Club has big plans for the coming months

On July 9, the 2022-2023 Rotary Club of Barbados Board was installed at the picturesque Bentley Mansion, a venue with much history and which aligns so eloquently with the theme “Let’s Make Rotary Magic”.  The ceremony was held under the patronage of the President of Barbados, Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason, GCMG, DA, QC and featured the Barbados Police Band who serenaded Rotarians and guests during the cocktail hour.

Incoming President Tracey Knight-Lloyd kicked off her year with a quote from the first female President of Rotary International, Jennifer Jones; whose theme has challenged us to Imagine Rotary.  She stated: “Imagine a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference. You don’t imagine yesterday. You imagine tomorrow.”

To further underscore the Imagine Rotary theme, Jones asked all Rotarians to focus on a few key areas:

• Adapting and retooling the way we execute our service projects and manage our clubs

• Adopt a greater focus on member engagement and retention, specifically with what she terms as the comfort and care approach

• Look at ways to strengthen capacity among girls and women through the Empower Girls Initiative

This year, the Rotary Club of Barbados will continue on its journey to make Rotary Magic with a number of service projects which will lead to continued upliftment and improvement of life, for those benefiting from the club’s service. An example of this is the Empowering Girls theme which continues to be relevant, and even more critical in this post-Covid-19 environment.

Covid-19 has imperiled the financial stability of many women which is further compounded by lack of financial literacy and the financial dependency among this group. Furthermore, a 2020 IDB study in Barbados indicated that financial literacy levels of men were higher than those of women. With such statistics plaguing women, the President’s project for 2022-23 will be a Financial Literacy Programme themed “Save, Spend and Thrive” – a programme which was developed to address and equip vulnerable women to protect their livelihoods and by extension their families, as many women now find themselves at the head of their households.

President Tracey Knight-Lloyd highlighted that “this project will be rolled out it in three phases, the rehabilitation of the computer labs at Marina House, a residential treatment facility catering to women from all walks of life, who are recovering from varying forms of addiction. The phases also include a financial coaching seminar and finally a national social media campaign highlighting basic financial literacy tips in an easy-to-understand format.”

There is an excess of empirical data which indicates that positive youth development is directly correlated to programmes which include after-school recreation, conflict resolution and mentoring, among others. The Barbadian community continues to watch in sheer horror at the acts of violence perpetuated within another vulnerable group, the youth.

With this in mind, the Club will continue its work with two initiatives launched in 2021, the Youth Elevation Scheme, Building the Brand Called You and continue to support activities within the Children’s Homes which all serve as key interventionist approaches in minimizing deviance among young people.  In addition to these programmes, this year, through the Pride of Workmanship Awards, it is the club’s intention to highlight the work of those who deliver programmes targeted towards at risk youth and are the unsung heroes in helping to prevent young people from engaging in a life of crime. It is hoped that by showcasing their significant work, that a greater emphasis will be placed in this area, which will result in a reduction in the island’s cradle to the prison pipeline. The Rotary Magic will not exclude the island’s differently abled of all ages.  All children living with disabilities have abilities and that’s why the club continues to be excited to be part of an initiative which will see the rehabilitation of the Learning Centre at the Schoolhouse for Special Needs.

Knight-Lloyd reiterated the club’s focus on safeguarding the environment, fighting childhood obesity and the importance of vaccines in polio eradication.

The 2022-23 Board:

1. President Tracey Knight-Lloyd

2. Vice President Paul Ashby

3. President Elect Ermine Darroux

4. Secretary Jamella Forde

5. Treasurer Peter Williams

6. Director Club Administration Savitri St.John

7. Director Public Image Keri Mapp

8. Director Community Service Anton Nicholls

9. Director Membership & Youth Service Barbara Trieloff-Deane

10.  Director International Service Carole Eleuthere-JnMarie,

11.  Immediate Past President Robin Ford

12.  Sargeant-At-Arms Randy Marshall.

(Barbados Rotary Club)