Last week the University of the West Indies Open Campus successfully staged another thought-provoking Country Conference under the theme “Communities at Crossroads: Change the Thinking, Change the Future”. The 23rd – 25th October Conference attracted fifteen papers from some twenty local, regional and international presenters and was streamed live around the world.
The Conference began with an impressive Opening Ceremony, on the evening of the 23rd October, with presentations by the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School Steel Orchestra, STAGES Anguilla, Aaliyah “Lil Stinger” Webster, and Anguilla’s Triple Crown Calypso Monarch, Roxanne “Roxxy” Webster. Remarks came from Manager for the UWI Open Campus British Overseas Manager and Chair of the Organising Committee, Dr. Phyllis Fleming Banks, as well as the Honourable Premier, Mr. Victor F. Banks. Local Entrepreneur/Activist, Mrs. Janine Edwards, delivered a powerful, riveting Keynote Address which set the tone for the rest of the Conference.
The Conference continued on Thursday and Friday with the presentation of papers on topics which included Caribbean Identity, Culture and Development, Education, Language, Self-Determination, Brexit, the Environment, Media and Communication, Deviance, Gender and Youth in the context of national development. Large audiences, consisting of youth, government and community leaders and representatives, attended the six panel sessions and were provided with the opportunity to pose questions and/or comments.
Regional and international presenters included Professor Don E. Walicek from the University of Puerto Rico, Dr. Antonio Carmona Baez, President University of St. Martin, Mr. Jeremy Collymore from the Office of the UWI Vice Chancellor in Barbados, Mr. Bobby Andrews from Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Linda Smith from the University of the Virgin Islands, and Professor Balfour Spence from Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada.
Local researchers, Professor Delroy Louden, Mrs. Hyacinth Augustine Bradley, Mr. Timothy Hodge, Mr. Carlton Pickering, Ms. Rosanna Browne, Mr. Colwayne Pickering, Ms. Gina Brooks, Ms. Dorla Hodge, Mr. Andre Samuel, Ms. Kebrina Bailey, Ms. Susan V Hodge, Mrs. Angelina Carty, Mr. Clive “Frankie” Smith and Mrs. Collette Jones-Chin, presented nine of the papers.
One the highlights of the Conference was the Panel Discussion entitled “Whither Anguilla in the Brexit Era?” on Friday, October 25th. Chaired by Radio Anguilla’s Keith Stone Greaves, the panelists included His Excellency, The Governor, Tim Foy, the Honourable Premier, Mr. Victor F. Banks, and the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmavon Webster.
The Conference ended on Friday afternoon with a Panel entitled, “Youth Responses to Circumstances”, which included presentations by Mr. Bobby Andrews on “Combatting Trends in Youth Deviance at the Source: Missing Attachments from Responsible Adults – New Look at the Renaissance of Spirituality”; a “Situational Analysis of Gang and Gun Violence in Anguilla” by Mrs. Hyacinth Augustine Bradley, and a Case Study by Boys Brigade Leaders Mr. C. Andre Samuel, Ms. Dorla Hodge and Ms. Gina Brooks, entitled “Young Black Males: On the Verge of Extinction: Fact of Fiction?”
This was followed by the comprehensive summary of the presentations during the closing ceremony by rapporteurs, Ms. Farrah Banks and Ms. Felicia Hennis. Speaking during that ceremony, Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks said that the Committee was extremely pleased by the national response to the Conference. “There was collaboration and support and from all levels and sectors, and for this we are very grateful because, at this critical juncture in our development, it will take our combined energies and efforts to chart the way forward for Anguilla,” she said. The Committee also plans to have the papers published and to use them as catalysts to continue the discussions on national development in a series of Community Engagement sessions.
The Country Conference is an initiative of the UWI Open Campus – and the conference series and subsequent publications are designed to stimulate and highlight research on the host country. Anguilla last held a Country Conference in 2017 as part of the activities marking the 50th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution – and the UWI Open Campus Anguilla hosted the 2019 Conference in collaboration with a number of local organisations including the Anguilla Community College, the Anguilla Library Service, the Department of Youth and Culture, the Ministry of Finance, the Anguilla National Youth Council, The Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Anguilla Tourist Board and the Anguilla Social Security Board.
Feedback from the participants has indicated that the Conference was hugely successful, with the call for more discussions.
