THE Ministry of Communities (MoC) in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), on Wednesday, concluded a two-day “National Workshop on Enhancing Community Resilience to Climate Change Impacts,” held at the National Racquet Centre, Woolford Avenue.

The forum was held under the theme “Adapting to New Normals”, and saw approximately 60 community officials from Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), Community Development Councils (CDCs) and other community activists in attendance.

“There are also some business persons and persons who are heads of neighbourhood watch associations, different professionals in the communities, some are farmers, some are miners, some are small entrepreneurs; so it’s a good mix of people with experiences to share in terms of the lessons they’ve learnt about how do we have practical application of community ideologies at the local level,” explained programme coordinator, Gordon Bispham.

He noted that those attending the workshop include representatives from each of the 10 administrative regions.

“We were doing some workout in the regions, all of the regions, all 10 so we decided that we would bring together some community activists to have a national workshop on the impacts of climate change and how we can enhance the resilience of the communities to better prepare for it. In many instances the community residents are the first responders, even before the fire men get there, before the police get there, before the defence force gets there, there is the community response. So we want to have that discussion with them in terms of how to prepare themselves for any sort of disaster,” Gordon noted.
Aside from presentations on the impacts of climate change, the workshop also involved discussions on the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), and saw a presentation from a representative from the Civil Defence Commission.

“The workshop is focusing on climate change; it’s focusing on the GSDS, and then it’s also focusing on riverfront development. A lot of communities, particularly out in the rural areas live on river fronts, so we want to have discussions on how best to manage them and how to benefit from the eco system services that they provide. We also looked at building public awareness and education in communities, using social media, using community radios, using WhatsApp in order to share information. To use as a tool in disasters, to send out messages and alerts,” Gordon noted.

Some of the participants noted their eagerness to use what they have learnt to develop their respective communities.

“It is good that we would’ve learnt of the integration of every sphere in life, and what it takes for development from one stage to the next. With the GSDS, it is not just marginalised to one specific area but all and sundry have to work together for us to achieve. I am au fait with what the GSDS entails so it is on me to participate and to go back to teach the people about the information,” shared Pierre Williams, who travelled from Ithaca Village on the West Bank of Berbice.
Williams is the secretary of the Ithaca Agricultural Land Development Co-op Society Limited.

Keisia Browne, 20, was among the young individuals attending the event. She was a youth representative from Wakenaam in the Essequibo region.

“I decided to attend the event because it’s promoting a ‘green’ Guyana, and I hope I can get basic knowledge on what is going on and I can go back to my community and hopefully inform them about the knowledge that I have grasped and how best we can develop our community. Lately, we just had flooding and it made a mess of the various communities in Wakenaam,” she said.