Barbados Network Consultation 4th Diaspora Conference 2016. (BNC)
When the Barbados Network Consultation (BNC), 4th Diaspora Conference is hosted here from July 31 to August 5, attendees will have much to look forward to.
Under the theme: One Nation, One Family – Celebrating 50 Years of Independence – Shaping Global Citizens, most events will be held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC), Two Mile Hill, St. Michael .
The conference begins with divine worship on Sunday, July 31, at the Cathedral Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Bridgetown from 9:00 a.m.
Following Grand Kadooment on Monday, August 1, the BNC will convene on Tuesday, August 2, at the LESC with the registration of participants from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Later that evening, there will be a cultural Heritage Bus Tour departing the LESC at 2:00 p.m. and returning at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 3, will be the official opening of the BNC at the LESC from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., after which officials and media representatives will undertake a tour of exhibits comprising several local goods and services accessible to Barbadians at home and abroad.
From 10:30 a.m. until noon, The Barbados We Know, Love and Cherish, a special multimedia feature and interactive session with conference attendees, will be held at that same venue.
A Youth Interactive Forum which runs from noon until 5:00 p.m. will also form part of the day’s activity giving young people the opportunity to explore the topic: Harnessing Innovation through STEM and the Arts.
Among the other activities scheduled for Wednesday will be the screening of local films entitled: Lights Camera Action! from 3:00 to 7:30 p.m. and the opening of the BNC Bajan Rum Café from 5:00 p.m.
On Thursday, August 4, the spotlight at the LESC will fall on the positive impact of philanthropy and related organisations. This will be highlighted through a discussion entitled: Fostering Philanthropy – Matching Local Needs with Diaspora Capacity. The event which runs from 9:00 until 11:00 a.m. will also examine the role of the non-governmental sector in nation building.
Another Youth Interactive Forum on Harnessing Innovation through STEM and the Arts will be held on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. This will be followed by Lights Camera Action! – The Business of Film, from 10:00 a.m. till noon.
That same day at 1:15 p.m., the role which overseas Barbadians can play in our culture will fall under the microscope when the BNC hosts Promoting Barbados’ Cultural Heritage to the World.
This event will include entertainment and a panel discussion on Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, Carifesta, the Cultural Industries Development Authority and the Preservation Trust.
Another panel discussion Investing in Barbados – Creating A Venture Capital Fund will also be held that day, starting at 3:00 p.m. Activities on Thursday will end with the Prime Minister’s Crop Over Gala at Ilaro Court from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
The final day of the conference will be marked by a Genealogy Marketplace at the LESC from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. and a Genealogy Extravaganza from 11:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at The Archives Department at Black Rock, St. Michael.
The Youth Interactive Forum on Harnessing Innovation through STEM and the Arts will continue from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the LESC. Additionally, there will be a town hall meeting on The United States Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) at the LESC beginning at 1:00 p.m.
The BNC 4th Diaspora Conference culminates with a closing ceremony at 4:30 p.m. at the LESC and a Bajan Night to be hosted from 6:00 p.m. by The Tampa Bay of Florida – a Barbadian diaspora organisation – at Divi Southwinds Resort, Christ Church.
To register for the conference or for further information, persons may visit here. Queries may also be forwarded to bnc2016@foreign.gov.bb.
joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb