Montreal, Canada May 10, 2011 – The Honorary Consul for Grenada in Montreal, Mr. Leonard Wharwood, in conjunction the Grenada Nationals Association of Montreal, Inc., Spice Promotion Youth and Cultural Organization and the NDC Montreal Support Group cordially invite Grenadians, and friends of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique to a discussion on Grenadian Diaspora in Montreal – Our Relationship and Connection to the Homeland.   The meeting will be held on Sunday, May 15, 2011 – 4:00 p.m., at the Cote Des Neiges Black Community Centre – 6999 Cote Des Neiges Road, Montreal, Quebec.

Grenada’s Consul General in New York, Mr. Derrick James, as well as our Honorary Consul General in Toronto, Mrs. Jenny Gumbs, will be traveling to Montreal to attend the meeting and to address and update the community on plans afoot for a Diaspora founding conference to be held in Grenada the 2nd and 3rd of August 2011.   A contingent from Spice Youth Toronto and members of Toronto’s Diaspora Consultative Committee will be travelling with Consul General Gumbs to meet and share their experiences with their Montreal counterparts as well.

The Grenadian Diaspora comprise persons who have left Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique to work and live, study, or simply join family members abroad and  for the most part,  maintain strong identity ties with the Homeland. In recent times, due to the difficult economic environment, many lesser developed countries have come to recognize the importance of their Diaspora in their own national development.  In step with this thrust, Grenada has been taking measures to develop a more effective relationship and to establish platforms of cooperation between the Grenadian Diaspora and the Homeland thus utilizing the skills, resources and experiences of Grenadians in the Diaspora.

Please join us for an evening of culture, consultation and information as we chart the way forward for maximizing the impact of Diaspora relations to the benefit of Grenadians at home and abroad.