ON Tuesday, October 11, as the world celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child, the High Commission of Canada in Guyana hosted the fifth edition of its High Commissioner for the Day contest.
According to a release, the contest is organised yearly to coincide with the International Day of the Girl Child to give young girls between the ages for 15 to 20 years the opportunity to experience a day in the life of the High Commissioner of Canada.

The contest was done in the form of video submissions discussing the topic “What role do you believe girls can play to contribute to food security?” A panel of judges from the High Commission then reviewed the submissions to choose the girl with the best points.

This year, the High Commission of Canada, in a release, announced that Ellen Gopaul won the contest.
Gopaul, who is 20 years old, is currently completing a Diploma in Public Management as a precursor to studying law. She is also a volunteer and the event coordinator at the Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC).

At the start of her day as the High Commissioner of Canada, Gopaul visited the Ministry of Health to hand over packages of sports and hygiene equipment as part of the ‘Promoting Safe and Healthy Learning & Living Environments’ Project supported by Canada and UNICEF Guyana.

RECOGNISING THE STRUGGLES OF GIRLS
There, the release noted that Gopaul was able to meet Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony and UNICEF representative, Nicolas Pron, who both congratulated her on her new role for the day and acknowledged the importance of recognising the struggles girls face and the benefits of ensuring that they have access to opportunities.

During the presentation of the items, Gopaul spoke about the benefits of providing sports and hygiene packages to school and how it would contribute to positive adolescent activities and interactions.
After the event at the Ministry of Health, Gopaul then had the opportunity to meet with the staff at the High Commission to understand their roles and the operation of the mission. She also had a one-on-one conversation with High Commissioner Berman where she discussed her passion for service to others and also shared some of her goals.

At noon, Gopaul then attended a small lunch reception which was planned in her honour where she was able to engage with several women who are outstanding in their fields. In attendance were Rowena Elliott, the President of Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Guyana; Joana Robertson, Climate Smart Agriculture Officer at the Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean (SAC) Project; Milagro Matus, the Deputy Programme Manager for Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development at CARICOM and from the High Commission, Caroline Mireault, Political Counsellor; Jessica Teasdale, Head of Aid; Kalima Ali, Senior Development Officer and Roberta Ferguson, Public Affairs Officer.

During the lunch reception, Gopaul learnt about their pathways to their careers and participated in an enlightening discussion about agriculture in the Caribbean and how youth and women can be included.

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES
She also learnt about the importance of taking risks and seizing opportunities as she pursues her academic and professional goals, the release said.
As her engagements continued as High Commissioner, she then had the opportunity to meet with the Chief Executive Officer of Caribbean Containers Inc., Patricia Bacchus, who is a board member of the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce.

Bacchus, who is a trained lawyer and successful business leader, answered questions from Ellen about the company’s operations, being assertive as a woman in business and her experiences studying law since that is Gopaul’s field of study. Ellen explained that she was very motivated by Bacchus’ journey and would take her advice on navigating the world of work.

After the meeting with Bacchus, the day ended on a high note with Gopaul meeting First Lady, Arya Ali, where she shared some of the ideas she had for community projects and the First Lady discussed some of the work that she has on-going, inclusive of more beautification projects across Guyana.

High Commissioner Berman also used the opportunity to update the First Lady on some of the projects that the High Commission is working on currently.
At the end of the day Gopaul expressed that she had one of the most unforgettable days of her life and she was thankful for the experience and opportunity to network with influential women.

The High Commission of Canada in the release said that it was pleased to be able to facilitate this activity for the fifth year as well as with the overwhelming response from young girls interested in the contest.
“Canada recognises the importance of creating space for girls to flourish, to demonstrate their potential and to have their voices heard. The High Commission will continue to use its platform to afford girls the opportunity to see themselves in any role they desire,” the release concluded.