The statement was read during the 25 Most Remarkable Teens (MRTs) Awards at a special sitting of Parliament on Thursday, November 15 by the Honourable Michael Perkins, Speaker of the Federal Parliament, on behalf of the Governor General, who commended the teens on their achievement.
“I commend all of the honourees for their outstanding contributions to national building and applaud their initiatives, which demonstrate a commitment to excellence. We need them to be beacons for their fellow young people, inspiring all to aim high and to become model citizens to our young nation,” the statement read.
In his message, Sir Tapley congratulated the teens on their achievement to date and implored them to continue to make meaningful contributions to the development of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Sir Tapley’s message to the youth noted that the categories of the honourees “reveals the very extensive range of achievements.” The teens were awarded in the following categories: most promising; excellence in academics; writing; sports; youth activism; fashion design; performing and visual arts; school pride; volunteerism; spiritual pride, and musical leadership. Personal decisions to change; the spirit of hope, and courage to overcome also formed part of the list.
The 25 MRTs, a youth recognition initiative in the Federation, was founded in November 2011 by the Department of Youth Empowerment and is the only one of its kind in the region. To date, a total of 200 teens have been awarded under this programme.