A three day workshop has taken place in Kingstown, the capital of St Vincent and the Grenadines, aimed at helping people set up a development project in their local community, as part of the ‘Agents of Change’ programme. The workshop was attended by students from Bishop’s College in Kingstown as well as by members of the various parishes in the Archdeaconry of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Anglican Alliance (www.anglicanalliance.org) has developed the Agents of Change programme as a resource to help Anglicans anywhere in the world tackle poverty, live out the Five Marks of Mission, and bring about the abundant living Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.
The introduction of the programme in the Diocese of the Windward Islands emerged from a conversation between the Principal of Bishop’s College and the Anglican Alliance Caribbean Facilitator, Clifton Nedd after he visited the school and was invited to see its agricultural science poultry farming project. He was informed that two former students are now engaged in poultry farming as a means of livelihood.
The 8 module distance learning programme looks at every stage of setting up a project – from coming up with an idea, to planning, to managing the project as well as important principles of good practice that ensure a project is run well, safely, and effectively.
Bishop Leopold Friday warmly welcomed the introductory workshop: “This programme we believe will help to equip students and members of the Church, particularly our young people, with skills which will help them to create opportunities for self employment, and to encourage collaborative efforts, and a greater sense of self-worth and community. It will provide them with a viable alternative to the negative influences” he said.
Bishop Leopold reported that the participants said they found the programme enlightening and that they experienced a sense of bonding: “One of the things which stands out is that the programme is faith based and grounded in scripture. It was interesting to see the participants relating the scriptures to what they were doing and learning to make decisions based on biblical principles.”
The course is open to Anglicans who are involved or desire to be involved in development work in their schools, churches or communities. For the purposes of the course, “Anglican” includes anyone enrolled in an Anglican institution.