News
BTC starts off Autism Awareness Month in fine style
#PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands, April 23, 2023 – Autism is a complex brain disorder that often avoids a person’s ability to communicate, respond to surroundings, and form relationship with others. The month of April is being celebrated by Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) and the world as Autism Awareness month. The all-inclusive family resort, is the Caribbean’s first Autism-Friendly Kids Camp and is currently partnered with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), a global leader in online
training and certification programmes.
BTC since 2021 is now an advanced certified autism centre which has ranked the resort at a level of understanding various behaviour patterns of children or adults on the spectrum. For the month of April, the Kids Camp will seek to bring more awareness to celebrate with families who have children or adults who are on the spectrum. These families will be able to enjoy their vacation at any of the three Beaches resorts in the Caribbean with the assurance of knowing that they will have a secure environment for all to enjoy.
Children’s Activities Manager for the Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean, Fedeline Julien shared, “in our Kids Camp all activities are inclusive. Currently, we interact with the parents prior to them arriving at our resorts to have the necessary information needed to provide a meaningful experience for the family. If necessary, we may assign a Beaches Buddies, accredited staff members who can join the family for an hour, a day, or for their entire stay, at an additional cost, to help in providing additional care for the family with the child or adult on the spectrum.”
“For this year, we had the launch recently, which was celebrated as World Autism Awareness Day. Each Sunday throughout April, we will be having sensitization sessions at our family shows for the parents and team members at the resort. There will be craft sessions in the Kids Camp with sensory material, daily finger painting in the craft studio, meet and greet with Julia, our Sesame Character who is also on the spectrum, and paint parties with Julia and friends,” Julien added.
General Manager James McAnally, noted, “here at BTC, our child care staff continuously receive competency
training in order to provide for our guests with special needs. BTC recently received Advanced Certified Autism Centre accreditation, which has stipulated that at least one team member from each department must be autism certified. Our Kids Camps ensure that team members have the required knowledge, skills, temperament and expertise to cater to all children and offer age-specific programmes for infants, toddlers, pre-teens and teens.”
Beaches Buddy and 15-year veteran in the Kids Camp, Ismay Brown shared, “being able to care for these children and adults who are on the spectrum has been an absolute pleasure. When families decide to come to BTC to enjoy their vacations, each department is engaged in helping them to have an experience of a lifetime. These guests on the spectrum simply do things in their own special way. We are truly an all-inclusive resort and this allows us to be trained to deal with different behaviours and needs at all times.”
Beaches is the first company in the world to complete the rigorous IBCCES training and Autism certification. The resort offers guests with cognitive disabilities the opportunity to more comfortably navigate the on-resort experience through specialised services, engaging activities and customized dining options.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, September 24, 2023 – Bidders are showing interest in the Providenciales Airport Redevelopment Project as the deadline for pre-qualification has been extended at the request of potential investors, according to the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA).
In a September 19th update, the TCIAA revealed that to allow adequate time for the submission of applications, the
closing date has been extended from Wednesday, 27th of September 2023 to Wednesday, the 18th of October 2023.
The Government is hoping to find an investor willing to front the $360 million cost to redevelop the airport within five years and subsequently manage it and its revenue.
The investment to expand the terminal has also been estimated at $400 million.
No comment has yet been shared by TCIG on the level of interest in the project since it opened in August, but the Government had begun to receive unsolicited drafts from multiple investors before they had even decided on the structure of the redevelopment which is to be a Public Private Partnership.
The redevelopment is a necessary step in the Turks and Caicos’ tourism evolution according to consultants as the country prepares for a sustained increase in travelers.
The Government has set an ambitious timeline for the project with contracts to be signed by early 2024.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, September 24, 2023 – The six National Town Hall meetings set for Providenciales this month have been postponed until further notice.
Announced on August 30th, the meetings came as the Government was put on blast for not communicating effectively enough with residents.
A suite of similar meetings were held in the country last year and residents turned out to share their concerns, ideas and to hear what TCIG was planning to do for them.
The postponed meetings were supposed to be as follows:
Five Cays — 20th September;
Wheeland — 21st September;
Cheshire Hall —22nd September;
The Bight — 25th September;
Blue Hills — 26th September And ;
Leeward And Long Bay —27th September
Providenciales residents, especially in Five Cays, have been clamoring for a meeting with the elected representatives to talk about several matters, first and foremost the criminal activity that disproportionately affects the densely populated island.
There was no indication whether other government agencies including the police, would be on hand to answer questions during the meetings.
The meetings for the rest of the country listed for October will run as normal.
News
TCI attends the 25th Annual Caribbean Postal Union Conference & 19th Caribbean Council of Ministers of Postal Affairs Meeting held in Kingston, Jamaica
#TurksandCaicos, September 24, 2023 – The Minister of Home Affairs, Public Safety and Utilities, the Honourable Otis C. Morris led a four-member delegation to Kingston, Jamaica for the 25th Annual Caribbean Postal Union’s (CPU) Conference and 19th Caribbean Council of Ministers of Postal Affairs Meeting, which was held from 10th – 15th September 2023, under the theme: “The CPU at 25: Evolving for Economic Sustainability”.
Joining the minister at the conference were Permanent Secretary, Bridgette Newman, Postmaster General Mrs. Elizabeth James and Head Secretariat Ms Shanetta Thompson. 
The opening ceremony which was held on Monday, 11th September 2023 was attended by ministers with responsibility for post, permanent secretaries, postmasters general from around the Caribbean, as well as representatives of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and other regional and international postal officials.
The keynote speaker for the event was Senator the Honourable Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, Minister without Portfolio, Office of the Prime Minister responsible for with responsibility for Skills and Digital Transformation. She noted the post office remains relevant and plays a crucial economic role in many Caribbean societies. The gathering of so many practitioners in the industry was a testament to their commitment to making postal services throughout the Caribbean more efficient and competitive.
Other areas of focus during the conference included:
- The importance of public partnerships in creating an e-commerce infrastructure, to stimulate economic sustainability.
- Best practices and initiatives throughout the Caribbean
- Technology and CARICOM-CPU cooperation on how to access modern postal technology.
- Growth of the country’s economy while helping citizens and protecting the environment
- Achievement of United Nation’s sustainability development goals
A wide range of challenges facing the CPU, including transportation, declining revenues and delivery costs were also
discussed.
Commenting on the conference, the Hon. Otis Morris stated that it was a very good opportunity to meet as Caribbean ministers and postmasters general to discuss challenges and as well as opportunities for collaboration in the area of postal services.
He recognised that there remains a need for the improvement of services within the post office as well as the exploration of new goods and services.
He concluded by thanking the Postmaster General and her team for their continued work in the area of post in the TCI and pledged his continued support to the Postmaster and her team.
Postmaster General of the Turks and Caicos Islands Mrs. Elizabeth James, noted: “I am happy that I was able to network with my colleagues from across the Caribbean to confront common issues and charter initiatives to deal with these issues which are faced by postal services regionally and internationally”.
The Postmaster thanked the CPU for hosting the conference and the Ministry of Public Safety and Utilities for making her attendance possible.
The delegation returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands on 16th September 2023.
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