closing ahead of Warmonger.

The race was put to bed in style as the three-year-old son of Forest Danger cantered clear without being asked a question to win eased down by four lengths from Prince of Belle Vue with Affirmative weakening back in third. The Glenn Mendez trained Streaking Far was a respectable fourth.

The running time for the event was 2:01.87.

General JN will now go the final jewel of the local racing’s ‘Triple Crown’ as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of the American Triple Crown Champion Justify.

In the co-feature First Citizens Santa Rosa Dash over 1,200 metres, the John O’Brien trained filly Pauseforacoors ran differently from her name as she never paused once the gates open. Brian Boodramsingh flashed her out of the stalls and though pestered by Princess Suri and Whisper Light for most of the way, she proved too good in the end. The Raroma Stable owned three-year-old filly quickened away impressively in the final 200 metres to beat Princess Suri and One for the road with Whisper Light occupying the fourth spot.

The disappointment in the event was Bigman In Town which trailed the field for most of the journey before finishing a well-beaten sixth and some 11 lengths off the winner.

Pauseforacoors registered the time of 1:12.28 on the sloppy main track.

Training honours on First Citizens Bank Day at the Races were shared between Glenn Mendez and John Leotaud.

Former T&T youth player Dwight Quintero arrived off the bench to score twice on his Defence Force FC debut to complete a 7-2 blowout of MIC-IT St Ann’s Rangers in the first game of Monday’s First Citizens Cup 2018 double-header at Ato Boldon Stadium on Monday night.

The win improved coach Marvin Gordon’s Tetron Boys’ grip at the top of Immortelle Group with six points after two games, three points ahead of Central FC (3 points, 1 game) which it faces on Friday.

Club Sando (1 game) and San Juan Jabloteh (2 games) are with one point each after a keenly contested but 0-0 stalemate the second game of Monday’s doubleheader.

The top two teams at the end of group play advances to the semi-finals on July 13. The final will be contested on July 20.

Jabari Mayers had cancelled out a Dylon King goal to level the bottom-positioned Rangers (0 points, 2 games) in the first half, but not even a wonderful second-half Saleem Henry finish was enough to avoid the Adrian Romain coached-side a heavy defeat on a cold and wet night in Couva.

Justin Garcia, Brent Sam, Devorn Jorsling, and Reon Moore, who ended with a goal and three assists, all hit the back of the Rangers net in the second half before substitute Quintero, a 24-year-old ex-Central, W Connection and North East Stars forward, ensuring a comfortable win with a double separated by Henry’s goal.

It was the sort of performance Gordon had anticipated of his bolstered squad, with the exception of allowing two goals at the back.

“I’m looking forward to more goals (against Rangers) than tonight (against Jabloteh),” Gordon had said after his Tetron Boys trashed the San Juan club 4-0 on June 10. “I took a look at them (Rangers) and I don’t think they have much to offer. I think we should get some more goals against Rangers.”

King took his tally to three goals in the tournament by making up for two early wasted chances when he curled a right-footer beyond Rangers goalkeeper Cleon John on 20 minutes to give Defence Force a 1-0 lead after skipping a challenge from defender Renaldo Alexander, one of five changes made by Romain from his starting line-up in their 2-0 loss to Central on 10 June.

Quintero, who five years ago on Oct. 18, 2013, equalised against Defence Force in the final of the First Citizens Cup for Central FC went on celebrating their maiden trophy, would get to his double on the other end to complete a 7-2 rout when he flicked a wonderfully-worked Sam cross into the back of the Rangers net with seven minutes left.

Defence Force will resume play on Friday against Central in the first game of another double-header at Ato Boldon Stadium from 6.30 pm before Police FC and W Connection battle each other in a top-of-the-table Abercrombie Group clash from 8.30 pm.

FIRST CITIZENS CUP RESU

Defence Force FC 7 (Dylon King 20’, Justin Garcia 52’, Brent Sam 56’, Devorn Jorsling 59’, Reon Moore 62’, Dwight Quintero 63’, 83’) v MIC-IT St. Ann’s Rangers 2 (Jabari Mayers 38’, Saleem Henry 65’), at Ato Boldon Stadium;

Club Sando 0 v San Juan Jabloteh 0, at Ato Boldon Stadium.

On Saturday
W Connection 2 (Kennedy Hinkson 25’, Marcus Joseph 83’) v North East Stars 0, at Ato Boldon Stadium;
Morvant Caledonia United 1 (Kareem Joseph 90’+3 pen.) v Point Fortin Civic 2 (Judah Garcia 66’, Justin Sadoo 75’), 6 pm at Ato Boldon Stadium.

Enrique De Comarmond took the top spot among the Juniors when the T&T Cycling Federation held its 2018 National Road Race Championship at the weekend.

In Sunday’s Time Trial event, De Comarmond who represented Heatwave sprinted ahead of the pack for the gold medal, leaving Phoenix Maurice Burnette to settle for second and Adam Francis of The Braves taking the third.

The Tinymites category was sewed up by Benjamin Mouttet of Breakaway with Jarel Mohammed (Southclaine) and Aaron Matas of Rigtech Sonics taking third respectively. And in the Road Race event on Sunday there were wins for Marque Carvalho in the Masters 40-plus, Pat Nelson in the master 70-plus, Ronald Crooks (Masters 60-69) and Martin Wharwood of Hummingbird in the Masters 50-59 age bracket.

Nelson was also in winners row at the Time Trial for veterans, taking the win for Breakaway ahead of Foster Francois of PSL and third Lennos Parris who represented Southampton.

Results 

Time Trial
Masters 70-plus: 1- Pat Nelson (Breakaway), 2- Foster Francois (PSL), 3- Lennox Parris (Southampton).
Tinymites Female: 1- Alexia Wilson (Arima Wheelers).
Tinymites Male: 1- Benjamin Mouttet (Breakaway), 2- Jarel Mohammed (Southclaine), 3- Devante Lawrence (Arima Wheelers).
Masters 60-69: 1- Peter Hernandez (Hammertime), 2- Stephen Aboud (Team Pharmaco), 3- Roy Daniel (Rigtech Sonics).
Masters 50 - 59: 1- Ancil Roberts (Rigtech Sonics), 2- Martin Wharwood (Hummingbird), 3- Wayne Samuel (Hummingbird).
Juveniles Female: 1- Makayla Hernandez (Madonna), 2- Keira Ellis (Team Woods).
Juveniles Male: 1- Joshua Rawlins (Southclaine), 2- Tariq Woods (Team Woods), 3- Mickel Lopez (Rigtech Sonics).
Masters 40-49: 1- Richard Carvalho (Heatwave), 2- Marque Carvalho (Unattached), 3- Wayne Singh (Hammertime).
Juniors: 1- Enrique De Comarmond (Heatwave), 2- Maurice Burnette (Pheonix), 3- Rodell Woods (PSL).
Road Race
Masters 40-49: 1- Marque Carvalho (Unattached), 2- Sheldon Lennard (Raiders), 3- Marlon Winter Roach (Breakaway).
Masters 70-plus: 1- Pat Nelson (Breakaway), 2- Foster Francois (PSL), 3- Lennox Ling (Southampton). Tinymites: 1- Benjamin Mouttet (Breakaway), 2- Jarel Mohammed (Southclaine), 3- Aron Matas (Rigtech Sonics).
Masters 60-69: 1- Ronald Crooks (Raiders), 2- Peter Hernandez (Hammertime), 3- Stephen Aboud (Team Pharmaco).
Juniors: 1- Enrique De Comarmond (Heatwave), 2- Maurice Burnette (Pheonix), 3- Adam Francis (The Braves).
Masters 50-59: 1- Wayne Samuel (Hummingbird), 2- Martin Wharwood (Hummingbird), 3- Michael Brown (Christian Wheelers).

The upcoming production of the Broadway classic musical West Side Story marks the return of production company Must Come See Productions to the theatre landscape of T&T after a four year hiatus. The show runs from June 21 to 24 at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s.

