[www.inewsguyana.com] – Eleven promising and talented young men from across the country will go head to head over the next three months as they compete for the coveted first ever: Mr. Guyana International Title and the opportunity to represent Guyana and speak out on the challenges affecting males on several international stages.
The competition was launched last Friday (August 29), at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown where the men and their mentors were officially introduced to the public.
Franchise Holder, Paul Burnette told those gathered for the first glimpse of the contenders, that the competition wasn’t what it may be perceived to be, “another male pageant with gay men.”
Burnette, who spoke of his own challenges growing up and becoming married with two children, explained that the idea was birthed out of the seemingly declining morale of men in today’s society.
He observed too that many of the social responsibilities that are expected to be portrayed by men have been significantly replaced by the education as being relayed through new trend of music, movies and fashion.
“Many of our young sons, brothers, friends and relatives hardly have someone locally to call their mentor, role model or even trend setter, it is with this fact in mind that this program was conceived,” Burnette said.
The contenders are: Stowell Betham,Alexander Noel Fiedtkou, Paul Anthony Charles, Curt Walcott, Kevin William Bhargrat, Colwyn Arvey Abrams, Trevon Fenty, Christon Pollard, Kevin Smith, Raphael October, Ryan Washington.
Five of the 11 contenders will be representing Guyana at other international competitions including: Mr. International, Mr. Global International, Mr. World, Mr. Caribbean International and Mr. Caribbean.
The competition which will culminate on November 2, 2014 at the Pegasus Hotel aims to foster knowledge on the responsibilities of men, to encourage men to take a stand in the fight against many social issues, to create a sense of self styling, self-respect and self-motivation and to help boys realize their own self-worth which will go a far way in helping them achieve their goals.
This local competition has several segments to test the contenders’ strength, both physically and mentally, workshops, mentoring programs and more.
The competition is open to Guyanese males between the ages of 17 – 45 with the mission to “empower men to empower themselves, communities and fellow men.”
Contenders are expected to leave with several winning attributes, such as: decorum, intellect, leadership, courage, culture and spirituality.
Burnette noted that in order to make the competition a success the committee is depending on all Guyanese and encourages corporate Guyana to spend on such programs that seek to benefit future leaders.
