After listening to Williams relate a story from his days as a student, Carmona said the message here is, “we can all disagree but we can respect when we disagree.” The President said compared to the time when he was a young man, “we are experiencing a new type of dynamic, it is called social media.” He said while social media offers a great opportunity to share information, it is sometimes, “used in a very skewed way to denigrate and to destroy people’s self esteem.” Carmona urged the students to be, “the game changers.” He said they were the ones who would ensure conversations in social media and in day to day living are respectful and based on compassion.

Williams expressed satisfaction that Carmona was taking such an active role in ensuring this country’s young people have a greater understanding of governance. He agreed with the President about the plethora of challenges facing young people today.

“Our education system does not afford them the luxury of having all the qualities they need to navigate this very complex world.” He said there must be organisations that can assist young people to access the opportunities they need and provide them with the necessary skills to progress in this “very challenging world.”

Addressing the San Fernando City Corporation’s monthly statutory meeting at City Hall yesterday, Regrello said the plan would enable motorists to reach their destinations in a shorter time.

One of the changes involved the changing of the direction of Short Street as vehicles entering San Fernando from Pointea- Pierre Road and Vistabella would now enter High Street using that roadway.

He said people who were conducting business along Harris Promenade at the bank or any of the churches or court or the hospital, could enter High Street and turn left at Republic Bank corner on the Promenade as opposed to going around Coffee Street and onto Lord Street. Regrello said the Council had also recommended the removal of vendors to a designated area at Library Corner “where there is no traffic and where they will not interfere with the free flow of traffic.”

housing.gov.tt with a number of new features to make it more interactive and faster and easier to use.

Welcoming users to the website yesterday, Housing and Urban Development Minister Randall Mitchell said “it is our intention to use this platform as a medium to provide you with as much information as possible on the policies, programmes and initiatives of the Ministry and its agencies and how they benefit you, our citizens.” It is “one of the many communication tools that the ministry will be rolling out in its quest to clarify the services and processes related to housing and urban development.” Meanwhile, the ministry in a release said the new website “offers a modern, uncluttered and minimalist design which will allow for repeat visits, increased traffic and provide a greater opportunity to inform, educate and interact with our users.” Developed with the latest technology, the website is compatible with various browsers and mobile devices.

In the new website, the release said, the ministry has incorporated “some very new and exciting features, such as the introduction of tags to help users navigate the website much more effectively and linking them to stories, articles, videos that they may want to view.” Through the “Resource” tab, website users can access forms for Government-subsidised housing, home improvement subsidies, home improvement grants and tax exemption.

Efforts to demystify the home and land ownership process in the public and private sectors have also been given priority through the introduction of a tab which provides information and tips on these processes.

Topics such as “Owning your First Home” and “Steps in Purchasing a Home in the Private Market” are also featured.

There is also a “Media Centre” which contains videos, and speeches that have been delivered by the line minister, images of events and initiatives, media releases and other publications.

The archives, “Memory Lane” highlights key policies, programmes and initiatives that were implemented since the inception of the ministry and a list of the ministers who have had responsibility for the housing portfolio.

This website, along with the ministry’s social media platforms, the release said, will be used with traditional media as the ministry enhances its communication and dialogue with its stakeholders.

The activities will be hosted by the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) which marks its 25th anniversary this year.

The Emancipation Village is named after a brother of the Emancipation efforts. A former schoolmate and close friend of ESC chairman Khafra Kambon, Omowale was also integral in having the Columbus Day holiday replaced by Emancipation Day. The village is named after his efforts, a memoriam to his contribution to the African identity in Trinidad and Tobago.

Tomorrow, the Astor Johnson Dance Company will perform and also Terri Lyons, Freetown Collective, Bevon St Clair, Nihilet Blackman and San Juan Government Secondary. Two concerts are scheduled for Saturday.

Rhythms and Voices of Africa will begin at 2pm and feature African drumology, songs retained from Africa, folk songs, calypso, dance and steelpan. At 8pm, the Youth Concert will take place.