Co-producer and musical director Jessel Murray said West Side Story is the musical version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set in America in the 1950s with the Montague and Capulet families replaced by warring gangs, the Puerto Rican Sharks and the American Jets. The main characters Tony (Romeo) and Maria (Juliet) belong to these warring factions.

Murray explained: “At its core, the musical is the story of Tony and Maria who become lovers, even though they are from different backgrounds, with all of the tensions that surround such a match. It does not help that Tony is part of a gang and that Maria’s brother is from a rival gang. It all build up to one fateful night. One has to see the musical to find out what happens next.”

The cast is comprised of some well-known as well as up-and-coming members of the musical theatre genre in T&T, including Zayna McDonald as Maria, Kyle Richardson as Tony, Michailean Taylor as Riff, newcomer Albert Smith as Bernardo, Syntyche Bishop as Anita, and Chris Smith rounds out the impressive cast as Doc.

The production is directed by Lecturer and Co-ordinator of Theatre Arts at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA), UWI St Augustine, Louis McWilliams. Murray is a UWI Senior Lecturer and head of the DCFA. DCFA Co-ordinator of Dance Sally Crawford-Shepherd is the choreographer, and Dara Jordan-Brown is the scenic designer.

The veteran team of Donna-Marie Bertrand and Asha Stewart will stage manage the production. Murray said: “I have watched, with pardonable pride, a fully engaged and talented cast drawn from current DCFA student, alumni, and community members come together to produce high quality work. The production team, of which I am a part, is really pushing the cast to be the best possible.”

Murray will also be conducting the fully professional live band, and said the music and dancing in the play have been very exciting to work with. “The music is a mixture of Latin rhythms and jazz, quite complex and so enjoyable. Musicals are about acting. I would like the audiences to feel the tension, the drama, the joy of the work and to embrace the sophisticated music by Leonard Bernstein. This type of music in a musical is a cut above many other types of musicals and is not for the faint-hearted performer but contains some of the best known musical pieces such as Maria, Somewhere, America and Tonight. Of course, I wish them to enjoy our big Latin dance numbers, which are critical to the success of the work as well.”

Murray had attempted to stage the play in the US in 1999, but was not able to due to concerns about the stereotypical manner in which Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans were portrayed. However, Murray said he has not had a similar experience here in T&T. “There has been no such consideration whatsoever in Trinidad,” said Murray. “Persons are embracing the artistry of this work with its messages of love amidst intolerance and the other issues of different segments of the society battling for space.

“Perhaps, there are lessons contained in the play which are pertinent to our current times, but I decline to identify them. I do hope that persons who view the musical will determine what message is inherent to them and will embrace the work on their own terms.”

Tomorrow’s premiere performance is scheduled for 7 pm, while the Friday and Saturday performances start at 7.30 pm. There will be two Sunday performances: a matinée at 2 pm and an evening performance at 7 pm.

More info

Tickets for West Side Story cost $250 to $300 for General seating with special prices for Seniors/Students and are available at the Queen’s Hall Box Office, 624-1284 and the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, UWI (Gordon Street, St. Augustine), 272-DCFA (3232).

For more information, find Must Come See Productions and West Side Story on Facebook.

Being able to exercise judgment is a desired quality in order to become a good decision maker. It is a great asset in assessing people and selecting personalities for relationships. Every parent, manager and leader in every sphere will do well to have competence in the reasoning demanded for exercising good judgment.

Being judgmental, however, is the problematic because it is the attitude of being overly critical, negative, deriding, and being destructive. But when it comes to people, especially those in distress or on whom misfortune has fallen it amazes me the level of incivility people rush to in brutal judgment of others.

And, in terms of issues of mental health and mental illnesses, the pervasive ignorance by the majority makes judgment and judging take on a special cruelty as we “pass our ignorant mouths” on people we somehow think are less then us. We really behave as though those who live with or experience mental illnesses deserve nothing but “St Ann’s” or some place away from “normal” people.

