SEVEN SEAS WATER GROUP DONATION FOR ST. MAARTEN YOUTH BRIGADE
- Published in Soualiga News
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SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The St. Maarten Youth Brigade has become the latest recipient of a donation made by the Seven Seas Water Group (St. Maarten), destined to aid a youth empowerment program, implemented for at-risk and disenfranchised youth from the age of 12 to 21.
According to Project Manager Jean Oneli Blaise, the St.Maarten Youth Brigade is a youth empowerment program that advocates strength, confidence and resilience. The group utilizes para-military techniques in developing skills of local youth people in social, economic, cultural and governmental areas, realized through diverse educational programs. The brigade was established by the non-profit The Voice of the Youth Foundation.
The youth brigade partners with the St. Maarten Police Force, the local Red Cross organization, the St. Maarten Fire Department, the VKS, the Coast Guard as well as Dutch Royal Marines for these programs, which are additionally meant to create and strengthen awareness of fundamental rights and to develop a sense of duty. The brigade hopes that these programs ultimately lead to encouraging an active and effective participation in affairs affecting the St. Maarten community.
The youth brigade has had to cope with budget cuts and the Seven Seas Water Group was most willing to assist the brigade with the recent donation.
Seven Seas Water Group St. Maarten Managing Director, Franklyn Richards, says that assisting local entities and initiatives involving youth, education and nation building developments fit right into the company's position on its corporate social responsibility. Richards notes that the aforementioned becomes even more essential during challenging financial times, when youth development programs need more attention instead of being ignored.
In accepting the donation for the youth brigade, project director Jean Blaise reiterated that “at The Voice of the Youth St. Maarten Foundation, we aim to contribute to a peaceful, well-governed and secure society with a stable environment with youth inclusion, as our priority”.
The project director extended “most profound appreciation to Seven Seas Water Group St. Maarten for their generous donation to our foundation”.
The group describes a meeting held with Richards as a truly meaningful experience and attributes this to the Seven Seas Water Group Managing Directors curiosity regarding activities of the youth brigade.
”We discussed the different programs we offer and issues facing St. Maarten youth nowadays. Needless to say, Seas Water Group St. Maarten was willing to support us before we even finished.
Not many individuals or companies realize the importance of such programs in developing nations like St. Maarten”, says Blaise.