Much required of Miss Teen World Jamaica

Leighton Levy, Gleaneer Writer

Whoever walks away with the crown of Miss Teen World Jamaica tomorrow night will have to be a young woman of substance. So says executive producer of the competition Noel Roberts, who told The Gleaner about expectations of the 18 young women who will vie for the crown at the Waterfalls Night-club, Liguanea, St Andrew.

This is the inaugural staging of the contest in Jamaica and the winner will benefit from a grand prize of a US$3,000 scholarship fund, one-year membership from Gymkhana, a one-year contract as a reporter for the Dawn Reese Show in Hollywood, California, and a year of personal appearances, as well as travel opportunities and website promotions. This is in addition to being crowned Miss Teen World Jamaica and representing Jamaica at the global contest between August 1 and 6 in Texas, USA.

Not just about smiling

"So it's not just about smiling, looking pretty and taking nice pictures," Roberts said. "They must have a good head on their shoulders. They have to be ambassadors for Jamaica, because they won't only be going to the competition abroad, they will have other engagements globally. She has to be articulate. She has to be unbiased, objective and very intelligent."

With that in mind, after the finalists - aged 14 to 18 years old - were selected in February this year, they were put through rigorous programmes, including six weeks of voice and speech training. They were also trained in deportment, as well as grooming and etiquette. The young ladies were required to develop their minds and be aware of current events and what was happening in their respective schools and communities.

The pageant's organisers then went a step further. "There is a particular cause, HIV awareness. We partnered with the Jamaica Red Cross and the girls did HIV Care Education Training," Roberts revealed. "They were trained for a period of five weeks, ending last week, and are all now certified peer educators. They can now be called upon to be peer educators in their schools and communities."

The Miss Teen World Jamaica pre-show was held at Waterfalls on Sunday and tomorow's grand coronation will start at 8 p.m. The girls will be judged in several categories, including swimwear, after which the numbers will be reduced from 18 to 10. From there, the girls will parade in evening wear, after which half the field will be eliminated, with the remaining five involved in a final question session before the winner is determined.

According to Roberts, the top two contestants will continue training in preparation for the global contest, but all the young ladies who entered will definitely be the richer for their experience.