40 children complete 6th annual heritage awareness programme

Georgetown, GINA, July, 29 2016

Forty (40) children have successfully completed the sixth annual Heritage Awareness Programme hosted by the National Trust of Guyana. The five-day programme which ran from July 25-29, saw the participation of children between the ages of eight and eleven years.

The participants had the opportunity to learn about the historic sites and monuments, as they were able to tour the sites. They were involved in model-making of monuments and historic structures, public speaking and team building skills, and exposed to archaeology and anthropology. The children also identified monuments in their immediate surroundings and embraced their importance.

At the closing ceremony, the children were recognised with certificates of participation and those who performed well were given songbooks, English dictionaries and booklets containing information of historic sites.

Nirvana Persaud, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Trust and programme facilitator noted that “culture is much more than heritage sites, therefore it must be embraced.”

Minister within the Ministry of Education with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Nicolette Henry encouraged the children to be good listeners which would make them good learners. “I would like the young people to develop a sense of culture, be kind to each other and be polite, courtesy can’t go out of style,” the minister added.

The Heritage Awareness Programme had been set up to create awareness for children to become aware of the importance of Guyana’s cultural heritage, values and everything else they need to know about historic structures.