Our publication has been supported and appreciated by a readership, both youth and adult, which has extended beyond the shores of Trinidad and Tobago by providing an intrinsic form of motivation to our supporters. According to Brehem & Kassin (1996), “people are said to be intrinsically motivated when they engage in an activity for its own sake, out of sheer enjoyment without expecting tangible payoff for their effort”. To this end, we have received poems from our local poets as well as those in Canada, England, Iraq, Jamaica, United Kingdom and United States of America. Our distribution includes 1000 bi-monthly newsletters and 5000 magazines which are freely distributed locally to Government Ministries and Divisions, Schools, Businesses, Non-Governmental Organizations/Community Based Organizations and Media Houses, both locally and abroad and also distributed electronically over the World Wide Web through our online subscribers. We also maintain a growing facebook membership and a vibrant growing website following.

In an attempt to continue reaching the masses we are proposing to remove commercial advertisers and focus on community based organizations, offering them free advertising spaces. There are many small groups who have been giving yeoman service throughout the length and breadth of our twin island. Minimum funding is the main inhibitor for these groups not effectively promoting their services. Through this initiative we are proposing to construct ads and publish their services free of charge. This initiative would also allow our management team to focus more on production as opposed to advertising, which is very demanding, time-consuming and less rewarding than promoting community groups.

In 2007 and 2009 we published our 1st and 2nd Special Anniversary Collectors’ Edition Magazines 2005-2006 & 2006-2007 respectively; all of which received many positive reviews. We are currently in the process of publishing our and 3rd and 4th Special Anniversary Collectors’ Edition Magazines 2007-2008 & 2008-2009. The mains points of interest of “ROOTS” include:

• To revive the lost oral traditions of our Ancestors;
• To sensitize the community of the need to continue this tradition;
• To provide a medium for the expressions of talented poets;
• To provide a medium for educative and informative reading.

In 2008 we hosted a successful Season 1 of “ROOTS” Poetry Slam “I Have Something to Say!” from Saturday 26th January to Saturday 26th July at various venues throughout Trinidad. This competition was designed to encourage the youth, especially those who are unattached to engage in meaningful activities designed to allow them to demonstrate a change in attitude and thinking and at the same time explore their undiscovered talent. The competition was endorsed by international dub poet Charlie Bobus, Jamaica and Hayley Millington, Canada and local personalities; Aleeyah Amanda Ali, Kwesi Atiba, Cheryl Griffith, Isha Wells, K9, Mondezie 357, Redzi the Trini Clown with plenty Tobago flavor and Screw Face. Participants in this competition came from: Barataria, Cascade, Couva, Laventille, Morvant, Port of Spain and Santa Cruz.

In July 2008, in collaboration with Arts-in-Action we accompanied four adolescents to Washington DC to participate in the 11th Annual Brave New Voices Poetry Festival. We also partner with The Poet Society of Trinidad and Tobago in hosting on-line poetry competitions; and on 12th August 2008 “ROOTS” received the National Youth Award in the Media Category from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs for our continued promotion of positive youth development by developing programmes that provide opportunities for the involvement of youths to express themselves positively and for creating print, electronic or digital materials which demonstrate support for young people and encourage worth and value.

In 2009 we hosted Season 2 of “ROOTS” Poetry Slam “I Have Something to Say!” from Friday 27th March to Sunday 29th March at the Audio Visual Room of the National Libraries and Information and Systems Authority, NALIS. This event was even more successful with the standard of both poetry and performances being exceptional and spectacular. The poets, whose ages ranged from sixteen to twenty-four, came from Bethel Village, Tobago; Bon Air Gardens, Cascade, Lopinot, Petit Valley, San Juan, St. Barbs Laventille, St. James and Wallerfield, Trinidad. Over the three days they performed three poems; with two at the Grand Finals, a new piece and one of their choice from the Prelims or Semis. The event was fortunate to attract the legendary Brother Resistance and other distinguished poets; Gama Ghost, Cheryl Griffith, Akilah Riley, Curious Ringo, Nicholas Sosa and Anna Sahadeo of the Poets Society of T&T. Both Curious Ringo and Gama Ghost made guest appearances to the delight of all present. According to Ryan et al (1983) “reward appears to increase effort and stimulate creative thought so long as it is not presented as the predominant reason for such activity”.

Six youth; Sara Bishop, Cephas Campbell, Dwith Fonrose, Nicholas Goberdhan, Husniyah Hassan and Nakeem Warner along with Hazel Cyrus and Mtima Solwazi represented “ROOTS” from April 14th – 16th at the Youth and Civil Society Fora of the 5th Summit of the Americas; and also at the Colour of Change Summit.

Dwith Fonrose has been elected to the National Youth Assembly as Youth Member of Parliament and Candidate for Chaguanas East and Youth Minister of Health. “ROOTS” has been authorized by Inspirator International to be an affiliate publisher of “Creative Energy”. Our organization was used as a Data-base Project by Mr. Jerome Chambers in his pursuit of obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Systems from School of Accounting and Management, Trinidad. “ROOTS” was also the focal point in the research of contemporary “Trinbagonian poetry and its reflection of society” by Ms. Janique Dennis in her pursuit of obtaining her Masters in English Literary Research from the University of Leicester, England.

We are currently engaged in Therapeutic Poetry Workshops where participants meet with Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Poet Mtima Solwazi. During these sessions Mtima shares his life story and engage the participants in selecting poems of their choice where they then share with the group. The poems are discussed and participants are given the opportunity to express openly, this format allows for other group members to connect emotionally with the poems. This type of workshop is a relatively new form of therapy for addressing unresolved issues and achieving unrealized goals. Thus far the workshop has been accepted by all participants and “ROOTS” hopes to visit schools and communities throughout Trinidad and Tobago.