We very quickly forget (or maybe we have not as yet learned) that all humans are created equal. And that regardless of the circumstances in which people find themselves, we should all have and show respect for their humanity.

Those of us who benefitted from upbringing that instilled humility are better off in appreciating the worth of another person. But, even among us are those who either thumb their noses at others deemed to be in a lesser position or just use every opportunity to be judgmental of others.

That behaviour, to me, constitutes poor mental well-being worse than someone who may have a mental health diagnosis. To my mind, gossip is a deeper sickness than most other conditions of ill health. And “cutting people down” is akin to an incurable, seeping sore - it is a special brand of evil and ugly.

Helping those in need

I recently witnessed a maxi taxi driver chase a man of his vehicle.

“Get out mih bus. Yuh smelling stink. Go and bathe. Get off! Get off! Take the next maxi.”

Before I could recover from that brutality, I saw a social media campaign that has kept me feeling deep hurt, with a disconnectedness with this part of T&T culture. There was the most hideous comments with thousands of hits and shares and everyone with a judgment of an individual who, clearly, to me was exhibiting behaviour that needed intervention and compassion.

In the midst of that, a friend asked me about an appropriate response to someone presenting with what looks like a mental health crisis. I was happy to find him among the friends that wanted to help and not harm the young physician who was the subject of major ridicule.

As a registered first-response trainer here was my advice from the tip of my finger in the social media exchange-: “When it comes to mental/ psychiatric ill health or bad well-being, the “first responder” is the first person with the opportunity to respond first to someone in crisis. That should be everyone of us. We know how to fix a cut, we should know how to respond to grief or trauma, as examples.

“And while there may not be a single response that would work for every situation there are some key things we can do to treat with those in distress.

“We begin by accepting that mental ill health is the most common illness globally at this time ergo, It can happen to me! Therefore:-

1. We can educate ourselves with the issues to become more comfortable to reach out but also to know what the signs are so we know when to reach out. WebMD and PsychologyToday are recommended sites for self education/learning.

Learn what to ask. Learn what not to say. Learn, learn, learn.

2. Education can help reduce the stigma that cripples our response. If we understand the myths and misinformation we are more likely to look past the prejudices and taboo and reach out.

3. We need to know/believe/understand that mental ill health whether an issue, a disorder, a problem or an illness/ disease does not discriminate. Anyone can present with symptoms. This may be a short-term illness or a long-term one.

But key to recovery is early attention and intervention to the illness, not hiding until we are critical or acute.

4. We each need to practice suspending judgment. That is a major deterrent to giving help and for others asking for help. When we judge before we have the information to understand circumstances or after we have the information, we are less likely to help the other person.

5. Return to some value: either civics and be neighbourly, biblical and be loving, or humanitarian. Love would not only “cover a multitude of sins” but a host of illnesses and required privacies.”

No one goes through this life without trauma. While everyone responds differently, we need to get to a place of respect and return to a love that makes us supportive of each other rather than negative and critical.

Caroline C Ravello is a strategic communications and media professional and a public health practitioner. She holds an MA with Merit in Mass Communications (University of Leicester) and is a Master of Public Health With Distinction (UWI). Write to:

Today the world will observe World Refugee Day, a day when “we commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees” (UN).

Archbishop Jason Gordon has launched an Archdiocese’s Ministry for Migrants and Refugees (AMMR). AMMR calls on the nation to use this opportunity today to commit to stand in solidarity with migrants and refugees and to promote their human rights. Let’s pray and act to ensure that there is a place at the table of life for all.

In Pope Francis’ message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees in January 2018 titled, Migrants and Refugees: men and women in search of peace, he asks us to develop a strategy combining four actions to support migrants and refugees—welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating.

“The Earth,” says Pope Francis, “is our common home and we are a universal family. Together, we are called to build the common good, that is, to create conditions in which each person can realise his or her potential.” He says that providing aid to migrants and refugees is a “great responsibility, which the church intends to share with all believers and men and women of good will, who are called to respond to the many challenges of contemporary migration with generosity, promptness, wisdom and foresight, each according to their own abilities…I would like to ask you all to see a ray of hope as well in the eyes and hearts of refugees and for those who have been forcibly displaced.”

