SKNNS salutes The ‘Fab’ 5 on IWD 2023…The stars align for Dr Joyelle Clarke
ST KITTS AND NEVIS IS BLESSED to have Dr Joyelle Trizia Clarke serving the 270 square kilometres (104 sq. mi) twin-island Federationof 47,600 citizens and residents. Basseterre is highly favoured at this point in its 40th year as an independent nation to have a researcher; educator, community activist, and champion for women’s empowerment embodied in this dazzling, bespectacled, University of the West Indies (UWI)-trained geographer.
Oh, she is also a climate action advocate, defender of youth involvement in decision-making, and a climate and gender justice specialist.
Professionally, when in 2012 she was named a Director of the Department of Constituency Empowerment Dr Clarke became then, one of the youngest females ever appointed to such a prestigious and powerful position in the country.
She followed this up by working in the education sector where she bridged her passion for the environment and youth twinning them under one of the strongest youth-led environmental programs in the CARICOM state.
Dr Clarke gets things done and this feature of her professional life attracted the attention of former prime Minister, Dr Denzil Douglas, who recruited her in 2012, and incumbent Dr Terrance Drew into respective labour party administrations.
Senator Clarke was named Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment when Dr Drew’s St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) ousted the Team Unity coalition under Dr Timothy Harris in August last year.
Dr Clarke has been involved in Social Impact Assessments and Sustainable livelihoods research for over 15 years. During this time, she has headed projects on livelihoods-transition, conducted research, and developed programmes in various capacities as a government official and community activist.
Her key livelihoods research focused on assessing the transition of former female sugar workers to tourism and agricultural livelihoods, and post-sugar production in the island of St Kitts.
She has also been intimately involved in retraining programmes targeting key female groups comprising former sugar workers, helping them be retooled and reskilled for success in new tourism-based livelihoods.
Her packed ministerial portfolio is also no deterrent from pursuing her other passions: livelihood support; community-based development initiatives; sustainable tourism; environmental conservation; feminist activism; and civil society and grassroots organisations for climate action
She has helped to develop and execute several community-based projects in collaboration with community groups on behalf of the Government. Some of these included climate change initiatives such as reforestation programmes, and the establishment of agricultural programmes in schools.
Senator Clarke has also worked tirelessly with female farm cooperatives to help shift them from traditional farming to environmentally friendly, climate-resilient methods.
She has also co-founded a mentorship programme called, ‘Women Empowering Girls’ and is serving as a mentor in ‘GirlsCare’ Jamaica.
The government official has also co-founded Relate Consultancy which assists companies and communities shape mutually beneficial relationships.
As an opposition politician, she advocated extensively and vigorously for environmental protection, climate action, youth empowerment, and gender justice.
Dr Clarke served as a Research Supervisor for the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College.
These are turning out to be fertile soil for her current iteration as Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment.
Her stars are aligned.
