ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

Social Media sessions are being held during July to equip participants with web 2.0 skills

The Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Tourism has this week launched multiple workshops to allow workers in the areas of agriculture, tourism, education, community development and youth affairs to broaden their Web 2.0 and Social media skill set.

The ‘Web 2.0 Social Media Learning Opportunity’ workshops have been organized by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation EU-ACP (CTA) and through the support of the Planning Unit of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Minister of Tourism, The Hon. Asot Michael said:  “This learning opportunity is a particularly exciting initiative for our Ministry.  It equips the officers involved with techniques to be used for supporting the small operators in tourism and agriculture to use Web.2.0 and Social Media tools in developing their businesses. There is a world of information and networking technology tools that can be used at minimal cost to promote and grow their businesses."

The first workshop which started on July 6, at the Princess Margaret Secondary School will end on July 10.  The second workshop will run from13 – 17 July and 40 participants will be trained at the end of the event.

The workshops form part of CTA initiatives that support development partners in networking, accessing and disseminating information more effectively.
“(CTA) has a mandate to facilitate access to, and dissemination of information in the fields of agriculture and rural development in 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).  Supporting the adoption of Web 2.0 and social media applications represents a great opportunity for meeting it,” a press release from the organisation said.

The workshops will introduce participants to select web 2.0 applications and provide them with hands-on experience on how to use the applications within the context of their work and organisations.

The five day sessions will cover: advanced online searching, getting information served via alerts and RSS, collaborating remotely using Google Drive, Dropbox, VoIP, online mapping social networking, and social media for Agri-business.

Tourism officers, education officers, agriculture extension officers, members of the Caribbean Farmers Network (CAFAN), community development officers, rural advisory service personnel, and members of youth leadership organizations are signed up for the programme.

James Antoine, Consultant at INFOCOMM an ICT strategy and consulting firm based in Trinidad with expertise in the development of ICT4D strategies in Caribbean economies, is facilitating the workshops.

He is supported by local co-facilitator Kaywana Hampson of the Potters Primary School.  Hampson has graduate and post-graduate academic qualifications in teacher education, computer information systems, and business.

Present at Monday’s Web 2.0 and Social Media Learning Opportunities workshop, opening ceremony were: Paula Frederick-Hunte, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Maynard, Director of Agri-Tourism in the Ministry of Tourism, Stacy Mascall, Head of Knowledge Management, in the Ministry of Education, Facilitator James Antoine  from INFOCOMM Technologies limited, Trinidad and Tobago, contracted by CTA, and  local co- facilitator Kaywana Hampson, Ministry of Education Information Technology Teacher attached to Potters Primary and Brenda Thomas-Odlum, Director of the Community Development Division.