We cannot turn our eyes away from the 65.3 million persons in our world who have been displaced from their homes and the 22.5m refugees who, as Pope Francis says, seek peace. He reminds us that migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity, and urges us to have respect for their lives and dignity.

In T&T there are migrants and refugees from over 20 countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Colombia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo, Mali, Sudan and Uganda. There are many children among the men and women seeking refuge here from these and other countries.

If we are to build the common good in our country, we must take action to enact legislation that will enable the recommendations in the Cabinet adopted 2014 policy relating to the Status of Refugees to be implemented.

We therefore call on our Government to take decisive action and pass/enact national legislation on refugee issues. This is essential if T&T is to meet its international obligations, having acceded in November 2000 to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. These are the foundations of international refugee law. We call on the Government also to develop an efficient and secure asylum system.

While we must do what is right to meet the needs of our own citizens; we must also show compassion and hospitality and ensure that refugees in need of protection and support are treated according to international standards.

On World Refugee Day, “let us all try to stand in the shoes of refugees, and stand up for their rights and our shared future,” Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General said.

For further information, contact Leela Ramdeen, chair, CCSJ, and chair, AMMR on 299 8945 (courtesy Catholic Media Services Ltd).

Financial inclusion and access to self-service banking is becoming increasingly important as financial institutions across the country look to grow their ATM install base.

The ATM remains one of the most frequently used banking channels in developing countries and is still a critical component of day-to-day activities as cash remains vital.

Commercial banks have been stepping up their game to ensure full customer satisfaction and convenience with minimum or no security disruptions. In that vein, Scotiabank T&T Ltd will be introducing intelligent deposit machines (IDMs) in the coming months.

IDMs, also known as deposit automation, allow customers to make “no-envelope” deposits at ATMs.

Deposit automation can reduce many of the bank’s costs. Specifically, in the case of bulk scanning technologies, there are reductions associated with less fraud, eliminating “empty envelope fraud” from day one and making it more difficult for criminals present bogus cheques.

Brendan King, executive vice president, global retail banking technology, Scotiabank, said the aim is to increase the functionality of Scotiabank’s ATMs so customers can do more with ease.

“The envelope-free deposits will enable customers to put cash in the machine and get immediate credit on that cash,” he said.

“We are also accepting cheque deposits through the machines without an envelope. When that cheque is drawn on us it will give you immediate credit on that cheque as well, so no more waiting to get your cash. It’s really exciting to bring that increased functionality to our customers.”

King, who was interviewed following Scotiabank’s official launch of its Price Plaza Digital Branch in Chaguanas, said intelligent deposits also guarantee a more secure banking environment, making it difficult for fraudsters to penetrate.

“Now that there’s no more envelope the machine will scan the cash and cheques in real time and will give you a receipt. It will give you a picture of it so you will see exactly what has been deposited.

“No more can you put an empty envelop in and try to scam the bank or other people. That enhanced level of security will be great for customers and the confidence to use that machine more,” he assured.

The machines will be rolled out on a phased basis throughout the Caribbean. At present, Scotiabank has about 800 machines across the region and it is expected that 50 to 100 will be implemented per year, particularly in high traffic areas.

“Some of them are obviously just cash dispensers. We will leave them because they are doing a great job for us but we will replace the ATMs with the new machines as we go forward. Some of these machines are expected to arrive in Trinidad and Tobago later this year,” King said.

A trend in digital centres

Going digital is not a one business line initiative but a cultural transformation designed to enhance customer experience.

Stephen Bagnarol, senior vice-president and head, Caribbean south and east, Scotiabank, said construction of the bank’s second digital branch has already started.

“This is very exciting for us because it’s our flagship branch and construction should be finished within a couple of months,” he said.

But what does this mean, especially for customers?

Ignacio Nacho Deschamps, group head, international banking and digital transformation, Scotiabank, said the most important mandate is to secure a strong customer culture in the bank. This requires investment in technology and analytics and to build mobile solutions which make life easier for customers.

