The Hon. Clay Sweeting, Minister ofWorks and Family Island Affairs on Monday underscored the government’s commitment to youth empowerment as his ministry strengthened its partnership with the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training (MOETVT) through its recently launched Co-Curricular Activities Programme.
Said Minister Sweeting, “The government’s commitment toyouth empowerment remains crucial as it is a national goal forour administration. As such this new initiative for integration ofsailing into our education system makes a significant leapforward for junior sailing in The Bahamas. Our vision is toestablish a comprehensive programme encompassing primaryto senior high schools, forming a feeder system that fosters alove for sailing from an early age.”
Along with creating opportunities for young people, he said theinitiative makes a “significant” stride towards nurturing a newgeneration of sailors fostering national pride and solidifying TheBahamas’ reputation as a sailing destination
The Junior Sailing Programme is one of several co-curricularactivities created by the Student Development Section of theMOETVT and offered for students to participate in addition totheir regular studies.
Minister Sweeting announced the initial list of schools in NewProvidence which comprise the first phase of the Junior PilotSailing Programme. They are: Uriah Mcphee Primary School,Stephen Dillet Primary School, Gerald Cash Primary School, C.W. Sawyer Primary School, L.W. Young Junior High School, A FAdderley Junior High School, T. A. Thompson Junior HighSchool, Anatol Rodgers Junior High School, C. V. Bethel JuniorHigh School and Government High School.
He pledged his ministry’s commitment to assisting the MOETVTwith the development of infrastructure including swimmingpools, construction of ‘E’ class boats through boat buildingprogrammes, and the provision of skilled constructionists tofacilitate training.
“Boat building is an initiative that we really need in our schools.Currently we may have 2-3 boat builders throughout thiscountry that build sailing sloops. It’s important that we don’tlose our heritage.”
Minister Sweeting noted that his ministry is actively pursuingacquisition of land for establishing a national sailing academy.“This institution will serve as a hub for both learning bothOlympic and sloop sailing, attracting not only local enthusiastsbut also international athletes. We foresee this facility becoming a key player not only in education, sports tourism, capitalizing The Bahamas’ premium year round favorable weather conditions.
“Our commitment extends beyond New Providence. We aim toexpand this to the Family Islands. To enrich the experience, weplan to engage boat builders from across the Family Islands toimpact their knowledge and skills, while showcasing theexcellent talent and traditional craftsmanship of Bahamiansloop builders. We view this venture as an opportunity todeepen our engagement with the rich cultural tapestry of thenational sport of sailing,” he said.
The Hon. Clay Sweeting, Minister of
Works and Family Island Affairs on Monday underscored the government’s commitment to youth empowerment as his ministry
strengthened its partnership with the Ministry of Education and
Technical and Vocational Training (MOETVT) through its
recently launched Co-Curricular Activities Programme.
Said Minister Sweeting, “The government’s commitment to
youth empowerment remains crucial as it is a national goal for
our administration. As such this new initiative for integration of
sailing into our education system makes a significant leap
forward for junior sailing in The Bahamas. Our vision is to
establish a comprehensive programme encompassing primary
to senior high schools, forming a feeder system that fosters a
love for sailing from an early age.”
Along with creating opportunities for young people, he said the
initiative makes a “significant” stride towards nurturing a new
generation of sailors fostering national pride and solidifying The
Bahamas’ reputation as a sailing destination
The Junior Sailing Programme is one of several co-curricular
activities created by the Student Development Section of the
MOETVT and offered for students to participate in addition to
their regular studies.
Minister Sweeting announced the initial list of schools in New
Providence which comprise the first phase of the Junior Pilot
Sailing Programme. They are: Uriah Mcphee Primary School,
Stephen Dillet Primary School, Gerald Cash Primary School, C.
W. Sawyer Primary School, L.W. Young Junior High School, A F
Adderley Junior High School, T. A. Thompson Junior High
School, Anatol Rodgers Junior High School, C. V. Bethel Junior
High School and Government High School.
He pledged his ministry’s commitment to assisting the MOETVT
with the development of infrastructure including swimming
pools, construction of ‘E’ class boats through boat building
programmes, and the provision of skilled constructionists to
facilitate training.
“Boat building is an initiative that we really need in our schools.
Currently we may have 2-3 boat builders throughout this
country that build sailing sloops. It’s important that we don’t
lose our heritage.”
Minister Sweeting noted that his ministry is actively pursuing
acquisition of land for establishing a national sailing academy.
“This institution will serve as a hub for both learning both
Olympic and sloop sailing, attracting not only local enthusiasts
but also international athletes. We foresee this facility becoming a key player not only in education, sports tourism, capitalizing The Bahamas’ premium year round favorable weather conditions.
“Our commitment extends beyond New Providence. We aim to
expand this to the Family Islands. To enrich the experience, we
plan to engage boat builders from across the Family Islands to
impact their knowledge and skills, while showcasing the
excellent talent and traditional craftsmanship of Bahamian
sloop builders. We view this venture as an opportunity to
deepen our engagement with the rich cultural tapestry of the
national sport of sailing,” he said.
