Emerging leader, Kali Grant proud to represent at Canadian conference

Twenty-five-year-old Kali Grant is flying the flags of Barbados and Pinelands Creative Workshop (PCW) high as an attendee at the Duke of Edinburgh Commonwealth Study Conference in Canada.

The former student of The St Michael School who holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with First Class Honours from the University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus said she was pleased to be offered the opportunity to broaden her horizons in the programme which runs from June 3-18..

“I am feeling excited about the opportunity and I am looking forward to networking and getting to know different people and experience different cultures. I would also be able to use these experiences as a personal development experience. So I am looking forward to that,” she said.

Grant, one of the youngest members on the Barbados’ contingent, said she felt added pressure as the members of the selection panel took a chance on her in spite of her age.

“I do feel a bit anxious about the experience and what it would be like for me as a young person but I have confidence in myself that I can carry the Barbadian flag and that I have the ability to represent myself well on such a global platform. I am also open to all possibilities that could arise from this opportunity as well, so, I am just excited to experience it,” she said.

Kali was nominated for the conference by PCW where she works as programme assistant. Pinelands’ Chief Executive Officer, Sophia Greaves-Broome, the 2015 recipient of the same opportunity, said that the organisation nominated Kali based on her demonstrated potential and outstanding leadership abilities.

“The organisation remains committed to developing the leadership capacity of its members and Kali has grown significantly through the years showcasing various levels of leadership ability. We believe that this programme is an ideal fit for her to broaden her capacity as well as give her a world view of the development conversations to which the organisation contributes and she would be able to bring a new perspective and innovative approach to advancing PWC.

“We see it as an investment in the future of the organisation that not only benefits Kali but also serves as a learning opportunity for Pinelands. Kali is a great candidate carrying on the baton from me in 2015. It is a good handover to a representative coming from a non-governmental organisation as there are very few people usually representing the NGO community at some of these international conferences. Therefore, Kali would be flying the flag not only for Pinelands Creative Workshop and Barbados but for the NGO sector as well. This is very important to her continued development and for PCW which focuses on various aspects of development,” she said.

The programme brings together 300 of the world’s emerging leaders from business, government, labour, and the NGO community. Greaves-Broome said the effort benefitted from the support of sponsors for which the workshop is grateful.

“The fund-raising process was a bit slow at first but coming onto the end I was able to amass a large amount of support for the tour. I received assistance from Pinelands Creative Workshop, the Division of Youth Affairs, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre, Golden Sands Hotel and the Ashley Lashley Foundation, all of whom assisted me with pursuing this developmental opportunity,” she said.

Since arriving in Canada, Kali has been enjoying the scheduled events and is eager to return to Barbados to put into practice everything that she has learnt and especially in the Career and Life Management (CALM) Programme which she currently manages at Pinelands.

“As soon as I return from Canada, I will be continuing with my work as the coordinator of the CALM programme. I believe my attendance would give me new global perspectives which I would be able to use in my programme which starts July 3,” she added.

(Write Right PR Services)