“The objectives are to make everything available in digital solutions so that the customers don’t have to come to a branch,” he said.

“They can do the same thing in the same way and in a way that suits them and that’s the objective of our digital transformation. It’s all about customer experience. It’s all about operational efficiency because it allows us to connect our operations in the Caribbean, in Latin America, in Canada in a much more closer way and to do that we really have to listen to customers,” Deschamps said.

Part of the methodology being used in T&T and across the group is surveys to accumulate much needed feedback.

“We issue every day thousands and thousands of surveys to get customer feedback, to understand how they react to these new systems. That allows us to quickly learn and adapt our financial services to our customers.

“So this is our commitment, to look at all the ways to improve customer experience and to take customer feedback to prioritise our investment,” Deschamps added, citing the bank’s five digital factories in Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Columbia.

“We have been able to attract 700 professionals to our digital teams. Almost 40 per cent are new to the bank and come from the non-banking industries such as technology companies like Facebook, Mercado Libre, LinkedIn and others,” he said.

He said the factories also work as a network, leveraging best practices across the bank.

The Government will offer eight blocks to oil and gas companies for bids to explore, find and produce oil and gas. Six of the blocks are located in the shallow water surrounding Trinidad and two in central Trinidad.

The names and location of the blocks have been a tightly held secret by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries but Business and Money has obtained a document that identifies all the blocks to be offered.

The document identifies the blocks to the offered as follows:

• Block 1B off the west coast of Trinidad

ª Block Ub off the east coast

• Block Uc which is located next to Ub and is also off the east coast

• Lower Reverse L Block that is off the east coast

• North Coast Marine Area (NCMA) 2 off the north coast

• NCMA 3 off the north coast

The ministry will then pause and in phase two—later in the year—it will offer the Charuma 1 and 2 blocks in the Central Range.

The ministry first announced that the bid round will take place in the first quarter of 2018, which was then pushed back to the end of June, but there has been no word on the number of blocks, or where they are located.

It is expected that there will be significant interest in the blocks since some are expected to be gas prone and with the shortage of natural gas in the country there will be an almost guaranteed market for the gas.

Further, the blocks are in shallow water and therefore less expensive to explore and develop than in the deep water. The blocks are also located relatively closely to existing infrastructure, allowing them to be quickly developed if economically viable discoveries are made and in the case of NCMA 2 and NCMA 3 they are close to NCMA 4 which is operated by Royal Dutch Shell and is thought to contain natural gas.

There will not be any deep water blocks on offer in this bid round as the government is awaiting further data from the three deep water wells expected to be drilled this year by BHP Billiton.

Earlier this year, Energy Minister Franklin Khan said government wants the results of the wells before it tries to woo international companies to bid on the country’s frontier deepwater.

“In the first instance we are going out later this year with land and shallow marine, not deep water. This is because obviously we want the exploration cycle in this first round of the deepwater exploration to be concluded and to see what type of results we have before we go back into the market.”

BHP Billiton has so far drilled two wells in the previously unexplored deep water and has made a 5 trillion cubic feet gas discovery in its first well, Le Clerc, and drilled a dry hole in the second.

Last Wednesday, BHP spudded its well, Victory 1, in Block TTDAA Block 5 which is the same block where the 5 tcf was discovered. The well is being drilled almost three months after it was initially expected.

Khan said the delay was caused by the Australian outfit’s inability to secure a deepwater drill ship to do a three well programme.

“The slide of three months is due to the challenge of procuring a deepwater drill ship. It’s a cycle that has to do with the international industry because the contract will only have to be for three wells. So to get a rig for two wells you have to get a window because the owners of rigs prefer long term contracts, so where there is a break in their long term contracts they can fill the space and that is what is happening here.

BHP has at least an additional six wildcat wells to drill in its Trinidad deep water programme but Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the company has agreed to work toward speeding up the development and production of gas from Le Clerc to deal with natural gas curtailment problems.

