D’Andre Louis won Saint Lucia’s SDG Jingle competition

Saint Lucians are being urged to “Do It!”, to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), thanks to a catchy new SDG jingle set to be broadcast on radio shortly. 

Eleven-year-old  D’Andre Louis is the creative talent behind the jingle that copped  first place in the island’s inaugural Youth SDG Jingle Competition in commemoration of United Nations Day 2024, which was observed globally on October 24. 

The United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Satellite Office in Saint Lucia, in collaboration with the government, private sector, civil society and academia, spearheaded the initiative which was part of a whole-of-society approach employed to ramp-up calls to rescue the lagging SDGs.  

The competition, which ran from August to October 2024, sought to develop a jingle that  promoted  the SDGs and appealed to Saint Lucians to take urgent action to accelerate progress.  

D’Andre’s jingle urges all Saint Lucians to get on board.  The winning entry starts off with a bang - Sustainable Development hits you from the opening melody  -  and D’Andre urges his compatriots : “we all must do something no matter how small , that’s the way we all must go.”  

The up-tempo piece continues: “By 2030 let’s do it responsibly. Do you hear me? Climate action, clean energy, clean water, and sanitation. Protect the environment (Do it!) Conserving resources (Do it!), recycle to reduce wastage; Let’s stop all the pollution.”  

An elated D’Andre, who placed third in last year’s National Schools’ Calypso Competition, was announced as the winner, in the presence of ecstatic relatives and friends during a Closing Ceremony held in Castries on UN Day. For his feat he walked away with prizes including XCD 5000.00 deposited in a Right Start Account by Republic Bank; a shopping voucher from Massy Stores; and free limited internet service from Flow. He also received a winning trophy donated by the UN World Food Programme.  

In reflecting on his experience and what he had gleaned from developing the winning jingle, the youngster noted: “I learnt that the United Nations has agreed to 17 SDGs, and they are encouraging all of us to play our part to achieve those goals by 2030!” 

In second place was 12-year-old Quake Nestor, the son of popular Saint Lucian reggae artist Mihcel Meshach Nestor, known for his songs demanding human rights and justice. Quake’s catchy jingle secured him XCD 3000.00 deposited in a Right Start Account by Republic Bank, a shopping voucher from Massy Stores and free limited internet service from Flow. Commendation also goes to 14-year-old Chezidek Clarke who placed third winning a cash prize of  XCD 2000.00 from Sandals Resorts; a shopping voucher from Massy Stores; and free internet service from Flow.  

The United Nations team in Saint Lucia has already secured complimentary airplay for the winning jingle on Rev-UP SLU. Private sector partners have also committed to supporting its extensive dissemination.  

The closing ceremony took place at the Finance Administrative Center in Castries. Participants included the Permanent Secretaries in the Office of the Prime Minister, the Department of Sustainable Development; the Department of Economic Development and the Department of External Affairs; members of Saint Lucias  SDG National Coordinating Committee; representatives of civil society; representatives from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College; students; teachers; parents; and the UN team based in Saint Lucia. Also participating were private sector sponsors and SDG advocates - Republic Bank, Sandals Resorts; Massy Stores; and Flow.  

...................................................................

This story was first published to the website of UN Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.