Vice Chancellor’s UWI STAT Ambassadors visit Dominica

Two of the Vice Chancellor’s UWI STAT Ambassadors, Mr. Jason Haynes and Ms. Rashidah Vitalis, arrived in Dominica on Sunday, January 24, 2010 as part of an initiative developed about five years ago referred to as UWI STAT (UWI Students Today Alumni Tomorrow).

This programme was developed by the Director of Alumni Relations for the Vice Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris, in September 2005, in association with the Guild of Students of the UWI campuses, in order to increase regional ties between students and alumni and create student awareness of alumni relations and alumni involvement. UWI STAT is a registered student club and provides students with opportunities for integration with fellow Caribbean colleagues.

During their visit to Dominica, they will meet with the President His Excellency Dr. Nicholas J. O. Liverpool; the Minister for Education and Human Resource Development, Hon. Petter Saint Jean; the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hobbes Jno. Baptiste; and the Coordinator, HIV/AIDS Coordinating Unit, Mrs. Julie Frampton. From Tuesday, January 26, they will also visit a number of secondary high schools around the island, including the Isaiah Thomas Secondary School, the Pierre Charles  Secondary School, the North East Comprehensive School, the Convent High School and the Dominica Grammar School. On those visits, they will have the opportunity to speak to students in groups and one-to-one on current issues in Caribbean life, as well as make presentations about their experiences as students at the University of the West Indies.

Mr. Haynes is from St. Vincent and is pursuing the Bachelor of Laws degree at the Cave Hill Campus. His hobbies/interests are debating, public speaking, mooting (legal advocacy), public relations, drama, singing, cricket and athletics (track and field). Ms. Vitalis, a Trinidadian, is a student of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Management with minors in Sociology and Criminology. Her hobbies/interests are classical singing and piano, steel pan (including score and instrumental writing and composition), photography and volleyball, youth work and advocacy.

The Vice Chancellor has asked the UWI STAT Ambassadors to visit High Schools locally and regionally on an annual basis in order to, inter alia:

•    Showcase the student talent and leadership at UWI to assist in the promotion of the UWI as a first option for tertiary education to students in the Caribbean;
•    Promote the CARICOM Single Market and Economy to the youth of the region;
•    Encourage HIV/AIDS Prevention in Caribbean youth;
•    Additionally, the role of the UWI STAT Ambassadors include:
•    Meeting with significant leaders in the country; and
•    Appearing on radio/television to publicize their objectives.

Through their visits, they are expected to equip themselves with the knowledge and perspectives necessary to inform the Vice Chancellor about youth perspectives – both locally and regionally.

The overall aim of the visits to the various countries which comprise the UWI Open Campus Country Sites (OCCS) is to fulfill UWI STAT’s mission of contributing to youth leadership development, regional interaction and integration and the promotion of UWI as the best choice for tertiary education in the Caribbean. In the light of this, I sincerely hope that while they visit, you will allow them the opportunity to speak to you on a number of relevant issues affecting our Caribbean, not the least of which at this moment, are the still unfolding tragic events in our sister CARICOM island of Haiti.

They are due to leave Dominica on Thursday, January 28, 2010.

PRESS RELEASE