{"id":7698,"date":"2021-06-08T17:36:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T17:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/40.117.174.162\/?p=7698"},"modified":"2024-11-19T05:37:45","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T05:37:45","slug":"kickstarting-the-dia-youth-innovation-lab-in-trinidad-and-tobago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/kickstarting-the-dia-youth-innovation-lab-in-trinidad-and-tobago\/","title":{"rendered":"Kickstarting The DIA Youth Innovation Lab in Trinidad and Tobago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Port Of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago and Washington, DC. June 8, 2021<\/strong> \u2013 The Trust for the Americas, in partnership with the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) and Citi Foundation, hosted a virtual event to announce and promote the new Trinidad & Tobago DIA Lab. With this DIA Lab, The Trust for the Americas implements activities to promote development for the first time in this Caribbean country. Young innovators and disruptive entrepreneurs will create low-cost, high-impact, high-quality innovation solutions that generate affordable access and livelihood opportunities for their communities on a long-term sustainable basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following authorities participated in the virtual event hosted by CARIRI and Citi Trinidad and Tobago (link<\/a>): The Honorable Minister Foster Cummings – Ministry of Youth Development and National Service, Mrs. Patricia De Leon Henry – National Director, National Social Development Programme, Mr. Renzo Angeles – Vice President and Cash Market Head Trinidad and Tobago in Citi Foundation, Mrs. Danielle Rampersad – Vice President and General Counsel in Citi Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Mitchell De Silva – Trinidad and Tobago Citi Country Officer, Mr. Dwayne Gutzmer – Chief Executive Officer in the Institute of Law & Economics Jamaica, Ms. Shanae Owen Project Officer in the Institute of Law & Economics Jamaica, Ms. Marina Piper – OAS Country Officer, representatives from The Trust for the Americas, CARIRI, Citi Foundation, and The Institute of Law & Economics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Inter-American Development Bank, approximately one in five youth between the ages of 15 to 24 in the Caribbean are not in school nor part of the workforce. This project will trigger empowerment and innovation among Caribbean youth by giving them digital and entrepreneurial skills, crucial elements for economic growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CARIRI\u2019s Human Resource Manager, Ms. Denise Ferguson declared: “Building capacity in Trinidad and Tobago has always been at the forefront of CARIRIs mandate. This new initiative will allow us to expand our scope into an area that allows at-risk youth to become entrepreneurs, ideators, and innovators\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitch De Silva, Trinidad & Tobago Citi Country Officer, followed the incredible virtual tour and presentation and during his speech, declared: \u201cWe are proud to be part of the development of strong sustainable communities and Citi Trinidad & Tobago is pleased to be part of Citi Foundation\u2019s Pathways to Progress global initiative to prepare young people with the career readiness tools and opportunities needed to thrive in today\u2019s economy. We believe this will help them build an entrepreneurial mindset and acquire leadership skills which will ultimately benefit their families, communities, and the country.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, Citi Foundation and The Trust launched the DIA Urban Labs for Youth Innovation in Jamaica. From 2016 to 2020, over 1,350 youth received training and access to the state-of-the-art technology to solve challenges in their communities. In that context, The Institute of Law & Economics shared experiences and lessons learned from the DIA Lab in Jamaica.\u202f  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linda Eddleman, CEO of The Trust for the Americas, mentioned that \u201cthis is a very important day at The Trust because we are launching the first program in Trinidad and Tobago in our 20-year history. Working with CARIRI and with the support of Citi Foundation and the Organization of American States, we know that this project will help change the lives of many young people, and in turn positively impact their communities. Specifically, we seek to provide young entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art technology training, collaboration spaces, specialized curricula, mentorship, and financial resources for their social and economic ventures.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Godiva Golding, a former participant of the DIA Urban Lab in Jamaica, shared her success story and talked about how the DIA Lab in Jamaica impacted her life positively and that of his community.  Ms. Godiva Golding mentioned: \u201cJust this sort of support that they provided in terms of pitching, the mentorship, the connections that have been built, have really helped us to move us from a space of simply existing and having an idea to constantly bringing it to reality.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the event, Rodrigo Iriani, Senior Program Manager, DIA, and CARIRI\u2019s Senior Business Development Officer, Laura Da\u2019Breau, made the official launch of the Youth Innovation Lab. Rodrigo Iriani concluded: “DIA is about empowering citizens for social change through collective intelligence. I encourage all of you today to participate: public officials, youth, academic institutions, international agencies; a multi-stakeholder approach is key for success. This is about building ecosystem to achieve transformation.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trinidad & Tobago DIA Lab will improve the lives of Trinidadian youth, allowing them to learn highly-demanded technological skills and develop disruptive solutions that would benefit their communities. During the event, the audience visited the Lab facilities through a virtual tour that highlighted the benefits technology provides to empower young people. More information about the lab will be posted on our\u202fwebsite<\/a>\u202fand social media platforms of @trust4americas  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About\u202f The\u202f Trust for the Americas:\u202f <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information:www.trustfortheamericas.org<\/a>\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook:\u202fThe Trust for the Americas<\/a>\u202f Twitter:\u202f\u202f\u202f@Trust4Americas<\/a>\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and Washington, D.C.