ST. KITTS NATIONAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MCKNIGHT COMMUNITY CENTER SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23 RD 2008 Present: Mr. DeHaan Henry Ms. Jacqueline Bryan Ms. Shauntel Liburd Ms. Cindy DeSuza Mr. Azard Gumbs Ms. Azilla Clarke Ms. Candisie Franklin Mr. Ervin Welsh Ms. Jihan Williams Ms. Melissa Bryant President Vice President General Secretary Treasurer Late Late The Meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. Apologies: Apologies were submitted for the following: Mr. Azard Gumbs - would be late as he had a previous engagement Ms. Jihan Williams - would be late as she had a previous engagement Prayer: The opening prayer was done by Ms. Candisie Franklin OPEN SESSION: Opening Remarks: The President extended greetings and salutations to all in attendance and encouraged all to place phones on vibrate so as to not disturb the meeting. As this was the 6 th Annual General Meeting of the Association he wanted to get the matters for the done executed expeditiously so as to get the Association moving forward. Reading, Correction and Adoption of the Minutes: The Minutes for the last Annual General Meeting held on the 30 th of September 2006 was read for the members present by the General Secretary. No amendments were moved as such the motion for adoption was moved by Shauntel Liburd and seconded by Candisie Franklin. Matters Arising from the Minutes: No matters were considered. Correspondence: No correspondences were received. - 1 -
Featured Speaker: AGM Committee Chairperson introduced the featured speaker for the day. The featured speaker is Rev. Denise Lewis of the Moravian Church. She is the wife to Rev. Algernon Lewis of the Moravian Church in Basseterre. She will deliver a message on the topic S.K.N.Y.P.A. s contribution to Equality and Justice in Nation Building. Rev. Lewis began by expressing her honour and privilege to share with the members this afternoon. Presentation notations include the following: Equality a state of being equal Having opportunities or equal access without discrimination irrespective of race, colour, creed or class The most valued resource of any nation in her opinion is the youth Everyone is entitled to inalienable rights such as justice and equality As young people, we are the nation s future but we must have an understanding of our role Daniel chapter 1, makes mention of Daniel and his friends who were captured by the Babylon system in an effort to trying to indoctrinate them into the Babylon lifestyle such as eating, dressing and changing their names. Daniel would not defile himself with the King s meat. His decision altered his destiny for all time As youths, sometimes we are marginalized and pushed aside but we must make the decision to be heard as this is our nation as well We (the youths) have a lot of skills to offer and we have as much rights as others to make that contribution make that decision Many issues exist that require the contribution of the youths: o Electoral Reform: what is our position, what is our voice, we need to become involved so that others can hear from us. Analyze the facts and make an informed decision. Rise up and say this is my nation and as such has the right to comment on these issues The destiny of our nation is in our hands so we have to make a decision for ourselves to play a pivotal role you would have to play in nation building Become active in sharing issues The issues of equality and justice are numerous The laws of our land are challenging Be willing to engage and learn The destiny of this nation is in our hands Recognise how valuable we all are to nation building Become active in the sharing of our vision and issues in order to get others to participate Challenges: 1. Make a decision for the destiny of our nation that will affirm what our values ant significant worth in the process of nation building To say that you have a part to play Speak up but remain un-bias and must appear concerned not partisan but concerned - 2 -
Get involved in the decision making process 2. Become active in pursuing opportunities to share the vision of the Association a. Engage the youths b. Pay attention to the least youth c. Find the cause and solutions for the issues that are affecting the society eg. Crime, drugs d. Analyze the problems so that we can find solutions e. Become active in peer counselling for the development of the nation 3. Record your progress: a. This will help others to understand and recognise where they are b. Pay attention to youths progress and regression and make a database c. Organize a newsletter to bring forward the issues d. Seek sponsorship and scholarship from like minded persons or groups e. 4. Engage all in an effort to be creative a. Sensitize the public on what is happening b. Engage everyone in the process, do not be selective The floor was then opened up for questions: 1. Azilla Clarke The group has very strong personalities and a strong mandate but sometimes the message goes over wrong. As such, how do we balance getting the message across and the fickleness of humans? a. The truth hurts but it has to guide us b. Sometimes there is no easy way to share the truth but to open the dialogue and encourage others to share their truth c. Let it be known that you only desire the good of all (that is the virtue) d. Do not be partisan e. Open the dialogue so that others can feel included. 2. Jacqueline Bryant - A majority of the members are female, is there anything in particular that we need to do in order to specifically to cater to males to encourage them to join and sustain? a. Do not leave them out b. Encourage them to participate c. Raise issues that are of particular interest to them as well as general ones that includes both genders d. Find ways to work in partnership 3. Jacqueline Bryant How important is it for a group such as ours to reach out to young people and collaborate? a. Very crucial b. There is a lot of duplication of efforts that could be simply avoided if there were greater collaboration - 3 -
c. Together we use less resources and have a greater impact than if one were to work individually 4. Jacqueline Bryant what is the role of an organization such as ours in getting the message out for youths to register to vote and be aware of the issues a. This group should already be doing that b. It should be noted that if young people do not vote then you cannot play a role in decision making c. By voting, we let our leaders know that they are accountable for their actions to us d. You may be branded for these efforts but keep moving forward in a sustained way e. Help persons to recognize that this is necessary 5. Jihan Williams Much have always been said about letting truth be our guide but how do we balance the reality of truth with the preferred practice of what is convenient? a. Everyone plays lip service to the sentiment that we want you to be involved but they want to dictate your involvement, that is it must fall in line with what has always been done b. Many adults are threatened by the prospect of change and newness that young persons bring so our first