The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment has announced the winners of its Anti-Violence Essay Competition, during a virtual online programme.
Sarah Bisram, a student of Harrison College, placed first, while her classmates Jaideen Hewitt and Woletta Israel-Yaicob placed second and third, respectively.
Other awardees of the competition were Shaneal Bates, Joshua Agard, Jia Mirchandani-Vaswani, Natanya Weeks, Elle Tang How, Gabriel Babb and Jalysa Batson.
Acting Manager of the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme, Ryan Moseley, reminded the group that “all participants were winners’” as they had taken the time to pen their essays and committed to entering the competition.
Chief Judge, Desiree Battershield, during the announcement of the winners, gave participants feedback on their essays, which included sharing the tenets of an excellent essay, and the importance of brainstorming.
Coordinators of the competition praised the participants for their hard work, and shared their views on the impact of media and violence on young people.
The Anti-Violence Essay Competition invited persons aged 13 to 15 to write an essay between 350 and 400 words on the topic: “The Impact of Media Violence on Youth”. The competition was part of the Ministry’s wider anti-violence campaign, which focuses on behavioural change in the thoughts and actions of Barbadians, using various media and partnerships.
Given the COVID-19 protocols, a staggered presentation ceremony is planned for the awardees at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment’s Sky Mall headquarters.