\u00a0June 8, 2021 \u2013 The Trust for the Americas, in partnership with the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) and the Citi Foundation, hosted a virtual event to announce and promote the new Trinidad & Tobago DIA Lab. With this DIA Lab, The Trust for the Americas is launching development initiatives in this Caribbean country for the first time. Young innovators and disruptive entrepreneurs will create low-cost, high-impact, high-quality innovation solutions that provide affordable access and livelihood opportunities for their communities on a long-term, sustainable basis.\u00a0 The following officials participated in the virtual event hosted by CARIRI and Citi Trinidad and Tobago (link): The Honorable Minister Foster Cummings\u00a0\u2013 Ministry of Youth Development and National Service, Mrs. Patricia De Leon Henry \u2013 National Director, National Social Development Program, Mr. Renzo Angeles \u2013 Vice President and Head of Cash Markets for Trinidad and Tobago at the Citi Foundation, Mrs. Danielle Rampersad\u00a0\u2013 Vice President and General Counsel at Citi Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Mitchell De Silva \u2013 Citi Country Officer for Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Dwayne Gutzmer \u2013 Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Law & Economics in Jamaica, Ms. Shanae Owen, Project Officer at the Institute of Law & Economics in Jamaica; Ms. Marina Piper \u2013 OAS Country Officer; and representatives from The Trust for the Americas, CARIRI, the Citi Foundation, and the Institute of Law & Economics.\u00a0 According to the Inter-American Development Bank, approximately one in five young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the Caribbean are neither in school nor part of the workforce. This project will foster empowerment and innovation among Caribbean youth by equipping them with digital and entrepreneurial skills\u2014crucial elements for economic growth. CARIRI\u2019s Human Resources Manager, Ms. Denise Ferguson, stated: \u201cBuilding capacity in Trinidad and Tobago has always been at the forefront of CARIRI\u2019s mandate. This new initiative will allow us to expand our scope into an area that enables at-risk youth to become entrepreneurs, idea generators, and innovators.\u201d Mitch De Silva, Citi Country Officer for Trinidad and Tobago, attended the impressive virtual tour and presentation and, during his remarks, stated:\u00a0\u201cWe are proud to be part of the development of strong, sustainable communities, and Citi Trinidad & Tobago is pleased to be part of the Citi Foundation\u2019s \u201dPathways to Progress\u201c global initiative to equip young people with the career readiness tools and opportunities needed to thrive in today\u2019s economy. We believe this will help them develop an entrepreneurial mindset and acquire leadership skills that will ultimately benefit their families, communities, and the country.\u201d In 2016, the Citi Foundation and The Trust launched the DIA Urban Labs for Youth Innovation in Jamaica. From 2016 to 2020, more than 1,350 young people received training and access to state-of-the-art technology to address challenges in their communities. In that context, The Institute of Law & Economics shared experiences and lessons learned from the DIA Lab in Jamaica.\u202f\u00a0\u00a0 Linda Eddleman, CEO of The Trust for the Americas, noted that \u201cthis is a very important day at The Trust because we are launching the first program in Trinidad and Tobago in our 20-year history. Working with CARIRI and with the support of the Citi Foundation and the Organization of American States, we know that this project will help change the lives of many young people and, in turn, positively impact their communities.\u00a0Specifically, we aim to provide young entrepreneurs with cutting-edge technology training, collaboration spaces, specialized curricula, mentorship, and financial resources for their social and economic ventures.\u201d\u00a0 Godiva Golding, a former participant in the DIA Urban Lab in Jamaica, shared her success story and spoke about how the DIA Lab in Jamaica positively impacted her life and that of her community.\u00a0\u00a0Ms. Godiva Golding said: \u201cIt is precisely this kind of support\u2014in terms of pitching, mentorship, and the connections that have been built\u2014that has truly helped us move from simply existing and having an idea to constantly bringing that idea to life.\u201d\u00a0 At the end of the event, Rodrigo Iriani, Senior Program Manager at DIA, and Laura Da\u2019Breau, Senior Business Development Officer at CARIRI, officially launched the Youth Innovation Lab.\u00a0Rodrigo Iriani concluded: \u201cDIA is about empowering citizens for social change through collective intelligence. I encourage all of you here today to participate\u2014public officials, young people, academic institutions, and international agencies\u2014because a multi-stakeholder approach is key to success. This is about building an ecosystem to drive transformation.\u201d The Trinidad & Tobago DIA Lab will improve the lives of Trinidadian youth by enabling them to learn in-demand technological skills and develop disruptive solutions that will benefit their communities. During the event, attendees took a virtual tour of the Lab\u2019s facilities, which highlighted how technology empowers young people. More information about the lab will be posted on our website and on our social media platforms at @trust4americas. About The Trust for the Americas:\u202f\u00a0 The Trust for the Americas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities and foster innovation in vulnerable communities throughout the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada.\u202f\u00a0 More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org Facebook: The Trust for the Americas Twitter: @Trust4Americas Trinidad & Tobago<\/p>","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":7699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7700,"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7698\/revisions\/7700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trust-oea.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7698"}],"curies":[{"name":"well played","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}