Young leaders call for greater say in nation’s future

The nation’s leaders have been urged to give young people a greater role in shaping the country’s future, with two senior youth officials calling for more meaningful opportunities for them to participate in national life.

CARICOM Youth Ambassador Christopher Brathwaite said young people must have a voice in the institutions that will ultimately shape the country they inherit, while Minister of State for Youth and Culture Senator Shane Archer challenged those who feel lost or written off to find pathways to a better future.

At a Youth Parade at Kensington Oval, Brathwaite warned that excluding young people from national development could hold Barbados back.

“There is an inherent danger in excluding young people from nation building,” he told the gathering. “A country cannot and will not move forward if those entrusted with its leadership today do not listen to the generation that will inherit it tomorrow.”

The responsibility for bringing young people into the national decision-making process could not rest solely on individual leaders, but required a broader commitment to creating opportunities for youth participation, Brathwaite said.

“Therefore, the way forward lies not just in youth parades, but also in building tangible roads for young people towards the institutions of the country that they will one day inherit,” he said. “This is a relay race. The baton of this country has been passed from generation to generation, and one day, It will be placed in our hands.”

He urged young people to take a more active role in national affairs, telling them not to be afraid to question those in authority, challenge established thinking and offer alternatives.

“If you believe that change, real change, only comes from the top down, then perfect. I encourage you to engage fiercely with our nation’s leaders, ask them questions, challenge their assumptions, offer solutions, and in everything they do, make them consider the perspective of young Barbadians.”

But the youth leader also sought to broaden the definition of success, telling youth that they did not have to become national stars, record-breakers or household names to make a meaningful contribution.

“The reality is that not all of us will break records, represent Barbados on the world stage, create groundbreaking innovations or become household names. The statistics are just not on our side.

“But that does not make you less deserving of a beautiful and fulfilling life. It does not make you less deserving of a fair chance, and it certainly does not make you less deserving of the opportunity to contribute to the Barbados that you want to see.”

He added: “Far too often, our young people feel as though they must attend certain schools, speak a certain way, or achieve a certain level of success to help build their nation.

“Hear me good. You matter. Your voice matters. Your thoughts matter.”

Brathwaite also called on young people to “speak up” when established systems no longer serve the country’s future.

Quoting late US civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis, he urged young Barbadians to get into “good trouble, necessary trouble”, while making clear that his appeal was not for lawlessness or disrespect.

“The Barbados that we want will not be built by a handful of people because the Barbados that we have today was not built by a handful of people.

“Rather, it was, and it will be pushed forward by the collective excellence of ordinary people who commit themselves to doing extraordinary things in the service of their country.”

Senator Archer focused on youth who may feel they have already been defined by their mistakes, background or academic record. He made a particular appeal to young men who may be struggling to see a future for themselves.

He said: “I want to speak directly to some of the young people standing here and some who may not be in the audience because the truth is there are young Barbadians today who may feel lost. And especially some of our young men, and there are those who genuinely believe that there is nothing out there for them.”

Senator Archer told them that neither failure nor the opinions of others should determine what they can become.

“Your story is not finished because you made a mistake,” he declared. “Your future is not determined by a neighbourhood you came from, the school you attended, the subjects you passed or failed, or what somebody decided to say about you when you were 13, 14, or 15 years old.”

But he stressed that telling young people to simply work harder was not enough, arguing that the country also has a responsibility to create opportunities for them to progress.

“And part of our responsibility as a country is not to simply tell young people to do better. It is to make sure that there are pathways for them to get better, become better, and build better.”

(BT)