The Municipality of Kincardine is looking for nominations for an upcoming awards ceremony.
The first-ever Afro Caribbean Youth Culture Awards aims to recognize the achievement of children and young adults in the community aged 5-25.
“The event has been designed with the feel of trying to encourage young people in the community, so it reaches beyond the borders of Kincardine and really to the counties of Grey and Bruce,” says Kincardine Deputy Mayor Andrea Clarke.
“The emphasis is really encouragement and inspiration and looking at celebrating the Afro Caribbean culture.”
She says that because the Municipality of Kincardine has grown so much over the past several years, there are people of different cultures now calling the region home.
“We’re very fortunate having various cultures and various religions come into the municipality, and we’ve really made the commitment looking at inclusivity, and this is just one event where we’re looking at celebrating Afro Caribbean culture and heritage, but particularly an emphasis on the youth.”
The awards ceremony will be held this fall, but Clarke says they want to give a chance for any deserving Afro Caribbean youth in the community to be nominated.
“We stayed away from looking at very specific categories. The emphasis is on those who are nominating to come up with the reasons that they feel that young person should be recognized in some fashion.”
The awards will be given on October 21st at an event at the Davidson Centre from 6-8 pm, and the evening will feature two-time Canadian National Poetry Slam Champion Dwayne Morgan.
The evening will also celebrate Afro Caribbean culture through food, fellowship, and music.
The event is also calling for volunteers, and anyone interested in helping out can contact the municipality’s Manager of Strategic Initiatives Lorie Fioze at 519-398-1857.
The municipality is collaborating with a number of organizations, including the Bruce County Library and Museum, Bruce Power, NPX, Kincardine District Secondary School, and the Grey Bruce Immigration Partnership.
To nominate a young member of the Afro Caribbean community for an award, you can find it on the municipality’s website.