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The Ellerton Youth and Cultural Club was officially launched at the Ellerton Wesleyan Holiness Church, St. George on Sunday, June 12, 2022.
During the morning inspirational service, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, lauded the establishment of the youth organisation, stating that “strong community groups, equate to strong communities, [which] equate to our young people being greater, better, wiser.”
He noted that strong community groups nurture the development of young people because there is “a need to embrace all that is good among our young people”.
Minister Griffith assured the members of the newly formed youth club that his ministry would continue to provide support and encouraged them to build their club and grow from strength to strength.
Also speaking during the service was Member of Parliament for St. George South and President of the Ellerton Sports and Social Academy, Dwight Sutherland.
He informed the congregation that the Ellerton Sports and Social Academy was totally supportive of the formation of the youth club, as their goal was to foster a stronger community within the Ellerton and surrounding communities.
As the parent organisation, he noted that they continually strived “to build the cohesiveness that will assist families and nurture young people, strengthen the social and community relations.”
In delivering the sermon, Rev. Hal Collins emphasized the importance of ambition and highlighted its complementing traits of commitment, hard work, sacrifice and consistency, throughout his message to the youth club members, their families and the church.
The high-energy message proposed that all achievements were possible, once there was ambition and personal positive growth of the individual, throughout their life journey. Several examples of athletes and sports personalities were used to graphically capture the attention of the young people.
Members of the youth club presented a cultural performance to end the church service. The club was formed in October 2021, following a 2020 cultural training programme facilitated by Youth Commissioner, Alicia Catwell, of the Youth Development Programme, Division of Youth Affairs.
The Ellerton Youth and Cultural Club’s Coordinator is 25-year-old Shavor Brathwaite.