The board and general membership of the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) was supported by a 12 member youth wing for Carnival 2012 whose members the SCDF feels will be vital assets for the future of Carnival on St. Maarten.
The SCDF, responsible for the organizing of St. Maarten’s largest calendar event, remains adamant that the youth of the island should play key roles in not only the various competitions of Carnival, but in it organizational structure as well.
As well, President of the SCDF Stuart Johnson was successful in re-invigorating the foundation’s youth wing after it had gone dormant for a few years. Started more than a decade ago under the Presidency of current SCDF treasurer Erno Labega, the youth wing serves as a proving ground for young SCDF volunteers.
In fact, Johnson himself started as a member of the SCDF’s youth wing when he was a teenager. The group for Carnival 2012 played a supporting role to all SCDF board members and SCDF events and received high praise by Johnson and the board for their efforts.
"The board compliments this group of youngsters for the hard work they put in and dedication to whatever tasks was assigned to them. They are all different personalities that worked together to meet our goals for Carnival in general. If we want to be innovative with Carnival and maintain its level of importance to St. Maarten, it all begins with getting and keeping our youth involved," Johnson said.
"One day these will be the people to carry on with Carnival in various facets. Some might be promoters, others pageant organizers and even SCDF board members. Keeping young people involved in community activities is important in all walks of life, but keeping them involved and active in their culture and traditions is immeasurable. They will take away lessons from Carnival that can be applied throughout their lives. We were very fortunate to have this dynamic group of young people. They did a tremendous job for Carnival 2012," Johnson said.