The 18th annual Caribbean Child Research Conference was held at the Five Islands UWI Campus in Antigua and Barbuda on November 29th and 30th, 2023. It had the theme “A Safer Planet for Every Child.” We want to live in a society where children’s rights are respected and their opinions are heard.
Children from all throughout the region were given the opportunity to show their work on the issue, whether it was in the form of a research paper, essay, or poster.
Belle Adams, an 11-year-old form 1 student at St. Vincent Girls’ High School, was named the regional champion of the essay competition, which was open to students aged 11 to 14.
The top five essay writers travelled to Antigua and Barbuda to read their essays in front of an audience that included a majority of their peers, officials from UNICEF Eastern Caribbean, UWI Mona and Five Islands Campuses, and the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Education.
The winners were announced at the conclusion of the presentations. Belle Adams, a Vincentian student, won first place with her essay titled “Our Voice Counts in Addressing Climate Change.” Belle emphasised the need of children’s voices at the climate change conversation table.
Grenada came in second, with St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Lynn Exumé taking third. Trinidad and Tobago finished fourth and St. Lucia fifth, respectively.
