The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

THE OCCUPY Mentorship Programme founded by Gospel artist Ricardo Clarke hosted its final 2019 event this past week.

Under the theme “The Difference Is Me”, 60 students attended a leadership day where various topics were explored such as identity, personal image and achievement.

In October, Ricardo’s mentorship programme reached a major milestone in being recognised as an official non-profit organisation. The inspirational speaker tells Tribune Religion this is his way of demonstrating his faith in a practical way to impart wisdom to young people.

His Occupy mentorship initiative aims to shape character, teach discipline, foster business acumen and promote health within youth. Core areas of the programme include education, vocation/trade, entrepreneurship, faith, philanthropy, health, financial literacy and etiquette. Over the years, the programme has seen several hundred students participate, with many professionals in law, banking, religion, sports, broadcasting, and journalism assisting with the initiative’s efforts.

For Mr Clarke, being officially recognised as a non-profit organisation means the programme will appear reliable to those in other sectors who may want to connect and partner with him. He believes the move strengthens the credibility and integrity of what he and his team is doing for young Bahamians.

“Occupy is now a legal entity recognised in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, with the potential to connect and draw from other regions. This is crucial, especially as we seek to enhance ourselves and serve the persons better who are enrolled. Additionally, it displays to the wider public a desire to formalise and comply legally while serving charitably. Essentially this means that we can do more than we have ever done because we are greater than we’ve ever been,” said Mr Clarke.

Highlights of the recent Occupy initiative included presentations from people such as image consultant and human resources professional Pia Rolle, who presented on “The importance of personal appearance”.

Olympic Silver medalist and ORU Hall of Fame inductee Andretti Bain covered the topic “Being Intentional”. Businessman Geron Sands spoke about “Knowing who you are”, and charged students in attendance to resist peer and social pressure, and strive for excellence. Several schools were in attendance, namely Albury Sayle, Eva Hilton Primary and Elite Academy.

There was also entertainment by ventriloquist Charlie and The Yellow Bahamian, who reminded the children of their leadership ability in a fun and exciting way.

“The students were treated to a tour of Fusion Superplex by its chief legal counsel, Tokoyo Bridgewater, who shared about the vision of the company, his personal journey and encouraged them as budding leaders to pursue their goals and dreams,” said Mr Clarke.

Back in June, Mr Clarke took the programme to New York to the United Nations. During this visit he met with Ambassador Sheila Carey, who is The Bahamas’ representative to the United Nations. They discussed cultural exchange, leadership and the programme.