MEDIA

09 May 2024

Antigua Cruise Port Supports Youth Empowerment Through JCI Antigua Sponsorship

St. John’s, Antigua, May 8, 2024 — Antigua Cruise Port is leading the charge in empowering the nation’s youth by sponsoring the 61^st Annual Miss Jaycees Queen Show, an event that has made significant contributions to Antigua’s summer Carnival celebrations over many years. The glamorous, multi-faceted pageant will feature a maximum of twelve contestants from across the Caribbean celebrating the art, culture, and heritage of their respective countries. JCI Antigua, a nonprofit organization, has dedicated its resources to youth development programs in Antigua for 64 years.

Several weeks ago, it was reported that the event was postponed due to financial challenges and a lack of sponsorship support. However, with the assistance of Antigua Cruise Port, the issue of offsetting some of the critical event expenses, including supporting artists, transportation, accommodation, food, security, show preparation, and prizes, has been resolved according to President of JCI Antigua, Therese Mills.

“The struggle that we have been having is [confirming] the pledges of sponsors and a show of that magnitude is quite expensive. Given the recent release [about the lack of funding], persons would have come on board or expressed interest in supporting the show and partnering with us including the government and Antigua Cruise Port,” she explained.

Set to captivate audiences once again, this year’s Jaycees Queen Show promises to be an extraordinary display of beauty, talent, and grace that is representative of its rich 60-year legacy.

Mills thanked Antigua Cruise Port for its “significant contribution and unwavering dedication to our shared vision…With their support and the backing of our community, we are poised to make the 2024 Jaycees Queen Show an unforgettable experience.”

Cynthia Jacobs Browne, Officer-in-Charge at Antigua Cruise Port, spoke about why it is so important to provide such substantial support to JCI Antigua. “We are enormously proud to serve as the title sponsor of this year’s Jaycees Queen Show. Events like this one help to promote goal setting, inspire confidence, and help teach our children to handle success and failure with grace. We especially applaud the fact that the pageant includes contestants from across the region, encouraging unity and a shared sense of responsibility for our collective future. As a company, we believe in investing in people, especially young people, to build and strengthen communities, which makes this partnership with JCI Antigua a great fit for us. We encourage other corporate partners to also support JCI Antigua.”

JCI Antigua is a part of the Junior Chamber International (JCI), a group that provides leadership development opportunities to young people to create positive change within themselves and their communities. The community-focused organization also has a presence in Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago. 

In addition to operating in Antigua, Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH) – the parent company of Antigua Cruise Port - recently commenced cruise port operations in Saint Lucia. GPH, the world’s largest cruise port operator, is committed to supporting economic expansion and community development in each country it serves. As its regional presence grows, GPH will also seek to create opportunities for more multilateral economic and community-related partnerships to benefit Antigua, Saint Lucia, and its other partners across the Caribbean.

The event will be held just before construction of a permanent terminal facility and the highly anticipated, multi-million-dollar Antigua Day Club experience begins in Q4 2024. The new 11,000 square foot terminal facility will include security screening, customs and immigration offices, check-in stations, luggage areas, kiosks, retail, restrooms, and administrative offices.