Introducing the YOURS National Road Safety Champions: Caribbean
From Youth For Road Safety – YOURS
We are very excited to announce the recruitment of 11 new Youth Road Safety Champions from across the Carribean region who represent a new wave of road safety conscious youth. These National Champions join our ever growing network of youth who are passionate about the cause and want to take concrete action on the issue. This new group of National Champions come after the pilot in Anglophone Africa.
The Caribbean Champions have been recruited after a rigorous process finding the most passionate and well position youth to represent their country on road safety issues in the broader YOURS Youth Network for Road Safety. The champions come from all across the region representing its vast geographic and cultural differences. Along with the Caribbean Islands, the National Champions in the region are renewing road safety efforts in the region as YOURS continues to expand its work with Caribbean Youth.
This iniative was taken up by Caribbean CORE Group Representative Mr Erland George.
Erland said the following about the recruitment of these Champions in the Region:
The countries of the Caribbean like numerous others universally confront a continuous problem of deaths on our roads. Every year road fatalities claim the lives of our friends and loved ones. Sadly progress to address this problem is slow across the region and the figures show an inconsistent picture from one year to another. One of the ways to address the issues of road safety in the Caribbean is through the average citizen on the street being able to understand the issue and becoming responsible for his/her actions on the roads.
With the introduction of the National Road Safety Champions, we are hoping to equip a large cross section of the region with the necessary road safety knowledge and skills. Additionally, it allows us to have our eyes and ears on the ground in each nation through the champions. This will allow us to to better be able to cater our programming to each individual as well as garner a regional perspective based on information gathered 
from each nation. The introduction of the champions will significantly enhance the work of YOURS in the Caribbean Region.
Director of YOURS Mr Floor Lieshout said:
Youth all around the world are seeing these crashes affect their communities and they are standing up to show the world that youth themselves will take some of the responsibility to reduce road traffic crashes. The recruitment of the Caribbean National Champions is a welcome addition to our growing network of youth ambassadors for road safety. We exist to not only work to bring road safety higher up the decision making agenda but also to support youth to engage in meaningful participation in promoting road safety. Our work in the Caribbean will be much richer now that we have these youth in our network.
Meet the Caribbean National Champions for Road Safety:
Dominique Newton
Dominique Newton – Dominica
“I’m ecstatic to be a part of such an amazing organization, and advocate for such an important cause, that too often is overlooked. I look forward to working with my peers in changing both perspectives and habits, and promoting effective road safety guidelines for a more secure Caribbean”.
Kina Nicholas
Kina Nicholas – Saint Lucia
“Road safety begins with me. It is a delight to be hands with a topic that I am so passionate about, and to be able to save a life through my own example and education.”
Shenelle Hills
Shenelle Hills – Trinidad and Tobago
“Acceptance is just the start but implementation is key”
Steve Laurent
Steve Laurent – Haiti
“Don’t let the world change you but change the world”. I do not know where I got it but I woke up with this feeling this morning”.
Radhameris Gómez Gabriel
Radhameris Gómez Gabriel – Dominican Republic
“I feel honored to be appointed as the National Champion for the Dominican Republic. This is a unique opportunity to enhance the visibility of the road safety issue in my own country and the Caribbean Region as a whole”.
Nickson Barry
Nickson Barry – Grenada
“The safety actions we take today will determine our tomorrow, let it start with me”.
Ebony Wilson
Ebony Wilson – Barbados
“I am very pleased to be a part of the YOURS team and I believe that together we can pave the way for the reduction of road accidents in our region”.
Chelcia Ferdinand
Chelcia Ferdinand – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
“I am truly elated to be joining the Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) Team across the Caribbean. The road ahead may be difficult, given that it is the first time that such an appointment has been made in my country – but it is a journey I eagerly anticipate, as I look forward to other young persons jumping on board this great initiative”.
Amanda St. Romain
Amanda St. Romain – Antigua and Barbuda
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” – Tim Duncan
Dillon Charles
Dillon Charles – Guyana
“This appointment will afford me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of not just youths across my country but people of all ages in the region and the World. Most importantly lives will be saved and transformed for the good as of a result of this new venture. I pledge to fulfill my utmost best. It’s time for our roads to be safe and users to be smart. “ To survive is man’s utmost need but to learn is the greatest joy”.
Tyler Sawyer
Tyler Sawyer – Bahamas
“Before I am a leader, success is all about growing myself. When I become a leader, success is all about growing others”.
Read all of the Caribbean National Champions’ Profiles in more detail here: http://www.youthforroadsafety.org/network/african_champions
The Caribbean National Champions join YOURS’ ever growing youth network for road safety and more recently, the National Youth and Road Safety Champions from Anglophone Africa. This iniative was the brainchild of our Regional Coordinator for Anglophone Africa Mr Brian Bilal Mwebaze.
