 Welcome to Nation Beat. I am Lisa Joseph bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and the highlights around the heart of Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia has once again proven that it is in a league of its own as a tourism destination, copying a major title. The Ministry of Education moves to equip students with special needs for equal opportunity. And scores of Saint Lucia's put their creativity to the test in the Lantern competition. Saint Lucia has once again proven that it is in a league of its own as a tourism destination. The island was named the 2018 World's Leading honeymoon destination at the World Travel Awards Grand Final in Lisbon, Portugal. Saint Lucia was nominated among the top honeymoon hotspots around the world, including Jamaica, the Maldives, Maui, Hawaii, Mauritius and Paris, France. This is the island's 10th World's Leading honeymoon destination award, but the first title since 2010. No other destination has won the coveted title as many times. Saint Lucia's closest rival is Mauritius, which has won four times. To commemorate the award, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority unveiled a massive billboard outside the Heronora International Airport on December 2, 2018, highlighting some aspects of the island that won its acclaim as the Leading honeymoon destination. Minister for Tourism, Information, Broadcasting, Culture and Curative Industries, Hon. Dominic Fede, told the ceremony that the glory of the prestigious title truly belongs to the thousands of Saint Lucians who are employed in the tourism industry. I want to dedicate this award to the thousands of tourism employees at the line level who go out every day and fight for the destination of Saint Lucia. These employees have been the most extraordinary ambassadors. Minister Fede noted that the World Travel Award and others like it highlighted the importance of village tourism to the overall strategic plan to have the benefits of the industry penetrate every community. To make sure that when we talk about successes like today, that ordinary people in villages like Ansthorie and Grozely and in Maycoud and Laverie can appreciate and have an acute understanding of what we really need. And so the Village Tourism Project is so important to build that perception and to mobilize our entire populace around our number one industry. Tourism still contributes about 65% of the industry directly over our contribution to the local economy. And it remains a catalyst of growth for other industries. The World Travel Awards is the most prestigious and sought-after awards program in the global travel and the tourism industry. It was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Tiffany Howard is the acting CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. On a world stage, no matter how small we are compared to some of the larger destinations, we are here with an opportunity to really show everyone that we're small but we're mighty. Chairman of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Nicholas John, received the award on the island's behalf in Lisbon, Portugal. Prime Minister Hon. Alan Chastney is attending the 18th special meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community on the Caricom Single Market and Economy, the CSME, in Port of Spain, Trinidad from December 3 to 6, 2018. This special meeting was agreed to at the July Caricom session in Jamaica and focuses on establishing an effective and meaningful CSME and looks at the CSME as a platform for growth and development. Several areas for the implementation of the CSME will be tackled, including expansion of categories of skilled community nationals, the principle of mutual recognition of companies, and effective settlement of disputes. The Heads will also discuss how CSME can be supportive of member states' development goals and priorities and thereby make it more effective. In the Prime Minister's absence, Minister for Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation, Hon. Guy Joseph will serve as the acting Prime Minister. More than 600 students of the Sao Paulo East Community College have been encouraged to follow their passions as they enter the world of work. As we hear from Anissa Antoine, one of Sinusha's most successful young entrepreneurs inspired the graduates through his own lessons. On Sunday, 2 December 2018, the Sao Paulo East Community College observed the 52nd graduation exercise of the institution. An average of 650 students were eligible to receive certificates, diplomas and degrees for the successful completion of their programs of study. The ceremony took place at the campus grounds in Montfortuin cast trees where approximately 350 graduates attended. Joyce Lynn Fletcher is the chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Sao Paulo East Community College. To you the graduates, remember no one can define your destiny or validate who you are or who you become but you. Regardless of all the negatives around you, look to be a part of what is positive. So as you leave, remember your alma mater and give back. Every little bit makes a difference. Go slay your giants, climb the summits, conquer the obstacles, stay focused on your vision, persevere. Nothing and no one can stop you from realizing your dreams but you. Guest Speaker Joanne Nduzho is a former student of the Sao Paulo East Community College and a founder and CEO of Algas Organics. Algas Organics is the Caribbean's first indigenous agriculture biotechnology company. Nduzho explained that this idea developed during his tenure as a physical education teacher at the Millet Primary School. I remember spending every break and lunch time in the computer lab writing down business ideas in what I would call my dream book. So many ideas were born in that computer lab and ultimately they led me to where I am today. On your journey, I would urge you to do the same. Don't let the comfort of a salary keep you chained to doing something that you're not passionate about. You only have one life, you only have one life and you ought to spend it doing something you love. Nduzho stated that although education is important, his success is due to his dedication and commitment to redefining his own path. The