Over 200 Barbadian teenagers who participated in the Information Technology Summer Teens Programme (ITS for Teens) have been advised to build on the skills they acquired during the course of the programme.
The advice came from Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steven Blackett, while speaking recently at the closing ceremony which was held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
???For four days per week and four hours per day of structured tuition and activity you worked with each other not only to satisfy your individual thirst for knowledge and skills, but to excel in your group projects???use your skills to partner with others with complementary skills to enhance your development and the development of ideas and projects that would have been stimulated during these past six weeks,??? he counselled.
The Minister reminded his audience that information and communication technology is the engine of today???s technological advancements.
???Our youth are exposed to it in one way or another from birth???yet there are those who do not have the resources to interact significantly with this technology. This programme seeks to address these needs [but] is limited by the number of resource centres and available funds to finance the programme.”??
The Minister praised the 21 tutors who worked with the teens for consistently giving their time, going beyond the call of duty and navigating the challenges associated with the training provided to students.
He also thanked those who partnered with the Community Development Department in his Ministry to make the event a success. Making special mention of LIME (Barbados) Telecommunications Limited, Fund Access, the judges for the projects, and parents, he encouraged others to lend their support.
The ITS for Teens programme was first held in July 2009 for persons aged 14 to 18. Its objectives are to expose teenagers to the benefits of information technology, enhance their information technology skills and facilitate creativity, innovation and networking.
kim.ramsay-moore@barbados.gov.bb