The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE Youth Empowerment Programme Bahamas and the Beta Beta Lambda Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc has announced a “strategic partnership” aimed at strengthening the YEP Scholarship Fund.

Delano Munroe, Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) Bahamas president and CEO, said the deal was fostered following intense discussions between the two groups. He added that such strategic partnerships build stronger communities.

“YEP is a non-profit organisation and always welcomes any assistance to help advance the positive development of young people,” said Mr Munroe.

“I am looking forward to working with this chapter in the near future as many of the members of this chapter have expressed interest in volunteering further as mentors for the new YEP programme year 2015-2016.”

The partnership aligns with two of the fraternity’s principles of scholarship and service. The chapter saw it fit to help YEP in raising funds for their scholarship fund through their annual steak out, said chapter President Javon Rolle.

The Beta Beta Lamba Chapter was organised at the College of the Bahamas in November 2004, making it the first black Greek letter organisation in the Bahamas.

Phi Beta Sigma was founded at Howard University in Washington, DC, on January 9, 1914 by three African-American students.

Officials of the fraternity held their first general board meeting of its executive arm in New Providence last November to commemorate 100 years of “brotherhood, scholarship, and service.”

A delegation comprised of the 45 US members, the Beta Beta Lambda and the Delta Epsilon Sigma Chapters of the Bahamas visited Oakes Field Primary to carry out the organisation’s national education theme “Men of Sigma Promoting Literacy,” by implementing its Read Initiative.

PBS partnered with its adopted school to advocate the importance of literacy to over 600 students.

YEP is a registered youth organisation with the Ministry of Youth and is sanctioned and supported by the Ministry of Education. In April, YEP announced that the organisation had secured agreements with three American universities to offer scholarships to local students.

YEP officials confirmed that Saint Leo University and Bethune Cookman, both Florida institutions, and the Atlanta Technical College in Georgia have all aligned themselves as strategic partners for the 2015-2016 academic year.