The 2nd Annual Montserrat Conference to consider the question, HOW DO WE SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MONTSERRAT?

The Montserrat Conference is pleased to announce that Conference ’21, the 2nd Annual Montserrat Conference will convene on Saturday, October 30th, at 10:00 a.m. Montserrat time, via ZOOM.

Conference ’21 will consider the question “How do we solve a problem like Montserrat?”

Conference Chair, Shirley Osborne, remarks that, “It seems overworked and absurdly repetitive to say, once again, that more than twenty-five years after the onset of volcanic activity and more than ten since the last eruption, Montserrat is still struggling mightily on every level. But it is, and it seems obvious to us in the group, that no lasting advancement can be made unless people have a clear understanding of the most significant reasons why this is happening.

“Our organisation was constituted precisely to pry into such questions,” she also says, “with Montserrat’s social and economic advancement being the only consideration in mind. Hence, the theme of Conference ’21, our 2nd annual convocation – How do we solve a problem like Montserrat?”

Conference ’21 will comprise three panels investigating the theme from a range of perspectives within three demographic groups critical to Montserrat’s existence and survival. One panel will be made up of Montserratians living on island, another will comprise Montserratians living in the wider nation, and we will also present a panel of Montserratian young people, living both on island and in the wider nation.

Some of the speakers and panelists for Conference ’21, are:

 the Honourable Premier Easton Farrell,

Mr. Jim Bass, economist and retired civil servant,

Veta Wade, ocean conservationist and Blue Economy advocate,

Nyota Mulcare, president of the Montserrat Civil Service Association,

Stedroy Cabey, Professional Actor from the island of Montserrat, based in London (England)

Nicole Duberry, Businesswoman and returned Montserratian,

Deuvaunn Darroux, with Youth Futures Foundation, (London, England)

Dr. Sonya Meade, former Chief Medical Officer at Glendon Hospital, (St. Martin/St.Maarten)

Attendees and speakers will have the opportunity to engage each other during the conference which begins at 10:00 a.m. as well as in the pre- and post-conference networking schedule.

 The Inaugural Montserrat Conference was held in November last year. In 2021 the Conference hosted THE HURRICANE IS NOT THE DISASTER with Gestina Frith, disaster management consultant, Director of CorePROSPECTS, Ltd., and PEOPLE & POPULATION with Shirley Osborne, Director of The Montserrat Brain Trust.

 The Montserrat Conference is a public policy research group that works collaboratively to identify ideas, policies, actions and resource needs that are vital to Montserrat’s development and ensure that these issues are the subject of focused examination and effective action by government, opinion leaders and the general public.

 Conference ’21 will, like all other Montserrat Conference events, engage with Montserrat’s political, social and economic leadership, publish policy papers and enhance public education through debate, discussion, conferences and other activities that will stimulate open-minded dialogue and advance citizen engagement.