Over the years, corporate responsibility has evolved from activities driven by regulatory compliance and philanthropy, to a much more strategic focus on the creation of shared societal and business value. This evolution has also seen the focus of responsible business programmes widen to include more than just community initiatives.

For instance, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the world’s leading corporate responsibility standard, identifies 33 economic, environmental and social issues, in addition to issues in the areas of ethics and integrity, corporate governance and stakeholder engagement.

The evolution of corporate responsibility has also placed increasing emphasis on the opportunities for businesses to benefit by acting in a responsible manner: doing well while doing good.

In line with this, on the occasion of World Environment Day, the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s Responsible Business Committee (previously known as the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee), presented a Business Insights session entitled Caring for your Bottom Line—The Business Case for Corporate Responsibility. This event reflected the committee’s mission “to build a platform for capacity building and advocacy that enables every business to be an active partner in helping to solve T&T’s socio-economic and environmental challenges”.

To kick off the event, Kyle Santos, chairman of the responsible business committee and CSR consultant, took the audience on a myth-busting journey, tackling common misconceptions such as “CSR and philanthropy are one and the same”, “CSR is a cost to business”, “a company’s motives must be purely altruistic” and “CSR isn’t relevant in T&T or to small business”.

He also highlighted findings from his own research, which indicated that most people want to work for responsible businesses, but less than half are satisfied with their company’s social or environmental efforts.

Santo was followed by Melanie Richards, founder of CSR Solutions Ltd, who presented in-depth regional case studies illustrating how businesses can take action in their communities, protect their local

environment, be responsible employers and create positive impacts up and down their value chains, creating tangible business benefits all the while.

Businesspeople from three very diverse fields offered practical lessons based on their experiences.

Nicole Galt, executive vice president of human resources at Trinidad Systems Ltd, spoke about the company’s initiatives with its employees and communities which, despite the great volume, remain unknown to many outside of the business.

“It is in giving that we receive,” Galt said. “We do not give expecting to receive; however, it always comes back in some form or fashion. Where a door closes, a window opens.”

Jeunesse Pouchet, general manager of The Youthful Vegan, Trinidad’s first 100% vegan shop and café, spoke of the challenges her small business faces in order to stay true to its core principles and values.

Limiting the cafe’s environmental footprint, she noted, while serving delicious healthy food at an affordable price, requires sacrifice and compromise.

Yet, this enables The Youthful Vegan to create an authentic experience that its customers and staff love. It also placed them well ahead of the game when a large customer changed its policy, requiring all meals to be delivered in environmentally friendly packaging.

Chief executive officer of Massy Stores, Derek Winford, opened up about the chain’s bold decision to introduce a charge for bags in an effort to reduce plastic waste. He spoke of the positive and negative feedback they continue to receive, while making it clear that Massy Stores is committed to reducing its impact on the environment.

This is why Massy Stores’ environmental initiatives include efficient building design, the use of energy-efficient LED lighting and ozone-friendly refrigerant gases, and their continued support of organisations like PlastiKeep and NourishTT.

A robust panel discussion followed the company presentations, giving the audience the chance to get deeper insights. A common thread was the importance of getting staff engaged in responsible business activities, by offering them a variety of ways in which to take part.

Melanie Richards highlighted that, while there are many responsible things companies can do, it would be wrong to limit such activities to generic “quick wins”. Instead, she suggested that companies understand what the most relevant issues are for their business, and focus their efforts on the areas in which they can create the greatest positive impact.

The T&T Chamber hosted this session as part of its wider effort to improve local standards of doing business. Corporate responsibility—or responsible business—has the potential to create shared positive social and business value, simultaneously strengthening our society, environment and economy.

Leading international businesses have already taken up this mantle. As our local companies look outward for export markets, they need to ensure that they have their own house in order and can demonstrate how they will create share value in their target market.

The responsible business committee is a group of volunteers from leading local companies who are passionate about responsible business.

The committee’s mission is to build a platform for capacity building and advocacy that enables every business to be an active partner in helping to solve T&T’s socio-economic and environmental challenges.

T&T Chamber of
Industry and Commerce