The St. Lucia Youth Business Trust (SLYBT) on its continued drive to develop youth entrepreneurship, granted two aspiring young entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their talent at the 5th Annual Caribbean Youth Entrepreneurship Conference held in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, from September 12th to 15th 2012. The St. Vincent & the Grenadines Youth Business Trust, in collaboration with the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Youth Entrepreneurship hosted a successful conference under the theme: “Youth Entrepreneurship – The Catalyst for a Sustainable Caribbean Economic take-off – Justice, Equity, Independence.” A highlight of the Conference was an exhibition by Young Entrepreneurs from Youth Business Trusts around the Caribbean to showcase their creative and innovative talents. Ms. Teige La Borde and Mr. Jelani Paul as ambassadors for SLYBT actively participated and executed the display of their services seamlessly and professionally with paintings from Mr. Ted Sandiford. Ms. La Borde was among a panel of young entrepreneurs discussing “Youth in Business; Challenges, Successes, Sustainability”.
In her address, Dr. Marcia Brandon, Director of the Caribbean Group of Youth Business Trust (CGYBT) stated that, “these are exciting times for Young Entrepreneurs in the Region and all stakeholders need to aid in the advancement of entrepreneurship; propelling and accelerating this sector which is essential for economic development of countries; entrepreneurship should be a priority when addressing unemployment and used as an avenue for youth development.”
Other guest speakers emphasised the importance of agriculture and entrepreneurship as being an essential component in the expansion of a strategic economic plan.
The conference concluded with an exquisite Awards Dinner. St. Lucia walked away with two of the most prestigious awards. The “Most Entrepreneurial” and “Best Young Entrepreneur” awards were bestowed on Ms. Teige Laborde. Other awards went to Dominica for “Best Quality”, Barbados for “Creative/Imagination”, Grenada for “Most Informative” and St. Vincent for “Best Vincentian Entrepreneur”.
The Board of Trustees and Executive Council of the St. Lucia Youth Business Trust wishes to congratulate Ms. Teige La Borde and Mr. Jelani Paul for their outstanding representation of the Trust and their achievements at the Caribbean Youth Conference.
Please visit www.slybt.org for further information, contact us at telephone number 452-3165 or email info@slybt.org, slybtslu@gmail.com.