Among the artistes to perform then are Kushite, Butcha, Jah Melody, King David, Carter, Zion Starr, Jahz Blaze, Orlando Octave, Gardah Knight, Kreemmyy and Woleta Eyesuys.

Sunday will see be a full day of activities starting with a Food Fair and Family Day from 10am.

Those looking for a different type of Sunday lunch can visit and sample continental African dishes prepared by African nationals and local cooks. Youth Steel Explosion takes place from 2pm and will be followed by Jazz at Sunset at 6pm. Hosting the sundown session will be Moresha Ransome. Musicians featured are The Moore Family, Akinola Sennon and Cousoumeh.

On the eve of the August 1 holiday, Youth Day at the village will entail creative and learning workshops for the young participants.

Stilt walking, African dance, theatre and drama, storytelling, rapso, art and craft, drumming and instrument making are some of the workshops available.

During the day, but away from the village, a business symposium discussing means to enhance the transatlantic trade between Trinidad and Africa will take place at Hilton Trinidad. The day will culminate with a powerful concert featuring Awa Sangho of Mali. The concert, dedicated to former Calypso Monarch Singing Sandra, will also have a cast of local artistes.

On August 1, Emancipation Day, a drum call and performance of Freedom Morning Come begins the celebration from 4am at Treasury Building, Port of Spain. Kabule, the beloved procession celebrating African ancestry, begins at 7am, moving off from the Brian Lara Promenade and ending at the village. From noon to 8pm, there will be cultural presentations.

For more info: check ESC’s Facebook page or its website.

I recently joined a new NGO organization that focuses on addressing and findingsolutions to social issues. There are many issues that we need to tackle, but I need my teamto become more innovative, especially given our limited funds. The greatest challenge isgetting my female team members to become more innovative. Any advice?

~ Innovator

DEAR INNOVATOR,

Innovation is traditionally associated with science and technology, research and development, but increasingly leaders are being asked – scratch that, they are being TOLD, to create cultures of innovation within their organisations in order to remain appealing, relevant and competitive. In 2010, The Arthur Lok Jack GSB Distinguished Leadership Conference featured Vijay Govindarajan, a leading expert on strategy and innovation. Since then, there have been numerous workshops and seminars on the topic of innovation and creating change.

Innovation continues to be on everyone’s lips, but how does it impact women? According to the International Centre for Research on Women, innovation can empower women on a range of levels – individual, household, social, economic and political. From the Pill to micro-financing, innovation has transformed thousands of women’s lives. It provides a pathway for achieving gender equality, particularly in the developing world, as it secures freedoms and resources for women to make decisions, build confidence and act in their own interests.

In Trinidad and Tobago, opportunities for innovations that positively impact the lives of women, and thereby enhance national development and competitiveness, are abundant. They include quality child care facilities, safe transportation for school-aged children and improved access to water, electricity, financing and information technology. These innovations not only increase employment opportunities, savings, health and social justice, but also shift women’s attitudes to what is possible for themselves and their families.

However, the cultivation of an innovative approach to women’s empowerment can only be successful if a clear pathway connecting the two is identified. Consideration of timing, context, systems and culture must be factored in, as well as an understanding of the fact that smart investments in women support the flow of multiple benefits to households, families and children. The media, laws and regulations, social and economic networks, all have a critical role to play in channelling information to women, particularly those who are less advantaged.

A culture that encourages women to become innovators is also important for sustainable national development. There are many barriers to leading an innovative lifestyle, whether as an entrepreneur or as part of a corporate entity, but some of the most commonly cited are:

• Working on the wrong problem (i.e. not meeting a need or demand)

• Judging ideas too quickly

• A discouraging climate

• Delay between idea and implementation

In order for women to overcome these obstacles, we need to do things that we often find difficult, such as networking and believing in ourselves, and most importantly, being ok with failure as a critical step towards success. This intuitively means that one of the factors required to allow individuals to unleash their creative potential involves creating an organisational culture that values and rewards risk-taking. A great way to begin the journey of becoming more innovative is to start the conversation around the barriers and benefits of innovation. There are many resources out there that you can utilise to start this discussion with your team, and we recommend starting with these two:

When Women Boost Innovation: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=syhDil3rodE

Gender Equality as an Innovation Challenge: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=4UDw1d60KSM

Another important consideration is to ensure that our innovations reach other women, and this can be achieved by giving regard to the following:

Forming strategic partnerships, with organisations such as government agencies and NGOs, that can smash boundaries that traditionally exclude women.

