Press Release:

      Contact information:

     GRENED , 442-6277/423-5124; contactgrened@gmail.com

GRENED’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ELECTED NEW GOVERING BODY AND RECEIVED REPORTS

Three alumni of the 26-year old Grenada Education and Development Programme, GRENED,were elected to leadership roles on the governing Board of the organization; one other was elected to lead the alum body. These graduates of the programme will join a TAMCC dean, a school principal, a teacher and a magistrate in governing GRENED for the next year beginning January 2023.

The four new alum elected members of the Board are:

Martha Bowen, who spent several years as a member of GRENED’s youth group and was later a participant and teacher in GRENED’s Summer Science Programme, was elected Vice Chair of GRENED’s Board of Directors. Ms. Bowen is now Principal of the St. Mary’s Primary School in LaFillette, St. Andrew’s.

Ali Carmichael from Conference St. Andrew’s, was a former GRENED scholarship holder for his five years of secondary schooling. Carmichael was  elected Treasurer with oversight responsibility of the $150,000 annual budget of the organization. The former SAASS student is now a senior commercial loans banker at Republic Bank headquarters, Halifax Street, St.George’s.

Shayanne Date of Paradise St. Andrew’s, was a scholarship holder and an avid summer science participant during her secondary school years. Ms. Date was elected alumni representative to the board for some 400 students, who have come through the programme. Ms. Date is now a teacher of 15 years at the Crochu R.C school.

The meeting also elected Marisol Joseph as Chair of the Alumni Body. Ms. Joseph was a scholarship holder and regular volunteer with the organization. She is a recent TAMCC graduate in ICT who also interned as a firefighter in the Royal Grenada Police Force.
Other elected persons include Mrs. ShirleyAnn Blache, elected Chair of the Parents Committee and in that capacity, a member of the Board. Mrs. Blache is a secondary school teacher and a parent of a student currently in the programme.

The Board will be chaired by Dr. John Telesford, Professor and Dean at TAMCC. Dr. Telesford is taking over from former chair, Mr. Cosmos Joseph, a former agronomist and diplomat who passed suddenly in April. Dr. Telesford has been on the board for almost two years. He hails from Grenville.
Francine Foster, an attorney and sitting magistrate in the Grenville court, was elected Secretary of the Board. Ms. Foster has a long history of mentoring young persons in school and church

The meeting received a report of the activities for the year 2022. These activities were centered around the educational development and empowerment of the 36 scholarship recipients and sustainable community development at three locations in St. Andrew’s.

The meeting heard that a total of EC$ 51,178.87 was spent directly on student scholarship with each student receiving from $1,500 to $4,000 per year. Another EC$ 3,602.25 was spent on their leadership development training via seminars. A breakdown showed that the programme has 25 students in 6 secondary schools across Grenada; 8 at community college, 1 at New Life Vocational, NEWLO and 2 at St. George’s University. Scholarships cover tuition, fees, books, uniforms, transportation and food. Personal development sessions include confidence building confidence, public speaking, problem-solving and networking as well as taking students to the theatre, engaging them in beach clean-up, teaching them how to make and keep good friendships and how to swim. All scholarships are valid until June 2023; following that date, each student will be evaluated and renewed or not, based on academic and all-round performance.
For community development, the AGM heard that work was done in three sites, responding to flooding in agricultural and playing fields in Baltazar, to beach destruction in Telescope and coastal erosion in Grenville town. These community projects are continuing in 2023.

In other activities, two alumni shared testimonials on how positively impactful GRENED as a development organization was on them, pivoting them to greater self-awareness, personal choices and ambition.

The meeting was held on December 10th 2022, in the Deluxe Cinema in Grenville. The attendance included parents, alumni and students currently in the programme. Sandra Fugerson, representative of the national network of indigenous organisations, the Inter-Agency Group of Development Organisations, attended and complimented GRENED on its year’s achievements.

GRENED is based in Grenville, St. Andrew’s and focuses on transforming Grenada through educating rural youth for leadership roles across Grenada. The organization is a 26-year old indigenous effort and has been a member of Grenada’s NGO-network, IAGDO since the 1990’s. The organisation accepts volunteers, supplies and cash donation and can be reached at grened.net and at its headquarters on Victoria Street, Grenville, St. Andrew’s, Grenada. Phone numbers 1 473 442 6277 Or 1 473 423 5124. We thank all who have contributed and helped in 2022.

 

 

 

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