IMA Warmly Congratulates all HARCON NYSESG High School Awardees!
Extreme weather events are becoming more intense, frequent and increasingly common occurrences.
Our children and youth are faced with this unprecedented challenge – extreme weather events fueled by climate change – that is not really of their own making. How do we prepare them for an uncertain future? Raising awareness through educational initiatives is one approach needed to manage, avert and provide support for sustainability and climate-related solutions.
Just as how we teach our children and youth to look both ways before crossing a street, so too should we impart knowledge on sustainability and climate literacy. With the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, sustainability is an essential skill required for tomorrow, which should be embedded into the national school curriculum. It is a major step in preparing each child with the skills needed to understand what their future holds. While much of the narrative concerning climate change is naturally inherent within the science subjects, it should be given priority as a mandatory subject.
Championing climate change across educational levels, starting from the primary school level, ensures that the message on sustainability and climate change are as inclusive as other mandatory subjects such as Mathematics.
In Trinidad and Tobago, HARCON (Harrington Consulting Limited) is leading this initiative under its Youth Programme themed, “Empowering the Next Generation of Sustainability Leaders”. The National Youth Sustainability and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Project (NYS-ESG) initiative, aims to integrate sustainability education into the national education curriculum through hands-on projects aligned with global ESG principles and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Comprising sixteen sessions with individual themes and facilitators, Dr. Ava Maxam, IMA Director, delivered a presentation to several students from Trinity College and Queen’s Royal College tilted, “Marine Sustainability – The Future”. The students participating in the NYSESG Project were very enlightened by Dr. Maxam’s presentation, which opened the door of knowledge to marine sustainability.
Upon the close of the varied sixteen thematic sessions inclusive of field trips and a visit to Tobago, a Closing-out and Awards Ceremony was organised for the students participating in the NYSESG Project.
Dr Ava Maxam, IMA Director, attended the Closing-Out and Awards Ceremony for the National Youth Sustainability and ESG (NYSESG) Pilot Project, held on Tuesday, 8th July 2025, in Port of Spain. Students from Queen’s Royal College and Trinity College were honoured for their outstanding innovation and creativity in developing sustainable projects within their schools and communities. This Project, implemented by HARCON and its partners, aims to integrate sustainability education into the school curriculum through practical, hands-on initiatives aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) principles.
HARCON envisions that future leaders must be equipped with the knowledge, values and skills to address sustainability challenges, drive a meaningful change in their communities and future workplaces and to contribute to a more sustainable future. According to HARCON, UNESCO (2021) defines ‘Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as:
“the process of equipping students with the knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes needed to work and live in a way that safeguards environmental, social and economic wellbeing, in the present and for future generations.”
Guided by UNESCO, Mr. Ermath Harrington, HARCON Managing Director, stated, “It is vital to equip students with the knowledge, skills and values that they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world particularly one with an uncertain future caused by climate change”.