The Youth Affairs Division, in collaboration with the Cooperative Division of the Ministry of National Mobilization, will host a Your Money Trek (YMT) Financial Literacy Seminar for forty Teacher Guides on Monday, March 21, 2011.{{more}} The webinar format will use online technology to link Stacia Morris, President of YMT, to the teachers, with the help of Jerry George, Managing Director of Island Media Communication.

Morris, based in the US, will teach the teachers in St. Vincent live via online video. George is instrumental in managing the technology, while Morris prepares for the TREK (training resources and empowerment keys) workshop. This collaboration of technology, skills, and partnering is a great example of how the diaspora can connect, remain engaged, and help the folks in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to access critical information necessary for 21st century advancement.

The objective of the Cooperative Teachers’ Guide Workshop is to teach approximately 40 teachers, who will in turn encourage their students to save at an early age. General financial literacy education will be provided to the teachers where they will learn about the program and later have a question/answer session. The teachers will teach children from ages 5- 13 years at the primary schools and ages 13-17 at the secondary school level.

Morris was requested to work with the Youth Affairs Division after recent exposure of her ongoing commitment to training and educating others in financial literacy, as evidenced in February during the GHS Centenary Anniversary Lecture series. Morris was interviewed by George on the popular television show UP NEXT, and the two committed to doing all they can to help inform, invest in, and transform lives. This is the first example of that commitment.

When asked if there will be other endeavors like this, Morris stated that “so long as people are as enthusiastic and focused as Jerry George and Faustina Lewis have been – quick to act, execute, and put substantive plans in place, then yes, I am always game. It is clear that they care about bringing education to and advancing our people.”

Later this month, Morris will conduct her third annual ‘Teach-the-Teacher’ workshop for the Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) in Hamden, Connecticut. Morris’ work for ACES is based on her book Teen Money 101. She will essentially customize this teaching for the needs of the Youth Affairs Division. Her work with ACES has been implemented by teachers in about 30 different schools in Connecticut.

Morris and George look forward to spearheading the first webinar in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Monday, March 21, 2011. They want this to be a positive and successful experience for all involved.

Morris looks forward to working with other programs in SVG, the Caribbean in general, and other developing countries to teach teenagers, teachers, parents, employees, executives, professionals, government officials, and others.

The Youth Affairs Division is networking with the Cooperative Division and Morris in 2011 to continue its “Catch them Young” outreach program to teachers which commenced in 2007.