The 2nd annual GARD Center fundraiser Farm-to-Table luncheon was held on site at the Gilbert Agro-heritage site on Saturday, 16 April 2016. The Official Sponsor of this year’s event is the James & Maginley Charity and Care Foundation. This Foundation willingly came on board and supported this venture of the Center.
This year’s event was held under the patronage of Their Excellencies, Sir Rodney & Lady Sandra Williams.
Of the many patrons who came to support our worthy cause, we wish to sincerely thank you for your support. This event has truly been dubbed as Antigua’s most exquisite and unique outdoor dining experience!
A delicious meal, buffet style was available with mainly FRESH, LOCAL produce. A true Farm-to-Table setting was provided while seated under white tents, with the fresh air gently blowing through the Casuarina trees. Patrons were able to enjoy live entertainment, which was provided by Pannist, Bernard Duplesis; complimentary food samples, which
included locally caught seafood, and locally made confectioneries.
There was a Chinese auction, officiated by Mrs. Chris Richards and the patrons had an exciting time, bidding for
the donated prizes, which included a weekend for two (2) at Tamarind Hills; dinner for two (2) at the Galley Bay Resort and Spa; lunch for two (2) at Curtain Bluff; an Azumi Smartphone from Digicel; gift certificates from Gloria’s Beauty Salon and Midway Service Station.
Additionally, a beautiful artiste impression of the St. John’s Market scenery was donated by a local upcoming artiste, Ms. Sabiena Winston.
Patrons so enjoyed the ambiance that they cannot wait for the next Farm-to-Table. See you all on the Saturday, 15 April, 2017.
The GARD Center sincerely thanks everyone for their support and encouragement for the work carried out at the Center, as it carries out it’s programmes to reach at risk youth, with a second chance in life. THANK YOU!!!
More About our Sponsors
The James and Maginley Charity and Care Foundation, is a non-profit charity, established in January, 2016.
Its founders are Ambassador Casroy James and Mr. Kirthley Maginley, co-principals of James and Maginley Ltd.
The primary mission of the James and Maginley Charity and Care Foundation is to improve the lives and well-being of the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, particularly, those most vulnerable.
Category Archives: Entrepreneurship
Sponsorship for Farm-to-Table Fundraiser
The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) has been blessed with sponsorship from the James and Maginley Charity and Care Foundation, for its 2nd Annual, and major fundraiser event.
This year’s event will be held under the patronage of His Excellency, Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams and Lady Williams.
The Handover Ceremony was held in the recently constructed training facility which was donated by the People of Japan, at the GARD Center, Agro-heritage Center, on Thursday, 3 March 2016, 3:30pm.
The brief Ceremony was opened in Prayer by Rev. Patmore Henry, Secretary to the Methodist Conference. The Master of Ceremonies was Mr. Colin C. James CEO, Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.
Remarks were offered by Mrs. Roberta Williams, Executive Director, GARD Center, as well as by Ambassador Casroy James and Mr. Kirthley Maginley, Directors of the James and Maginley Charity and Care Foundation.
Remarks were also offered by Ms. Shirlene Nibbs, Consultant to the Ministry of Tourism, in the absence of Hon. Asot Michael, Minister of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment and Energy.
Unveiling of the Poster, which signaled the launch of the 2nd Annual Farm-to-Table Event was Mrs. Ann Jonas, Private Secretary to His Excellency, Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams.
The James and Maginley Charity and Care Foundation is a non-profit charity, established in January, 2016. Its founders are Ambassador Casroy James and Mr. Kirthley Maginley, co-principals of James and Maginley Ltd.
The primary mission of the James and Maginley Charity and Care Foundation is to improve the lives and well-being of the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, particularly, those most vulnerable.
GARD Center Graduation Ceremony
The GARD Center recently held its Class of 2015, Graduation Ceremony, on Thursday, 25 February, 2016. This event was held at the Ebenezer Methodist Church Hall.
Seventy seven (77) persons graduated from Business Management; Customer Service; Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Yacht Maintenance training courses.
The Feature Address was given by Hon. E. Paul ‘Chet’ Greene, Minister of Trade, Industry and Commerce and the parliamentary representative for the St. Paul constituency. The technical/ practical training was conducted at the Precision Yacht Painting Workshop in Liberta. A very passionate Miss Kareem Francis gave the Project Overview, which focused on the Yacht Maintenance course, where 35 young men and 2 young women graduated.
In the last seven years the GARD Center has been providing full-time training courses for vulnerable youth. These courses help young people to acquire necessary skills and provide them with job experience that will later enable them with a second chance, to get a job or become successfully self-employed.
Japanese Completion Ceremony
On the afternoon of Wednesday, 17 February 2016, it was official. The Embassy of Japan handed over the Skills Training facility to the GARD Center. This project was graciously funded through the Grass-roots Human Security Project (GGP), entitled “The Project for Extension of a Skill Training Center for Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center”
The Completion Ceremony was held on site at the Gilbert Agricultural & Rural Development Center (GARD Center), Nature Park, Mercers Creek, Antigua and Barbuda.
The grant from the Government of Japan for the extension of their Skills Development Center which seeks to enhance the existing training and development activities offered, while also providing increased opportunities for vulnerable youth in Antigua and Barbuda. The amount donated was US$100,525.00.
The ceremony was attended by Mr. Takafumi Ura, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, Mrs. Roberta Williams, Executive Director, Gilbert Agricultural & Rural Development Center, and His Excellency Anthony Liverpool, Director General of Foreign Affairs who offered remarks. Ambassador to the UAE, Mr. Casroy James, also attended the ceremony along with other invited guests and media representatives.
