Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo??(FP)??
Entrepreneurship is crucial to the island’s economic growth and development. This assessment was given by Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo.
According to her, cultivating emerging entrepreneurial talent, particularly among Barbadian youth, was important to sustaining the global competitive advantage.
Dr. Byer Suckoo made the comments on Saturday, while addressing the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme’s (YES) "Evening of Entrepreneurs: Bajan Talent Exposed", at Gun Hill Signal Station, St. George.
Five young Barbadians, who are contributing to the cultural industries, namely, Kenneth Griffith of Books R Tremendous; Dave Squires of D.A.P.S Entertainment; Melanie Springer of Brownest Eye Productions; Kellie Cadogan of East Point Productions Inc.; and Adrian Green, an award winning poet and performer; were showcased during the evening.
The Minister pointed out that recent reports suggested that the cultural industries were growing and employment could be found in those areas. "The consensus seems to be that cultural entrepreneurs are the future of innovative, economic and community development, and [they] offer promising paths toward prosperity and cultural diversity," she stated.
Dr. Byer Suckoo told the audience that in times of crisis, persons were urged to be creative and think outside the box. Underscoring the need for creativity, she said it was one of the most in-demand skills required for the jobs of tomorrow. "Sadly, we don’t get creativity training in school.?? It is expected that you either have it, or you don’t. But, take a moment to look at the value of tapping into one’s creativity.
"Creativity is one of the biggest keys to living an extraordinary life. It is essentially the ability to think about things in a new way – to take available resources and find new ways to use them. It can be used in a variety of artistic ways to create profound new experiences …," she suggested.
Dr. Byer Suckoo opined that there were few limitations in life, stressing that persons had enormous freedom and potential to use their skills, time, resources and creativity to accomplish amazing things. "I believe everyone has enormous creative potential, we just have to learn how to unleash it," she contended.
But, she expressed the view that cultural entrepreneurs and professional artistes should be given the necessary management tools and other skills through education and training.
The Minister commended YES for taking the initiative and leading the way in developing entrepreneurs in the alternative and non-traditional spheres of activity.