student who graduates with an A is no more talented than the one who graduates with a B, C or D. But there's a condition to that and the condition is that's not okay to get a B, C or D guys. The condition to that is the student who graduates with a B, C or D who has the drive and determination to succeed. What happens is that the A student has shown proficiency in the classroom. But guess what? Life is not lived in the classroom. In attendance with the Governor-General of St. Lucia, Sir Emanuel Neville Snack, from the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. This is Nation Beat, coming up equipping students with special needs for equal opportunity. How do I decide which telecommunications service provider to use? When choosing a mobile, landline, cable TV and internet service provider or changing the one you currently use, here's what you should think about in order to get the best service to meet your needs. Why do I need the service? What is the quality of service offered? What are the rates? Are there hidden charges? How much can I afford to pay for the service? What are the customer service obligations of the provider? Not satisfied with the service? The choice is yours whether or not to use the service. This message is brought to you as a public service announcement by Ectel, the NTRC and this station. Welcome back. The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development recently assessed the programs being offered to students with special needs with a view to equipping them with skills to become contributors in the society. In pursuit of an all-inclusive policy in the education sector, a considered effort is underway to improve the service accessed by children with special needs. The Ministry of Education, assisted by the Chief Education Officer of the Trinidad National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, evaluated the programs at the various special schools on island. The aim of the exercise is to have students trained and integrated into the workforce as seamlessly as possible. Dale Saint-Gis is the Education Officer for special education. For many years, children with special needs have been leaving special schools without any qualification to talk about. But with the advancement of Caribbean vocational qualifications as promoted by the TVET unit, there are opportunities now for students to get certification in various skill areas. So with Dr. Beckles being here, her organization has sort of experienced the marriage of these two disabilities and technical vocational education and training. And we want to learn lessons from them, what they have accomplished, what they have done, and maybe some of the mistakes that they have made so that we can avoid making those mistakes. Beverly Beckles of the Trinidad National Centre for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with teachers and principals and says her input is not to provide a carbon copy of what exists in Trinidad. Ms. Beckles believes that St. Lucia must tailor programs that are market-specific to its locality. So you're not going to use all the same training that Trinidad does, but look at what St. Lucia has and tailor it to suit that. So it's a start. As you know, there's a UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. And yes, we all need to be working towards an inclusive society. And in that respect, I'm here to share our experiences and also to learn from St. Lucia as well. It's not a question of a one-way, but we're looking at a very collaborative approach to what we do as we move forward. Calve Samuel, Education Officer for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, says the unit is eager to collaborate with the National Centre of and for Persons with Disabilities. We realize that NCPD is doing a lot of work with people with disabilities. And we in St. Lucia can certainly benefit from those opportunities, that sort of position that they've taken, especially as it relates to providing people with skills and also developing them holistically so that they can become integrated into society. Recommendations from the three-day visit by Beverly Beckles are expected to form part of a strategic paper for stakeholder consultations. Scores of Stenutions put their creativity to the test on the 1st of December as they appeared before the judges in the Lantern competition. The competition is one of the main events in the December festivals. The Cultural Development Foundation has successfully hosted the 1st December Festival for 2018, the Lantern Competition. The December festivals are a series of three traditional festivals which aims to bring the nation together by showcasing creativity through a Lantern Competition, the Festival of Carols and the Festival of Light ceremony. The Lantern Competition was preceded by a series of training workshops in which participants perfected their Lantern-making skills. Tyrone Harris is the Senior Events and Production Officer of the Cultural Development Foundation. It seeks to continue the tradition of Lantern building in St. Lucia. This is traditionally a Christmas event, a Christmas tradition rather. This year there's no surprise. The standard of Lantern is certainly as expected and we have a number of new committees coming on from Shwazel to Monropo. The results for the Lantern Competition will be announced at the Festival of Lights on Wednesday the 12th of December at the Derrick Walcott Square. For myself, I have done tribute to Libo as well as both of them remembered in love. Also my daughter, Shania, was also engaged and she did dolphins and also the bounty of the sea. I really enjoyed doing that and I make it a tradition for my children. St. Pierre expressed his excitement for the future of Lantern building and creativity in the years to come. The next event at the Festival of Carols will take place on Sunday the 9th of December at the Church of St Anne in Monropo, Miku. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine. That's Nation Beat. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30pm with a repeat at 7.30am and on this station as we feel the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the Senucia Government Facebook page or on the YouTube channel. I am Lisa Joseph.