Orientation ~ Caribbean Youth Congress Participants
Welcome, Orientation and Presentation Preview for Caribbean Youth Congress Participants.
Students between the ages of 14 and 17 from CTO member countries are invited to participate in the Congress and the person from the winning debating team, who is selected to represent his/her country at the CTO’s Tourism Youth Congress, will be given the title of Junior Minister/Commissioner of Tourism. This title will be held for one (1) year until a new Junior Minister/Commissioner of Tourism is selected in the following year at the conclusion of the inter-school debates in that year.
The Youth Congress is structured to mirror a CTO Board of Directors’ Meeting with an agenda and topics on salient tourism issues which participants have to research beforehand. The students must come prepared to discuss one topic. A “mystery” question will also be asked and each student will be expected to give a response.
Other educational tours and activities are organized for the students and chaperones e.g. attendance at various conference sessions, visits to various tourism sites and attractions. Attractive prizes are provided for the winner and runners-up. The Junior Ministers/Commissioners of Tourism are expected to put forward their own views and the views of their country on the various topics to be discussed. It is not a debating competition, it is a discussion among the Junior Ministers/Commissioners which generates practical ideas that can be implemented at the national/regional levels.