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Image: www.foreign.gov.bb/barbadosnetwork

Non-stop activity has been planned for the Barbados Network Consultation (BNC) 2012 which is being held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC) from August 7 to 10.

And both Barbadians at home and visiting from abroad, are encouraged to attend this island’s 2nd Diaspora Conference.

Starting with a Multi-Denominational Church Service on Sunday, August 5, at 10:00 a.m. in the Hibiscus Room of the LESC, patrons will lay a spiritual foundation for the BNC 2012. It will feature representatives of the clergy, as well as Barbadians from home and the Diaspora performing musical renditions and mime.

The conference, which officially runs from Tuesday, August 7, to Friday, August 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, will feature an exhibition of products and services from Barbados and the Diaspora. There will also be Speed Networking Sessions once a day to help entrepreneurs and business persons forge new partnerships and meet new clients.

The exhibition will also feature an Innovation Room where patrons can view cutting-edge technological services created by Barbadians. Admission to the exhibition is free while a nominal fee will be charged for the Speed Networking Sessions.

On Tuesday, August 7, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the much anticipated Ancestry Research Workshop will take place. Persons participating will be introduced to genealogical research, thereby equipping them with basic knowledge on how to trace their family history.

At 2:30 p.m. in the Flamboyant Room of the LESC, the Diaspora Collaborative, a New York-based Barbadian organisation, will present plans for the establishment of a Hospice in Barbados. Minister of Health, Donville Inniss will deliver the feature address at that event.

On Wednesday, August 8, at 9:00 a.m. in the Frangipani Room of the LESC, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart will deliver the feature address at the Opening Ceremony of the BNC 2012 – 2nd Diaspora Conference.

The Creative Economy Showcase, which will feature the best in Barbadian performing arts, will commence at 11:00 a.m. in the Frangipani Room.

At 2:30 p.m. that day, the Young Barbadian Professional Society from New York will host a Career Forum for persons between the ages of 15 and 25 in the Flamboyant Room. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean and Minister of Education and Human Resource Management, Ronald Jones, will give remarks.

Barbadian cuisine will take centre stage during the BNC 2012 when the Bajan Cultural Immersion – Cooking the Bajan Way comes off on Thursday, August 9, at 11:30 a.m. in the Tiffany Room.

This interactive television-style cooking show will feature Chef Peter Edey highlighting how to prepare authentic Bajan meals in 40 minutes or less. Space is limited and a minimum fee will be charged.

Hit for Six, a Barbadian feature length film, will be shown at 2:30 p.m. in the Flamboyant Room, while Road Tennis demonstrations will take place throughout the day.

On the final day, Friday, August 10, a Resettlement Workshop will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Frangipani Room. Designed to provide advice and assistance to persons living in the Diaspora who are considering returning home, the workshop will feature representatives from the Immigration Department, Customs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the legal fraternity.

At 11:45 a.m., a Town Hall meeting and the Closing Session of the BNC 2012 will be held in the Frangipani Room. Members of the diaspora are invited to discuss resettlement, investment or any issues of concern to them. This session will be chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean.

The BNC 2012 Awards Ceremony and Reception will bring the 2nd Diaspora Conference to a close. It will be held at the Villages at Coverley, Christ Church and will be hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean.

For more information on the BNC 2012, persons should contact David Gibbs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 431-2277 or 249-6081 or Shamkoe Pil?? at the Barbados Government Information Service at 426-2232 or 427-4853.

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb

Author: Shamkoe Pil??

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