Véronique Labonté

I am 27 years old and is actually employed by National Empowerment Foundation as Case Worker and reside at Cité Florida, Baie du Tombeau. Besides, I also carry out the following responsibilities: a)Assistant-Secretary for the Regional Youth Council of Pamplemousses, b)Entertainer for RADO, c)Member of the group "Corail" for francophony at the international level, d)Vice President of PAC for the Ministry of Women, e)Voluntary Entertainer for Cité Florida Youth Centre and f)President of the "Youth Generation" group.

My devotion for social work started with my grandmother. Since she was the President of the Senior Citizen Club of Baie du Tombeau, I used to give her a helping hand when it comes to organising activities for the group. Furthermore, she encouraged me to follow courses offered in other communities and Women Centres, to attend seminars and participate in activities organised by the Ministry of Youth & Sports.

After attending various seminars on the importance of social work, I became aware of the urge to have something done for the young of my community and myself. I also noticed that other communities were well represented in the activities organised by the Ministry of Youth & Sports, unlike Cité Florida.

The opening of the Youth Centre of Cité Florida in 2001 was the answer to my prayers since it gave me the opportunity to initiate some actions for the young of my locality.

My first challenge as a Youth Leader was to grab participants for a 3-year Handicraft/Dressmaking course that was being offered by our Youth Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth & Sports. I had a tough time convincing other young to seize this opportunity but finally managed to get 27 persons enrolled for the course.