First Citizens Virtual Girls First Festival A Hit
Corporate Social Responsibility
First Citizens Virtual Girls First Festival A Hit
After selling out in just four days, First Citizens hosted its annual girls’ empowerment event Girls First Festival on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October 2020. The event, which was hosted virtually this year as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, attracted attendees from Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and Canada, as well as Trinidad and Tobago.
Through a mixture of live and asynchronous content, the event delivered its usual brand of fun, engaging and educational workshops to its teenaged audience. Hosted by television and radio personality Whitney Husbands, and featuring presenters such as Risanne Martin, fashion and costume designer, and stylist; Dr. Gabrielle Alexander, General Practicioner; Makeup Artist Krysta Wallace of the MUA House; and our very own Krystal Attim-Philip, Loans Supervisor at our Independence Square Branch. The festival included sessions on personal finance and money management; fashion, feminine health, and age-appropriate makeup.
This year’s headlining workshop “The Girl Word” facilitated by Gender Consultant Asha Maharaj, was among the attendees’ favourites. The workshop guided the girls in a discussion on the portrayals of women and girls in traditional and digital media. It challenged the girls to consider the content they readily consume, prescribed healthier and more positive alternatives, and encouraged them to make changes to their online activity in order to more purposefully engage with digital media and have more positive digital media experiences.
Soca Artiste and social media sensation Nadia Batson, visited the LIVE studio on Saturday 17th October to share with the girls a bit of her life experience and reminded the girls to believe in themselves, underscoring the importance of trusting themselves and keeping positive influences around them. She then returned on Sunday evening to bring the curtains down on the dynamic two-day festival with a flawless and energetic performance of her many hits over the years.
The First Citizens Girls First Festival is an original production of the First Citizens Group. Through the hosting of this annual event, championed personally by Group Chief Executive Officer Karen Darbasie, the organization aims to provide a safe space for teenaged girls to learn invaluable skills that can assist them as they journey through adolescence and into adulthood. Through its highly engaging and entertaining format, the Group hopes to leave each cohort of attendees inspired and empowered to own and celebrate what it means to be a girl.
