THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES

Caribbean Perspectives

THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES

REPUBLIC BANK EMPOWERS YOUTH IN GUYANA

Throughout the region, the Republic Bank Group has distinguished itself with empowerment. For the past 27 years, the company’s CSR programme, the Power to Make a Difference (PMAD) has been touching and changing lives. The programme was introduced in 2003 as part of the Group’s decision to transition its social investments from hand-outs towards sustainability.

At the heart of Republic’s philosophy is the issue of care and equity. “It’s just the way we do business”, says Michelle Johnson, Manager, Marketing and Communications at Republic Bank in Guyana. The very nature of the business is built around the notion of shared-value – that when the bank benefits, so does its customers.

Republic Bank sees its business as integrally tied to the people who bank with them. The Bank’s performance is seen as symptomatic of the economic health of its banking community; therefore creating a space where economic growth and financial opportunity are accessible to everyone, is a goal that the Bank believes should be shared by the rest of the business community. “It makes good business sense”, says Johnson.

In Guyana, the Bank’s PMAD programme works with established NGOs to make interventions into several areas of education, arts and culture and special needs. Johnson makes no apology that their interventions are heavily biased towards youth participation in education. She believes that Guyana is in a state of rapid transformation and that it is critical that youth are given every opportunity to take advantage of the momentum.

Signature programmes for the Bank since it first established roots in Guyana have been the Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme and its sponsorship of steelpan competitions. Less visible has been its work in Literacy Programmes and Staff Volunteerism.

Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme

Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited first launched this programme in October 2008 with 22 Apprentices. Wide canvassing takes place through advertising and promotion and an intense selection process takes candidates to the final stages. To qualify, candidates need, as a base, to have excellent mathematical and language skills and must demonstrate requisite attributes for customer service. The objectives are to bridge the gap between the classroom and the world of work-from student to working adults and to equip participants with basic training and marketable skills in business related principles in order to improve career options. To date 270 young persons have come through the Apprenticeship Programme.

During their seven-month tenure, Apprentices are taken through the rigours of office procedures, personal development, banking operations and customer service. As Johnson explains, “The programme forms part of the Bank’s umbrella outreach initiative, ‘Power to Make a Difference’ with special emphasis on the Power to Learn and Succeed.” She says, “Our vision is to inspire, motivate and instil proper work values and ethics in those who enter the programme.” At the end of the training period, Apprentices receive a Caribbean Vocational Qualification(CVQ) from the Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies(CANTA) issued by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training(CTVET). With this qualification of Banking Operations Level 1, the Apprentices will be eligible for jobs within the CARICOM region.

Arts & the Steel Pan

Republic Bank is not new to the steelpan nor to the sponsorship of steelbands. The Bank has been part of the schools’ steelbands competition – Junior Panorama – in Trinidad and Tobago for decades. It was only natural for the Bank to take up sponsorship of pan in schools and to be part of Mashramani, Guyana’s foremost national cultural festival.

The Annual Republic Bank RightStart Pan Minors Music Literacy Programme aims to provide youths with self- discipline and the spirit of teamwork through steel pan, while at the same time making learning fun. The Pan Minors programme started in Guyana in 2010 with 155 students. As of July 2019, over 1270 students have benefitted from the Pan Minors programme, which caters for beginners to advanced players in various Regions across Guyana.

RightStart Participants learn practical skills, steel pan history and music theory during the programme. Every summer a Specialist Camp is included to cater for youths who show an aptitude for Steel Band Arranging, enabling them to take their art to a higher level.

The Bank is also the proud sponsor of the Republic Bank Mashramani Panorama Steel Band Competition which encourages young pannists to compete at the annual national festival. This competition seeks to celebrate the creative expressions of the pan as its music provides inspiration for those aspiring to a career in music, while assuring the development of musical talent in the country and strengthening of the country’s cultural heritage.

The first Republic Bank sponsored competition was held in 2009 with three (3) school bands participating. In 2019, the 11th year of the Bank’s investment, over eleven (11) school bands now compete for top spots.

Over the last five years, due to steadily increasing participation, the venue could no longer accommodate the crowds and the event extended for a two day period with minor categories (soloists, duets, jazz ensembles) competing on Day One; while the youth and large bands compete on Day Two. The schools’ competition is also serving to generate wider interest in the artform and a greater appreciation for steel pan music among the Guyanese population. In a series of testimonials during the 2018 solo and duet competitions, the competitors, most of whom started playing via the Republic Bank Pan Minors Music Literacy Programme, spoke eloquently and emotively about the significant role that the artform has played in shaping their personal lives and growth. These ranged from enabling greater discipline and academic success; enabling creativity beyond their expectation and disallowing negative/destructive behaviours to seep into their lives as most of their free time was spent playing pan and learning new skills.

Autism Awareness and the Step By Step Foundation

The Step By Step Foundation is a locally registered charitable organisation catering for the education and development needs of children with autism. In 2011, the organisation expanded its purpose to establish the Step by Step School for autistic children. This project falls under the PMAD category of the Power to Help and Care.

To be able to sustain its much-needed service and its role in the delivery of education to all, the Foundation sought the support of sponsors. In 2013, Republic Bank introduced the services of a US medical practitioner specializing in autism. This sponsorship arrangement provides remuneration for two tutors and three annual visits by the specialist which are designed to assess the children’s progress and to monitor tutors’ performance. The specialist also works through the Foundation to conduct assessments on potentially autistic children. More recently, the Bank has provided scholarships for two students who would otherwise have been unable to access the services of the school.

In 2016, Republic Bank introduced the Light It Up Blue – Autism Awareness Walk which has since been hosted annually under the Patronage of the Honourable First Lady of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Sandra M. Granger. This walk is held in collaboration with the Step by Step Foundation and School for Autistic Children with support and participation from various companies and organisations to help advance Autism awareness locally and raise funds to support the work of the Step by Step Foundation.

Staff Volunteerism

In the background, Republic Bank staffers are continually engaged in volunteerism. Every level of staff from the MD to entry-level recruits have given of time and talent in a number of ways. Wherever the Bank operates, staff are involved in the community in some way. Through the Republic Bank Staff Volunteerism programme, literacy has been given a high priority, through direct intervention in schools through reading programmes and in the rehabilitation of libraries, provision of books and school supplies. Staffers also work with Children Homes and Orphanages to bring relief and comfort.