BEACH CLEAN UP #2!

October 11th was another great day cleaning up the beach for 15 energetic kids with a lot of good will.

Appropriately enough, this is Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada and to show our gratitude for nature, the Youth Centre went down to the Children's Park in the Bight to start out a day of community service. Our group headed east and made it to Coral Gardens where we found a large deposit of trash left carelessly to degrade in the bushes. After a good hour at that site we filled 34 of our thirty-nine gallon garbage bags and hauled it to the road by the Beach Access point. There we were met by TCI Waste Deposal who were happy to lend a hand by taking it the rest of the way.

Coral Gardens resort graciously allowed us to wash our hands and after a quick snack and some pictures, we left the site tired but rewarded!

Only one casualty when volunteer CJ cut her foot on a grate upon arriving but otherwise everything was very safe and successful. CJ and fellow volunteers Malcolm and Michelle Ross helped with transport, water, garbage bags, gloves and general good humour! Malcolm and Michelle have offered to help make this a monthly venture and to get the resorts on board to assist.

We certainly hope to see more of the community out in the future. Congratulations everyone! Job well done.

-Meghan

Be thankful for good friends!

Our End of Summer Trip on Ataberya!

Thursday August 28th was a great day for Youth Centre regulars as Dave Douglas of the Ataberya offered us a free excursion to learn about the ecosystem of TCI!  

(left: making good use of time while waiting for the taxi!)

26 Youth and several parent volunteers enjoyed a day of sea, sand, iguanas and of course, snacks and pizza as we cruised through perfect weather from Leeward Marina to Half Moon Bay. Our fabulous guides, Delphine, Matt and Joe talked to informed everyone of the mangrove and coral systems precious to the islands, pointed out birds and fish to curious on-lookers.

(above: first stop - Iguana's at Little Water Cay)

The entire day went smoothly and spot on time... until the very end.  Our taxi driver, though double confirmed at 3:30, failed to show when we arrived at the dock for 4:00 and left 18 of us standing in a sudden downpour. As the title of this little blog indicates, we were rescued by good friends of the Centre. Kay Weir, who was fabulous by volunteering with us the whole day, came back to deliver 4 children home.  With a few more calls, within 20 minutes our caretaker Alex, Toni Sottak and Candie Walkin picked up the remaining boat-trippers in a caravan of salvation.

Despite being huddled under a tree for the last hour of our day, the kids still had a phenomenal outing.  Big thanks to all the volunteers who made the day possible and of course Dave for lending us the beautiful Ataberya for the day. 

A Week of Fun

Cherish Ferguson talking to the girls about drawing

Sisters Cherish and Charvis Ferguson performing poetry

Kids and volunteers watching Wisland recite her poem

Singing a solo

Tamika and Phildreka posing for the camera

Last week we had great participation and lots of fun activities. Monday was poetry club where we read poems we had written about “building yourself up”. All of the girls spoke and wrote beautifully, and Charvis spoke to them about finding their individual voice. Tuesday started off with basket weaving and was followed by David Bowen’s dance class. Dance club always has the best turnout, the girls love it and David gives them a chance to unwind but also learn something new. Wednesday was beach cleanup at Blue Hills Beach, a really successful day. We picked up 1,560 pounds of trash!! Thursday we had a drawing class and learnt how to paint using watercolours and then back to dance again! Friday was our second Open Mic night. We barbecued, sang, read poetry, and danced. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of fun had by all.

A Day of Giving Back

Some of the trash that can be seen on the beach
Hakeem Cumberbatch doing his part to clean the beach
Jeannia picking up trash and looking good in green
The girls are hard at work to keep Provo beautiful
After a delicious meal (thanks Horse Eye Jacks) we're ready to clean the beach

On Wednesday the 23rd 8 kids sat down in the cool air conditioned meeting room of the ECG Youth Centre to gain some knowledge about their environment and ways to make it better. The film they watched was entitled “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore and it addressed the issues of global warming and the effects that we as people are having on our earth. The children sat intently for 2 hours as the movie played, sipping on juice and occasionally talking amongst themselves about the film. When the movie finished we discussed what they thought of the movie and if they had learnt anything. They said it was a very educational video and that they realized how important it is to take care of the planet. Then we headed down to Horse Eye Jack for some sun, breeze, and delicious chicken fingers! After we finished our delicious lunch 2 more kids showed up to help us on our quest to rid the beach of its trash. We left Horse Eye Jacks and went back to the beginning of the beach to start the clean up. 

We worked diligently for three hours and the kids worked the hardest, running up and down the beach, and reaching deep into the bush to pick up even the most hard to reach pieces of trash. Prizes of two free movie tickets were given to Jeannia Desvales for wearing the greenest outfit and Tamika Norton and Katianna Donatien for picking up the most trash. In total we had 10 kid volunteers, 10 adult volunteers, 39 bags of trash, 1 trailer to put it on, and a bucketful of satisfaction for all of our hard work! One day of giving back to the community of Blue Hills means a summer full of fun for the children and adults that get to enjoy the pristine and natural beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

By Courtney Miller

Making Decorations for our End of School Party!

Kin-Z, Diana, Ruth and Roline ready to decorate

The Decorations Team hard at work

More prepping and planning

We even had to make a sign apologizing for the date delay!

Redgrick using his artistic skills

Welcome!

To those of you who don’t know me, my name is Meghan and I’m the Director of the Edward G. Gartland Youth Centre. I spent the last year in southern Africa working with various non-profit organizations and taking notes on youth programs in different cultures. I recently returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands and I’m thrilled with the opportunity to help start a Youth Center here on Provo!
Since the Groundbreaking on December 2, 2006, it has been a long but rewarding journey and we are happy to announce the buildings are up and basic programs are starting!
If you are around the age of 12-18 please come by the centre to see our schedule or just to find out what it’s all about! There is usually someone here to chat.
If you are over 18 we would still love for you to come and get involved! There are many long, hot days ahead of us this summer and lots of potential for new activities. We currently have dance, art and crafts, poetry, film nights and groups like Rapport and Rotaract meeting at the Centre. If you think you would like to give back to your community - get involved! A little bit of time can go a long way.
Please feel free to contact me at 331-9602 if you have any ideas, questions or just want to drop by. Check back here for updates on what’s happening.

Hope to see you all soon!
M