Advising the Trinidad and Tobago National Trust

In May, our Head of Secretariat, Catherine Leonard, was invited to Trinidad and Tobago by the Honourable Clifton de Coteau, Minister of National Diversity and Social Integration, to help restructure their National Trust.

The Review drew on a background of accumulated knowledge of the different approaches taken by National Trusts around the world and offered relevant case studies of alternative statutory, financial, organisational and operational models, alongside recommendations for implementation.

As part of this on-going process, the Trinidad and Tobago National Trust has joined INTO, sent representatives to the Ugandan ICNT and is exploring our offer to second a senior level National Trust executive to assist efforts to grow the organisation into the strong, confident, successful, dynamic leader of efforts to preserve Trinidad and Tobago’s remarkable built and natural heritage.

The key questions addressed in the study were relevant to many INTO member organisations in the early part of the 21st century:

• What should be the remit and responsibilities of the National Trust?
• How can popular support be mobilised in Trinidad and Tobago?
• How should it be resourced?
• What needs to change to make the National Trust more operationally effective?