• Integration of women in design and implementation.

• Cultivation of influential champions who can access resources and mobilize cooperation.

• Communication strategies that target and engage women at all levels of society.

Over the years, AFETT has recognized a number of local female innovators, including Clotil Walcott, Grace Talma and Dr Patricia Mohammed. What makes these women so worthy of acclaim is that they not only had the courage to pursue their own dreams, but they adamantly included other women on their journeys.

Reference: Innovation for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality by the International Centre for Research on Women

AFETT is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2002 with the goal of bringing together professional women and engaging in networking opportunities, professional training and business ideas. ASK AFETT is a column meant to address issues and concerns of professionals seeking advice to assist in progressing in their careers. Today’s response was written by AFETT member, Lara Quentrall-Thomas, Founder of AFETT and Chairman of Regency Recruitment & Resources Ltd. Learn more about AFETT at www.afett.com, search for AFETT Events on Facebook, follow us @ AFETTEXECS on Twitter or contact us at 354-7130. Email us your career-related questions at admin.afett@gmail.com.

This happened after yesterday’s statutory meeting of Portof- Spain City Council at City Hall, during which time the residents’ plight was raised by councillor June Durham.

Resident Kingsley Hinkson said for all his 70-plus years he lived at his Woodbrook house in which his parents had also previously lived. On Tuesday he was fined by three litter wardens for the manner in which he put his garbage out for collection.

Saying his family has put out their garbage the same way for the past 100 years they have lived there, he vowed not to pay the fine.

“I put it out at 8.30 am on the pavement in front of my property,” Hinkson said.

“All residents have it on the pavement at a specified time.

We have a regular collection of garbage so if you put it out by 10 am it is gone.” Hinkson said the wardens said it should have been in a bin or on a wall to be away from disruption by vagrants.

Martinez said he could not advise residents whether or not to pay the fines which are due by Monday, and if unpaid or contested could attract a further fine of thousands of dollars. He promised to look into the fines issued but offered no promises.

Health Inspector Mitra Sooklal said he could not rescind the penalties.

He said from now on he would allow a grace period for residents to put out their garbage for collection without penalty.

Sooklal said he will look at the tickets issued but said the litter wardens may have a different version of events to justify the tickets. Meanwhile he suggested residents place their garbage bags on their wall to await collection.

One resident related garbage trucks were refusing to collect her bush cuttings. Sooklal said she must contact the Transport and Collection Unit to arrange to collect these. “There’s no specific day for collection of tree cuttings.” Another said the litter wardens should instead patrol the club-lined Ariapita Avenue as she picks up 25 empty bottles every Saturday. Lamenting loud noise from bars (all night through to 6.30 am), from limers, slamming car doors and pounding music from passing cars, another woman asked, “How much more can we take?”.

Ramona Guichard complained of the hours she spent after Carnival trying to clean the stench of alcohol and urine from her yard Deputy Mayor Hillan Morean urged the purchase of decibel meters and for the EMA to train the City Police in noise control.

Martinez told Newsday that unlike magistrates at a liquor licensing session being able to refuse a licence if enough neighbours object, the corporation does not likewise register bars, but only gives approval for construction activity or change of use of premises.

After waiting for almost four hours, my number was finally called. The attending clerk perused my application and duly informed me that I needed to get further documentation to support my claim. I pointed our that I had all the required documents but I was told to get the documents as directed.

I returned the following morning to wait another two hours but this time I was pleasantly surprised to have a very pleasant and helpful young woman attend to me.

I was there long enough the previous day to observe the different clerks perform their duties and this young woman stood out even then.

Amidst all the horror stories we hear about the NIB, I acknowledge the person who made my second visit a worthwhile one. I observed two others who went out of their way to help visitors.

Those employees are truly assets to the NIB and I hope others will use them as examples to improve their customer service, especially to the elderly who make up the majority of clients.

KARMINI PARSAN Barataria

Roget stated this during a mobilisation exercise at Frisco Junction, Point Fortin on Tuesday evening as the three major trade union federations rolled into the southern borough.

Addressing trade unionists before engaging in a hand bill distribution to drum up support for the August 4 Labour Day II action in Port of Spain, Roget said people are suffering in silence due to runaway crime, murders and rising unemployment which affect mainly the working class.

“Today people are hurting, all of us have to face the rising food prices in the grocery, all of us have to face the rising cost of living and if that is not bad enough, all of us are targets in terms of our jobs and job security,” he said.

“Today you have a job, by this evening you may not have it and it does not matter where you live, what party you support, where you work or what company you work for…all of us are targets because we belong to another class, the working class for which the elite class feel they should continue to take advantage,” he said.

“So this is a class warfare between the haves and the have nots, where the haves want to have more and they need to get that more from those who don’t have, to extract as much as they can and ours is the responsibility to say ‘no, no, no’, we will stand in stout defence of the people,” he added.

Roget said communities are being neglected by the major political parties and cited the PNM-stronghold of Point Fortin as a prime example saying this community is depressed economically and in terms of development yet it is the major hub for TT’s exploration, production and export of oil and natural gas.

A dam would allow for the control of the flow of water in the catchment areas in the mountains. By controlling the flow of water the authorities could reduce the excess flow reaching the Caroni Plains that leads to the perennial flooding in this area.

A dam would also be a source of water in the dry season and could provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity.

There is no need to be reminded that the country presently relies on a source of energy that is gradually diminishing.

On the negative side, a dam will have environmental and ecological consequences which will have to be evaluated by professionals.

However, it should be noted that a number of quarries presently operate in the Northern Range, inflicting terrible damage to the environment but they seem to operate undisturbed.

On a recent flight to Tobago, I was saddened by the destruction, seen from the air, to the environment by quarry operators.

I counted at least ten open pits where all the plant cover was removed and the land was visibly scarred.

So if they are allowed to do this, a dam can certainly be considered in light of the many benefits that can accrue.

C RODRIGUEZ Petit Valley

The land bordering the coastline from Chatham to Icacos is mainly uninhabited since it is marshy and swampy. Islote Point divides this long stretch of coastline, which consists of Erin Bay (E) and Isolate Bay (W). Along the route, nine miles (14.5km) west from Chatham is the first point of interest, the St Marie Mud Volcano situated on the Balka Deva Hindu site in Bonasse Village, Cedros. Further down the coast 4.75 miles from the mandir is the district of Icacos.

The Arawaks referred to the place as Icaco named after the fat pork fruit.

There is a lot of distinguished history along this coastline.

On July 31, 1498, Columbus sailed through this channel and called Icacos Point “Punta Del Arenal.” During the night a wave violently crashed against one of the ships, snapping its anchor.

Columbus fearful and surprised named the passage Boca de la Sierpe or The Serpent’s Mouth.

One century later on March 22, 1595, another prominent explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh sailed through Icacos Point.

He cast his anchor at Point Curiapan which was called by the Spaniards, Punta de Gallo or Los Gallos, meaning The Cocks.

On Saturday: Fitness Walkers explores the Chatham to Icacos Coast.

Duration: The 14 miles, one-way walk along the beach from Chatham to Icacos will take 3-4 hours depending on one’s pace. There is a chance that high tide can cause delays.

Assembly time: 5.30am at Mt Hope to depart by 6.30 am.

South pickup time: 7am at KFC Gulf City San Fernando.

Maxis drop the group to Chatham Bay and later pickup at Icacos Bay.

For slow walkers, there is an optional pickup at St Marie Volcano or Balka Deva Hindu site.

For more info: www.

islandhikers.com