task is to affirm the good points of the past while introducing our points c. There is a difference between confrontation and care-frontation (new word) In conclusion, we should be willing to march to hell for a heavenly cause The President of the Association expressed word of thanks to Rev Lewis for her stirring words and encouraged the membership to bear in mind that we have to engage all in our efforts to get our message across in our goal to have equality and justice in nation building. The meeting then moved into a twenty (20) minute break where light refreshments were served. CLOSED SESSION The chairperson of the AGM Committee assumed the role of Chairperson for the closed session of the meeting. The motion for resumption of the meeting was moved by Cindy DeSuza and seconded by Azard Gumbs. The meeting resumed at 5:05 pm Annual Report by Out-Going President: Mr. DeHaan Henry, out-going president of the Association submitted to the Secretariat a copy of his official report that was presented for the period September 30 th 2006 through to February 23 rd 2008. The report included the following: The two identified projects for implementation were an adopt a space environmental project and an educational mentoring project. None of these projects materialized The Association experienced a period of dormancy that lasted for approximately one year As a result of the period of dormancy, no Annual General Meeting was held for 2007 thus making this Executive the longest serving in the history of the Association During the time of dormancy, no meetings were held and no dues were collected - 4 -
In October of 2007, after a few months of e-mails from Ms. Azilla Clarke, effort to get SKNYPA active once again commenced. A series of meetings were scheduled leading up to the AGM today that will look at the ills that we the members saw were hindering the reactivation of the association. An Executive Order was passed in January 2008 in order to remove some of the hindrances that were facing the Association. Such challenges included the following o Membership: relocation of members overseas depleted man power. A membership confirmation process was initiated so as to assess the true state of our membership so that we could continue to move forward and rebuild the Association o Finances: no major fundraisers were undertaken by the organization during the period. The main and sole source or revenue came from the collection of dues. More details would be given by Madam Treasurer Even through the dormancy, the Association s relationship with stakeholders did not suffer. For example the Departments of Youth and Gender Affairs. In closing, the out-going President admonished the Association to learn and grow from mistakes made in the past. He thanked the members of his Executive for their patience and expressed thanks to the membership for the opportunity to serve. To those who will be elected he bid them good luck. Annual Report from Out-Going Treasurer: Ms. Cindy DeSuza, out-going Treasurer of the Association presented the Treasurer s report on the financial affairs of the Association up to 31 st August 2008. Income: Subscription at $220 $220 Expenditure: Post Office Box $110 Fees for Box $20 Re-Design of logo $300 Printing of shirts $425 Flag Pins $150 Printing Cost $356.25 Folders and Dividers $180.35 Folder design and printing $430.00 Refreshments $375 Table Cloths $17.85 $2,364.45 Balance for the year (2,144.45) Balance on the Account for the year $9,080.32 Confirmation Ceremony: According to the Secretariat, the list of members to be confirmed included the following: DeHaan Henry Jacqueline Bryant - 5 -
Shauntel Liburd Cindy DeSuza Azilla Clarke Candisie Franklin Azard Gumbs Melissa Bryant Jihan Williams Kennedy Pemberton Jo-Ann Matthew Walt Fraser The confirmation process involved each member signing the membership roll, signing the Declaration of Secrecy Form, the out-going President will present a new and improved membership folder while the Clerk of the National Assembly pins each member with a St. Kitts and Nevis label flag pin. A picture was the taken for prosperity. Election of the Executive: The meeting was then turned over to the Chairperson of the Electoral Council, Mr. Jose Lloyd. He began with a few words of admonishment for the Association prior to the commencement of the formal vote. He stated the following: Wished us well in our programs and planning in the ensuing year He reminded us of the quote I hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equally He This day is the association s election day and that he trusts that the results will be pleasing to all Accept differences and still work together as a unit Employ new strategies as you endeavour to achieve gender balance President: Members are asked to use the same color ink, mainly black. As a result of the warning, one ballot was spoiled for use of another color ink. Azilla Clarke 8 Elected! Jacqueline Byran 2 Cindy DeSuza Spoilt Ballot 1 Vice President: Ms Clarke s name was removed from the ballot as she was elected as President for the Association. Jacqueline Byran 9 Elected! Azard Gumbs 1 Azilla Clarke General Secretary: Shauntel Liburd 7 Elected! Melissa Bryant 3 Treasurer: Cindy DeSuza 10 Elected! DeHaan Henry 0-6 -
Public Relations Officers: Ms. Du Pont was absent at the time of nomination and election. As the Association did not get any notification that she accepted the nomination her name was removed from the ballot. Azard Gumbs 3 Candisie Franklin 7 Elected! DeHaan Henry 6 Elected! Melissa Bryant 4 The Interim Executive of the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association for the period February 24 th through to the date set for the 7 th Annual General Meeting. Owing to the short term of the elected members, it is understood that holding this position does not affect the term limits as outlined in the constitution. Any Other Business: Membership: A decision was taken to not accept the incomplete confirmation application from Judy Dupont. For the three members overseas, it was decided that the Secretariat will get in contact with the members, namely Gavin Belle, Michelina Mills and Shermaine Pemberton to inquire of the deadline for submission of their complete application. Expectation Exercise: The AGM Committee Chair engaged the membership in an exercise designed to have them identify their expectations for the Association over the coming years. This exercise was done in private. The results are as attached. S.W.O.T. Analysis: The final details to be discussed were the S.W.O.T. Analysis. The S.W.O.T. Analysis was conducted in the open as a group discussion. The details of which are attached. Adjournment: On the adjournment, the following notifications were given: Jihan Williams that she would be absent from the 06 th through to the 15 th of March; Azard Gumbs who would be absent from the 11-18 th of March Melissa Bryant informed the Association that this would be her final AGM as she was leaving the Federation in August to pursue her college degree in England. The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm - 7 -