A petition started by Mr. Stacy Mather, Director at the YEP to Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Dr. the Hon. Natalio D Wheatley seeks to instill a mandate that all Youth in Virgin Islands to be able to swim by age 10.
The petition states, “The Virgin Islands (UK) is known as the sailing capital of the world. With a marine industry that stands as one of the more vital sectors of our economy. The significance of our natural marine environment in the Virgin Islands is second only to our human resources. For decades there has been a need/desire for more youth in the territory to become keen on having businesses and careers in this sector. This is a vision that can be achieved.
Our youth must be encouraged to engage in marine-based activities. It is only through early experiences that their interest may peak to explore more in sailing, scuba diving, sustainable fishing, surfing, kiteboarding, kayaking etc. Moreover, perhaps take up careers in marine biology and ocean conservation. However, the basic skill needed for all of these and more is the ability to swim.
This petition proposes that all youth in the Virgin Islands (UK) must be able to demonstrate basic swimming skills by the age of 10 or 5th Grade. This standard can be implemented with programmes within our schools or through private instruction, however the long term benefits are ready to be realized. With overwhelming public support for this petition, we can then move to creating a policy and finally to its implementation.”
If you which sign and support this petition, same can be done by visiting the below link.