You reap whatever you sow.” – Bajan proverb.
The ability of any nation to matriculate responsible and high functioning youth into society requires the recognition that early investments during childhood development stages will yield the highest return.
It is unfortunate that in an island whose greatest asset is its citizens, young people not only remain under- resourced and underutilized as co-conspirators to development, but also find themselves labelled as problems to be managed by a former political leader.
It is undeniable that failure is the master of success and through failure we have learned, grown, and evolved. It is also undeniable that as a society we have faltered in providing young people with the opportunities and platforms to learn from their mistakes but to also contribute in meaningful ways because we fail to harness the energy and ingenuity of young Barbadians.
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, young Barbadians have been on the frontlines, as they have selflessly organised the delivery of assistance and volunteered where necessary to ensure that the elderly were out of harm’s way.
However, they have also been greatly affected by the pandemic as many have lost jobs, found their businesses and income heavily impacted by reduced spending, and others been catapulted into an unforgiving online learning environment for which many instructors were ill-prepared.
COVID-19 has also added to the anxiety and stress of young people who grapple with adjusting to a new normal with limited psychosocial support, many of them have found their already overlooked mental health jeopardised due to anxiety and stress.
The Barbados Youth Development Council views the contribution made by Grenville Phillips II on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, published with the headline, ‘Late Teenagers’ in Barbados TODAY as a woefully uninformed misrepresentation of young people, their challenges, ambitions and needs.
It demonstrated a vast disconnect from young adults whom he opted to refer to as ‘late teenagers’ and ignored a need for investment in the holistic development of young people in order to ensure their readiness for the realities of the world after university.
University students and indeed young people are often not ‘delayed from transitioning into adulthood’ but rather are simply denied entrance based on a lack of employment opportunities, exploitation disguised as unpaid internships, lack of resources, policies which stifle our ability to access markets and compete with well-established companies, gatekeepers, outdated ideas and resistance to change, innovation and ingenuity when we enter spaces, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Those who seek to create those opportunities for their peers often lack support and face harsh criticism. Contrary to the assertion by Mr Phillips, you are not by having graduated from university, a well-adjusted adult.
During this time it has become apparent that whether young or old, those who fail to understand personal accountability and how their actions have the ability to stop a nation in its tracks have the potential to do significant harm’.
Whether that is joyriding on a bus, racing to the supermarket panic shopping when it has been stated that supermarkets will remain open during the pause period or choosing not to wear a mask simply because you don’t believe in the existence of COVID-19 it is clear that irresponsibility and lack of accountability is not unique to the youth, but present at all stages of development.
The recruitment of University students to participate in the government’s ‘Operation Seek and Save’ is not a sign of imminent failure nor is it an inditement in Barbados’ COVID-19 response.
It is a clear recognition that if given facts, the correct tools and training, young people can and will show up to give service to their country even ‘during a pandemic of an aggressive deadly virus’.
It is testimony to the reality that if given the chance and the opportunity young people will endeavour to do credit to their nation wherever they go, whether across the seas or throughout communities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows that young people are willing to play their part in the recovery of our nation.
The Barbados Youth Development Council wishes to remind Mr. Phillips, that the belief that young persons are somehow a disaster to be contained and that they lack the capacity and are unable to grasp the gravity of what this exercise means for Barbados, the country in which we live and love is flawed.
We sing the same National Anthem and swell with the same pride, we carry the same last names and share the
same historical pasts, we aim to make our country better through our talents and our contributions in the same manner as Mr. Phillips.
The council applauds every young person on the frontline who is at risk in these trying times to ensure that Barbadians are kept safe.
We are not simply the future; we are the now and right now we are doing a great job of not only weathering the storm but supporting those around us and leaving no one behind.
