“RBTT’s vision for Trinidad & Tobago goes far beyond a myopic view of developments within our island borders.

As a regional institution, we focus on national advances in the context of an integrated Caribbean and constantly look for both business and community-outreach initiatives to improve our national standing in terms of regionalisation in an increasingly interconnected international community.

While our corporate social responsibility programmes seek to touch people at all levels, there is specific focus on youth development.

Young Leaders, our flagship—internationally acclaimed—youth development programme, strives to continually embody the concept of Caribbean community, as evidenced in this year’s theme Strengthening Caribbean Society…Our Vision, Our Culture, Our People.

This year’s debate motions further complement the theme, requiring debaters to confront the issue of how integration and globalisation may affect the Caribbean’s future.

Through this kind of subject matter, we are able to open the minds of our Young Leaders to ideas that can contribute to the betterment of our society in a globalised world.”

The refrain of Victor Hugo speaks to the vision that we at Guardian Holdings have for Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean: “The future has many names. For the weak it is the unattainable; for the fearful it is the unknown. For the bold it is opportunity.”

With courage, faith, strong leadership and the excellent technical ability that we Caribbean people possess in abundance, GHL believes that any Caribbean company can excel in the global market place.

GHL understands that the strength of a company, a country and this region, are dependent on our people.

We adhere firmly to our core principles of corporate citizenship and business responsibility knowing that good corporate governance is the hallmark of an ethical organisation and the benchmark by which Guardian Holdings conducts its business.

To this end, our various and many corporate social responsibility programmes in the areas of sport, youth, education, are strong reflections of these core beliefs.

NGC’s corporate vision is to establish Trinidad and Tobago as a major player in the global natural gas business.

The company, on its own or through its various subsidiaries, has pursued this vision for the country not only through its vital contribution to the development of the natural gas industry and its consistent, safe and reliable supply of natural gas to its clients, but also through its ongoing corporate social programmes.

Part of NGC’s profit accrues to the State in the form of dividends. A further portion of its profits is administered directly to communities through its support of education and training, small business development, sport and the arts, to name a few areas.

These programmes initiated or supported by NGC have led to tangible improvements in communities nationwide, resulting in increased employment, healthier social and community life, athletic and artistic development and, noticeably, reduced crime and juvenile delinquency in some communities.

This is good news for the nation because it is good news for foreign investors, who seek not only the assurance of reliable supplies of resources for their businesses, and solid infrastructure upon which to base them, but a stable social and political climate and an educated, dedicated and dependable workforce.

In supporting individual communities, therefore, NGC does not only bring home the benefits of natural gas to the individual, but also brings Trinidad and Tobago one step closer to the vision we have for our country.

A good education is a doorway to opportunity, whether that learning is acquired in school, on the job, through values we learn at home or through special community initiatives like the Guardian in Education project.

At Yara Trinidad Ltd, our vision is to continue in profitable business and influence positive business development through organisational mastery in the safe and reliable production of fertilisers for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Continuous learning and improvement are integral to our ammonia manufacturing operation, for they contribute to raising the bar on productivity and to sound business results.

We believe that sustainable business growth in Trinidad and Tobago will be realised when continuous learning and improvement with the focus on quality become integral to the psyche of the entire business community and our working population.

This learning focus is consistent with our community initiatives in education, safety, environmental care and culture.

In almost all of the community projects we have initiated and supported, the development of people is at the core. We aim to make meaningful contributions, so that the national community benefits, not just in the short term but, with sustainable impact.

We embraced the opportunity to support the Guardian in Education essay competition for secondary schools’ students because it is based on literacy – a foundation block for personal growth.

The project allows young people, who will soon enter the working world to sharpen their research skills, think analytically, write concisely and recommend solutions to social issues. It broadens their perspective even as it helps to raise the consciousness of all who read the essays.

We are pleased to continue this partnership and to provide opportunities for young people to learn how discipline and productivity interconnect, how ethical values translate into business values and how knowledge can give you the edge in a very competitive world.

We at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre want Trinidad and Tobago to be recognised as one of the best business centres in the Western Hemisphere.

We hope that Trinidad and Tobago can become self-sufficient while producing some of the most skilled professionals the world has to offer.

Through our charitable programme Hilton K.I.D.S in the Caribbean, we support projects such as the Guardian in Education School's Essay Project. We firmly believe that education is the only means by which we can end the cycle of poverty and the dependency syndrome that plague our society today.

By informing our youth about key societal issues, such as conservation, economic productivity and HIV/Aids awareness, we can teach them how to appreciate and explore the wonder that is Trinidad and Tobago, without exploiting it.

We are proud to have been a part of this phase of the competition and look forward to supporting it into 2005!

As the national promotional agency of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the mission of the Tourism and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (Tidco) is to market our country as a premier destination to visit and a place to do business and invest. As such, we welcome the efforts of others who serve as our “partners in promotion.”

By encouraging the youth of our nation to think about all that is attractive about Trinidad and Tobago, we thank the Trinidad Guardian , the schools and the students for the thought-provoking, Secondary School Essay Project.

We are pleased and proud to support this Project and the many “authors” who help us to tell the Trinidad and Tobago story.

The TIDCO team joins in urging the participants to keep on writing, to continue investigating and discovering the beauty and opportunity that is ours.