Guyanese Fishing Group Wins Commonwealth Youth Gold Award 2005

Members of the Challenger Fishing Group of Aruka River in Guyana

The Challenger Fishing Group of Aruka River in the North-West District, Guyana, has won the top prize in the Commonwealth Youth Gold Award 2005 for the Caribbean region. The award was in recognition of its contribution to community development. The group also won the Silver Award, which enabled it to compete for the Gold Award.

The fishing group was established in 2000 by ten young Amerindians indigenous to the Aruka River region to create employment opportunities for their peers by promoting fishing as a source of livelihood. The group started with six paddle boats carrying two persons each before progressing towards the use of motorised boats, which enabled them to extend their fishing grounds from the mouth of the Aruka River to the Atlantic Ocean.

"Winning this Gold Award could not have been timelier, since we are in the final stages of building a new boat which will need an engine. This will help us to achieve our objective of providing the community markets with fresh and salted fish," said Uborn Allicock, chairman of the Challenger Fishing Group.

"The achievements of the Challenger Fishing Group have now attracted the interest of the young people in the community to start up youth groups," said Michael Castello, Youth Officer at Guyana's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Each year the Commonwealth Youth Programme hands out up to five Commonwealth Youth Silver Awards in each of the regions -- Africa, Asia, South Pacific and the Caribbean. The Silver Award winners are then nominated for the Commonwealth Youth Gold Award for the best in the respective regions. The judging took place in London, UK, in June 2005 involving High Commissioners and leading Commonwealth civil society organisations.

Two other Silver Award prize winners were the Paix-Bauche Dance Theatre of Dominica and the St Kitts National Youth Parliament Association. The Paix-Bauche Dance Theatre was set up in 2000 to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of Dominica through the training of dancers and musicians on traditional performances.

The St Kitts National Youth Parliament Association, set up in 2002, encourages open and frank discussions on national issues and youth involvement in politics. It also promotes awareness of HIV/AIDS and its socio-economic impact on St Kitts and Nevis.

 

CNIS - Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 248, 17 August 2005

Key Links:

• Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP)