#Providenciales, July 31, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – The Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture, Library and Social Services with the support from the European Union is working to ensure Education Officers and school Principals are better equipped to identify and cope with children who may be exposed to or suffering from violence and abuse.
Ms. Heidy Williams is the Education Officer with responsibility for Early Childhood Education and she explained that a recent training session successfully demonstrated to participants their key roles and responsibilities when it comes to safeguarding children, “Child protection and safe-guarding refers to the protection and safe-guarding of all children against violence. It ensures that systems are in place to prevent, identify and stop violence that are already happening. Violence against children can be in the form of poor nutrition, poor health care, lack of affection, unresponsive care, child maltreatment, neglect, corporal punishment, exposure to violence and abuse (physical, emotional, sexual).”
Hurting children can now be much better served due
to the techniques and strategies learned during the training session. Ms.
Williams said a component of the program called, Courageous Conversation, had a
major impact on the educators.
“Holding Courageous Conversations is the process of
having the confidence to be bold and direct in order to show awareness and
bring about change to a situation, recognizing that the implications can be
difficult but the outcomes are generally positive.”
Admittedly, when these situations arise, they can
be disconcerting and downright uncomfortable.
Ms. Williams notes that “these components are
extremely important to the Ministry because children are most vulnerable to
violence and these adverse experiences early in life can impair the brain
architecture. Early stress due to violence elevates the stress hormone cortisol
and this can disrupt brain development altering academic performance and
causing harmful mental and physical consequences that can last into adulthood.”
Ms. Williams further expressed that even one
incident where a child is impacted by negative events or environments are
viewed as too much.
“With the challenges of sporadic incidences of
violence against children, the Ministry of Education recognizes the need to be
proactive in guaranteeing the safety and well-being of children into
adulthood,” said Ms. Williams who added that the training even helped Education
Officers and Principals to understand how to begin Courageous Conversations.
The method we are using is known as the ‘OARS Approach’. It is an acronym for O- open ended questions;
A- Affirmation; R- Reflective listening and S for Summarizing. Emphasis was placed on how to interview,
noting the importance of preparation, opening comments, body language, how to
respond, listening and tone of voice.”
Public
and private school principals and Education Officers were equipped with the
skills of active listening without interrupting, how to interview, how to
analyze a situation and the risk involved, how to stay neutral, methods of
getting one’s attention, words to avoid when interviewing parents, helping them
to find solutions to problems and methods of communicating to children in an
age appropriate manner.
The
training was facilitated by Barnardo’s, a British charity dedicated to
protecting vulnerable children and organised for the Turks and Caicos from May
4-6, 2019 by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
“Improving the Education System in the TCI…..Together we can do it”
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, May 19th, 2023 – On Thursday, May 11th, 2023, Invest Turks and Caicos’ Business Support Unit (BSU); partnered with the Department of Trade, Industry, and Fair Competition to host the Export Opportunities for MSMEs Training. In attendance were nineteen business owners; who participated in the free, interactive training held at Blue Haven Resort from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
The training was facilitated by Ms. Lisandra Colley, Director of Trade, Industry, and Fair Competition. During the training, the participants learned the following:
Essentials of accessing the international market
Basics of exporting and the benefits of exporting for MSMEs
Export opportunities to access the Canadian and UK markets
Requirements and procedures for the exportation of goods to Canada and the UK
Understand how to use Canadian and UK government interactive tools to export
Commenting on the Training, Director of Trade, Lisandra Colley expressed, “Bolstered by its trade-related technical assistance pillar, the Department of Trade, Industry, and Fair Competition (DTIFC) aims to provide capacity building training and seminars to equip businesses across the TCI to fully participate in the domestic and international trading systems. The partnership between the DTIFC and Invest TCI to host the Seminar ‘Export Opportunities for MSMEs’ epitomizes our shared commitment to empower micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Through this collaborative effort, we provided participants with the essential knowledge and tools needed to access international markets and leverage preferential trading arrangements. By understanding the benefits of exporting, identifying potential markets, and grasping the requirements and procedures for successful export, participants are better equipped to seize opportunities in the Canadian and UK markets and worldwide.”
Anissa Adderley, Director of the Business Support Unit, also provided her feedback on the training “To strengthen the awareness of trade opportunities for MSMEs, the BSU will continue its partnership with the Department of Trade. We invite all entrepreneurs and small business owners to participate in our next collaborative training, to be held Thursday, September 12th, 2023, titled Incorporating Product Standards for Sustainable Trade.
Additionally, we welcome all businesses to take advantage of the free services offered by the Business Support Unit, namely Business Planning, Training, Counselling, Administrative Services, and MSME Programme Recipient Support. We provide the support you need to ensure your business is resilient and sustainable. Let us help you take your business to the next level.”
For more information on Invest TCI events, visit www.investturksandcaicos.tc or follow us on social media at @investtci.
#TurksandCaicos, May 25, 2023 – Where and How? Those are the questions now arising from Wednesday’s marine incident which left a young woman without her foot. The police and one local business say it was a shark attack, another government agency, the DECR was much more vague.
In a press release around midday Thursday, the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources said, “A 22-year-old female visitor from Connecticut was severely injured while snorkeling… The matter is still under investigation by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.”
Missing from that press release any mention of or warning to be careful of sharks.
Big Blue Collective on the other hand in a statement to Magnetic Media that same day said this:
“Only two individuals were in the water, which was clear and calm, when a presumed Caribbean Reef Shark left one snorkeler with an injury due to what is known in diving circles as a case of mistaken identity,” they continued, “The calm, quick and measured response from one of our captains and office team meant that the victim was extracted from the ocean and dispatched in the ambulance in 15 minutes, saving them from a potentially life-threatening situation.”
The communications team at Big Blue Collective stressed to us that this was not to be used to characterize the TCIs waters. Both DECR and Big Blue reminded the public that these incidents are very rare.
The DECR said the incident happened in an area known as the Bone Yard Dive Site, part of the Princess National Park; a protected marine environment.
Photos of the victim’s injury show that her foot, severed completely at the ankle, was thankfully recovered whole.
The Police report had inaccuracies and was retracted last night. However, not before news media locally and abroad reported the facts as laid out by them.
The TCI Hospitals’ statement said, “The patient received immediate medical attention by our Emergency Response trauma team. The patient’s injury is considered serious and, after a period of stabilization, was transferred to a tertiary care facility for further management on that evening, Wednesday, May 24th 2023…”
Sources told our news team the nature of the injury requires a multi-agency investigation to sort out what exactly occurred in the water.
#TurksandCaicos, May 25, 2023 – As international media houses report on the recent marine accident in Providenciales where a young woman lost a foot, Big Blue Collective Eco Tours is attempting to set the record straight as they defend the marine life and safety reputation of the Turks and Caicos.
They say the young woman was not on a charter trip with their establishment as reported by some media houses, rather she was on a private vessel when she was mistaken for food by what they think to be a Caribbean Reef Shark.
“The extremely rare and unfortunate incident that happened yesterday afternoon, Wednesday 24th May, 2023, in the Turks & Caicos Islands, outside the reef, involving a snorkeler and a shark, occurred during a private trip. Only two individuals were in the water, which was clear and calm, when a presumed Caribbean Reef Shark left one snorkeler with an injury due to what is known in diving circles as a case of mistaken identity.”
The communications team at Big Blue spoke to Magnetic Media on May 25th, the day after the incident. They expressed concern for the victim and her family, maintaining that her safety was the first priority.
They say that it was a very rare freak incident, “The calm, quick and measured response from one of our captains and office team meant that the victim was extracted from the ocean and dispatched in the ambulance in 15 minutes, saving them from a potentially life-threatening situation. We applaud all the efforts of our team, the paramedics, and the emergency first aid responders. Our thoughts are with the victim, their family and loved ones at this time.”
Reports on Thursday explained an investigation was opened to determine how the Connecticut woman was injured; however Big Blue informs only the Police quizzed them for information on the incident.
We are told the young woman was lucid enough to get back to the boat for help when she realized she was injured. Immediately the team on the boat, which included Big Blue employees, though it was not their charter, jumped into action, retrieving her foot and trying to staunch the bleeding from her limb.
Big Blue told us she was transferred into medical professionals’ care within minutes. Big Blue and the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources are both stressing that incidences of this nature are extremely rare in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and cannot be used to judge the swimming, snorkeling, or overall experience in the country’s waters.
In addition certain marine animals are protected by law in the Turks and Caicos, and should not be hunted or killed for sport, or any other reason without a proper license.