In his speech, Mr. Ura highlighted that as “the Government of Japan continues to assist small island states in overcoming vulnerabilities, I believe the Gilbert Agricultural & Rural Development Center’s contribution to youth and female empowerment, along with their support for improved food security in rural communities, can boost the entrepreneurial capabilities throughout the twin island, therefore impacting on the reduction rate of unemployment and producing more self-reliant and productive individuals.”
He continued, the “Government of Japan is very pleased that we can assist the Gilbert Agricultural & Rural Development Center in this endeavour.”
GARD Center Car Boot Sale
GARD Center wishes to thank
all of those who sold and
bought items at our recently held
Pre-Christmas Car Boot Sale
You supported the Center’s efforts to aid in Youth Development.
We look forward to your support at our 2nd Car Boot Sale on Saturday, 6 February 2016
Items for Sale, include:
* Halo Magic Charger
* Selfie-stick
* Waterproof Bluetooth
* DELL Venue 10 Pro Atom Tablets
Call NOW to Register at 463.4121 or 562.0084
Email: youth@gardc.org
New Course Registration
In January of 2016 the Center will be offering courses in Office Administration, Business Management, Tour Guiding and ICT.
Please contact the Center to register now. Tel: 268.463.4121 or 268.562.0084.
Registration is ongoing.
Parks and Recreation Ground Maintenance Technician Training Course
Fifteen (15) young unemployed men and women are undergoing training to become Parks and Recreation Ground Maintenance Technicians at the GARD Center. This is a new course designed by the Center to create a pool of qualified technicians who understand and have the technical know how and practical experience in the management and care of plants; trail blazing techniques; pruning and grafting; minor carpentry skills; composting; pest control; lawn care and operation of landscape equipment.
The GARD Center was contracted by the Labour Department to execute this small works project under their Temporary Employment Program. The trainees are at the Gilbert Agro-heritage Center which will be opening to the general public over the next 5-6 months. The Mill Reef Fund has also contributed monies for this agricultural training course which is greatly appreciated. The Mill Reef Fund has been over the past years a gold sponsor for Camp GROW which is a collaborative effort between the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) and the Center. This camp exposes and provides young people between the ages of 8-11 years with an appreciation for the environment and the importance of agriculture
These future Parks and Recreation Ground Maintenance Technicians will be a great asset to hotel ground maintenance programs, home owners, businesses and other facilities. The GARD Center is very pleased to partner with the Labour Department and the Mill Reef Fund in this effort to offer the unemployed better opportunities through skills training.
YOUTH SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 'CAR-19'
The CAR-19 pre-technology programme is part of a broader group of programmes that are being developed in collaboration with the CARICOM Education for Employment Programme (C-EFE) funded by the Canadian federal government, and the Youth Skills Development Programme (YSD) funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). Through this collaboration (C-EFE/YSD, 2014)
This exciting Yacht Maintenance Course began on 1 September 2015, and will continue for 10 weeks, after which there will be a two week internship period, for the participants to receive hands-on training. Of the forty eight youth (between the ages of 15 and 25 years) who registered, forty two (40 males and 2 females) started the training.
Mentoring Workshop
On Wednesday, 12 August, the Scotiabank/CoESL’s Bridging the Gap Project & Regional Conference culminated with the hosting of a Business Mentoring Workshop, hosted by GARD Center- the affiliate and representative for CoESL in Antigua.
This event was held in the conference room of the Environmental Division on Parliament Drive, with 15 participants mostly under the age of 35, who operate businesses in e-commerce, agro-processing, agriculture, craft, natural hair products, and graphic designing. Six of these already have established small businesses, while the other nine attendees were ‘potential’ entrepreneurs.
CoESL which abbreviates for Caribbean Centre of Excellence and Sustainable Livelihoods is a Caribbean partnership of islands that focus and advocate strongly on providing sustainable development through entrepreneurship in the Caribbean. CoESL’s initiative includes other participating territories such as St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Belize, Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, and St. Kitts & Nevis.
The topic of this Mentoring workshop was, ‘Bookkeeping: Leveraging and Separating Your Personal and Business Finances’ which was presented by Lorraine Perry, the Regional Sales Manager of the Eastern Caribbean for Scotiabank.
Each participating island was responsible for identifying a suitable topic for the workshop. The GARD Center’s Business Development Officer- Johan Oliver, selected this topic based on needs from previous training exercises.
August 12 was recognized as International Youth Day. It was welcoming to acknowledge the young entrepreneurs who were present for the workshop, including past students of the GARD Center who are currently operating small businesses in sustainable ventures such as farming, agro-processing, and craft. The discussions and interaction were very well received by all participants as Scotiabank and their representatives maintained a high energy level and informative environment. Scotiabank also provided paraphernalia and prizes during the workshop in gratitude of the enthused participants.
The GARD Center and its Business Development Unit continues to provide business support services to all youth and young entrepreneurs. Commencing September 2015, the Center will be hosting Business Management Courses for a period of twelve (12) weeks, which will include marketing and sales, cost and pricing, finance and budgeting, customer service, and computer literacy.
Registration is ongoing until the end of August. Please call 734-0084 or 463-4121 for more information.
GARD Center – CXC Mathematics and English Results
The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) introduced classes in Mathematics and English at the CXC General level in September 2014. These day courses were available to anyone who was interested in improving themselves.
There were initially nine (9) persons enrolled and registered for Mathematics, and ten (10) for the English course. Four participants actually paid for and sat the Math exam and three were successful. Six participants paid and sat the English exam. Five passed, one attained a Grade 1, two attained a Grade 2, and two attained a Grade 3.
The GARD Center wishes to congratulate all of those who remained dedicated to their studies and were successful in passing their examinations.
The Center also sincerely wishes to extend best wishes to our committed tutor, Mr. Lorne Matthew, who believed that everyone could have passed these exams, had they stayed focus.
