The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs presented the recently launched Cultural Calendar to School Managers during a press conference on Thursday. The Cultural Calendar was first launched at Fort Amsterdam on March 10th as part of the "Decade of Revitilization of our Cultural and Natural Heritage 2013-2023" All children, teachers and staff of the schools on St. Maarten will receive a copy of the calendar. School mangers who were unable to attend were invited to pick up their copy at the Culture Department.
The calendar highlights places and persons of worth in our history. It contains a vast amount of historical and cultural information. The Minister hopes that it will serve as a research tool for children and that it will educate and encourage our children and community to preserve and maintain our cultural and natural heritage. "This calendar gives our children the opportunity to learn something about St. Maarten each month," the Minister said.
The Culture department has also been assigned the task of creating booklets containing the information. This booklet will be available for the schools, general public and visitors alike, "With the creation of this booklet we can proudly say that we have created literature that everyone can read and enjoy," Minister Jacobs said.
The calendar represents the first step in the Ministry’ goals for the Decade of Revitilization of our Cultural and Natural Heritage 2013-2023." The Ministry is also working towards achieving a stakeholder’s summit to gather information and input as to where the focus should be during the coming 10 years. "Many of the stakeholders have already been doing the work, with sometimes limited financial means and low input from government in keeping our culture and natural heritage alive. "Revitalization of our heritage cannot be done without the valuable input of these stakeholders," said Minster Jacobs. The Ministry will also be working on establishing the National Cultural and Natural Archives as part of its long term goals.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Minister Jacobs standing with School Managers displaying the Cultural Calendar. DCOMM Photo