Most Remarkable Teen in St Kitts & NevisLauren Lawrence, 16 years Nevis Sixth Form College Youth Activism
The hard days are the best days because that’s when the champions are made, Lauren beckons; a mantra she uses to fuel her community involvement. Lauren has been on the front lines for youth involvement and participation from as early as she can remember. Her youngest childhood memories of leadership included being the secretary for Ivor Walters Primary School Student Council.
Lauren is proving that you are never too young to make a change. She is a self-starter, she critically observes problems and solves them. At her church, she revived its youth group. The AYPA has been enduring a slow death throughout the region; however, the same cannot be said for the St. Paul’s Anglican Church’s AYPA, a group Lauren recently revived. When the church struggled with getting more young persons involved, Lauren assumed leadership of the dance group, even when others including her priest worried about its actualization. Lauren was adamant that the group would succeed. To date, there are ten members of this dance group.
When Lauren makes up her mind, there is no stopping her. In 2018, Lauren was a member of the Nevis Literary and Debate Society Team, a privilege typically enjoyed by students of the Nevis Sixth Form College. Through her exceptional public speaking abilities, Lauren, while still a student of the Charlestown Secondary School was able to bypass the requirement of being a student of the college and was a member of the winning LIDC debate team that competed in Anguilla.
By far, Lauren is anything but your typical 16 year old. Her leadership and public speaking skills outrank her age. Recently she participated in the CPA Regional Youth Parliament debate held in the Cayman Islands in July 2018. Lauren also participated in the Commonwealth Youth Parliament Sitting in St. Kitts in July 2017.
Where there are opportunities to become involved in the community, so too is Lauren—she is concerned about the positive involvement of youth in her community. Confidently, as a member of the Nevis Youth Parliament, former president of her school’s Junior Achievement Club, and student dance instructor at the Shekinah Dance Theatre, the youth activist is now launching her own youth initiative.
In summer 2018, Lauren, alongside two of her peers hosted a workshop for persons aged 8-13. Youth Acting Positively, YAP of which she affectionately called it, is gears towards teaching students skills including calligraphy, crochet and sewing. The event, spearheaded by Lauren was a success through her fundraising efforts. Lauren believes that through YAP she can teach the participants to be self sufficient and financially prudent in a fun and educational environment.
Lauren is an excellent example of a teen engaging in activities to promote a positive image of the youth in the federation specifi cally in Nevis.