CASC participants pay special visit to orphaned children

– at Guyana Red Cross Society Children’s Convalescent Home

The children living at the Guyana Red Cross Society Children’s Convalescent Home have received a special visit from participants of the the Caribbean Award

Sub-Regional Council (CASC) on Wednesday.

Assistant Field Officer of the President’s Youth Award, Republic of Guyana (PYARG), Shanette Dey, has said the visit allowed the CASC participants to give back to the community, since they will be exploring — and capturing on camera — local sites before departing the country.

Dey explained, “They (participants) are happy I do not think they knew what they were coming to do, because usually community service is physical work; so when they came and saw that they were going to mix and mingle with the kids, they were happy.”

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), she noted: “Since they have already completed the expedition and exhibition, the remainder of their stay will cover learning about Guyana”.

This is third time Guyana is hosting CASC. Representatives hail from the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Grenada, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. CASC 2017 has been held under the theme, “Legend of the Eleven Giants.”

Sanje Christie, representative of Nassau, Bahamas, has said he enjoyed exploring the country’s forests and discovering the fauna, but he felt there was insufficient time to view everything.

“My experience in the expedition was really amazing… I saw some of the eleven giants, which was really amazing, because they were mind blowing; and now returning to help with the little children has been great, especially since they are all cute and welcoming,” Christie explained.

Ochron Smith, also from Nassau, Bahamas, remarked that the scenes “were very different from what we have in the Bahamas, especially the animals. And it was nice to see the waterfall, even how big the forest is.”

Kimberly Carlos, representative of the Cayman Islands, shared that she was able to conquer her fears once she saw how beautiful the country’s forest is, especially the animals — and particularly when crossing a river, when teamwork was instrumental. She noted that helping out at the convalescent home is a great way to get youths involved.

“I think it is great to get youths involved right now, because this is what we need out of the youths… However, I enjoyed being able to see the rainforest, animals, and even the waterfall; I think it is the best way to explore Guyana, and I hope to come back,” Carlos noted.

Sarah Brooks, Guyana’s representative, said while she enjoyed exploring the country’s forest, “it was a lot of walking…and it was challenging; but we got to push ourselves to the limit to see it to the finish.”

She noted that volunteering at the home is normal for her, and she hopes that it will become the same for others.

The aim of CASC is to foster cultural integration and build the capacity of Award youths in the Americas.

The main focus will be on the eighty-plus (80+) silver and gold youth participants, unit leaders and volunteers who will be exposed to, inter alia, certified First-Aid training, swimming and watermanship, a study of Guyana and its expedition routes, the Award in Action residential project, a qualifying expedition and cultural exchanges.

This expedition is a collaborative effort between the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport of the Ministry of Education, CASC, and the President’s Youth Award, Republic of Guyana (PYARG), M.S.