PORT-OF-SPAIN: Trinidad: At its first Board meeting for 2007, which was held in Kingston, Jamaica, Special Olympics Caribbean welcomed new members and a new Executive to the Board of Directors for the period 2007-2010.
The Board comprises sixteen professionals from seven countries in the Caribbean as well as Miami, and a representative from SOI’s Headquarters in Washington. These members all possess a range of skills critical to the building of a sustainable programme.
The meeting, held over a two-day period provoked much discussion and planning for the support of the Caribbean Special Olympics Programmes. While the meeting focused on the level of preparedness of the fourteen programmes going to Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai, China; it also discussed and signed off on a schedule to strengthen programmes in several countries in the region through increased funding, Board Training, training of coaches and exposing athletes to Invitational meets throughout the region.
The members visited a Special Olympics Aquatics training session at the University of Technology (UTECH) Pool where they were able to see the athletes in training for their National Games as well as speak with the athletes selected to attend this year’s World Games in China to be held October 1 - 11.
Special Olympics is a new organizational model in the Caribbean designed to promote growth and development of programmes in the region, and ultimately triple the number of athletes with mental retardation who will benefit from year-round sports training and competition. Special Olympics is an everyday, every community program, which changes the lives of all intellectually disabled athletes.
Special Olympics Caribbean is a little different from anything that has been done in any other region of the world. The structure calls for leadership from strong, community-focused, regionally-visionary business and civic leaders.
Candilla Berment is the Executive Director, and an office has been established in Port of Spain, Trinidad, with a staff of two. Special Olympics Caribbean is an Accredited Program of Special Olympics, Inc., following the normal accreditation guidelines as all other Special Olympics Programmes. However it also acts as an umbrella Programme for the smaller Caribbean Programs that are still in the founding and developing stages.
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