Barbados Today

Resolve social issues that impact education – Barbados CARICOM Youth Ambassadors

Today marks 34 years since the inception of Caribbean Youth Day and this year’s theme is Confronting the Social Issues Impacting Education for an Economically Sustainable Region. The theme mirrors that of International Youth Day, which was “Transforming Education” and as such, is linked to two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): quality education and decent work and economic growth.

Foremost, we must highlight the work, ingenuity, passion, and talent of the region’s young people who account for approximately 64 per cent of the region’s population (up to 35 years). Accordingly, as young people are the main beneficiaries of CSME, we need to draw attention to issues they face and reinforce the need for avenues and support structures that allow them to thrive. Failure to capitalise on this opportunity could fundamentally compromise the future of the Caribbean.

Accordingly, we implore all sectors of society to treat Caribbean Youth Day with utmost seriousness and to focus on the fundamental agenda outlined nine years ago in the “Declaration of Paramaribo on the Future of Youth in the Caribbean Community”. Briefly, this encompassed recommendations such as the carrying out of government initiatives aimed at creating mass movements of young people in support of regional integration; incentivising youth for outstanding youth talent, excellence and volunteerism; and including youth in the decision-making processes of CARICOM.

Threats to education and regional development such as the rising rates of youth unemployment, poverty, climate change, crime, violence, and drug use demand a prompt strategic response. Key areas such as education, health, governance, economic growth, and environmental resilience must be today’s focus. However, this cannot be achieved without youth involvement in the development of viable strategies and significant investment in education, technology, and creative innovation. Sustainable economic growth and job creation can only be achieved if our societies create the conditions and provide the educational resources that allow young people to be productive, creative, and innovative.

Around the world, there is a growing recognition of the need to strengthen policies and investments involving young people, particularly through education. The transformation of SDGs into implementable programmes in the region requires a multifaceted approach in which the youth should play an influential role.

On this Caribbean Youth Day, we appeal to regional leaders, private sector entities, civil society, and academia to provide the youth with opportunities to prove their competence. We reiterate the call for greater investment in young people through employment, community development, education, engagement, and service-giving.

In this vein, we the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors for Barbados, have worked assiduously in engaging young Barbadians in service initiatives, discussions on policy and programmes to address the needs of the youth. This is all in an effort to combat the social issues affecting us and to enfranchise us to be ideal CARICOM citizens.

The youth have the power to determine whether our region moves towards greater peril or experiences positive change. Let us support the young people of our beloved region so they grow into adults who raise generations of productive and powerful leaders and global citizens.

Tirshatha Jeffrey and Chad Monerville

Caricom Youth Ambassadors (CYA)

Division of Youth Affairs