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.

During the successful hosting of the 6th edition of the Caribbean Youth Leaders’ Summit (6th CYLS), the Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC) elected its 2020 – 2022 executive board and produced a statement outlining its key priority areas for youth economic empowerment.

The 6th CYLS was convened under the theme of ‘Promoting Youth Economic Empowerment for Sustainable Caribbean Development’ from January 21 – 23, at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The summit brought together approximately 200 delegates, 150 of whom were youth, from 13 countries and territories from across the Caribbean and the Americas Region.

These participants were drawn from National Youth Councils (NYCs), the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), youth organizations and other key youth development partners and stakeholders; including the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); Commonwealth Secretariat; International Labour Organisation (ILO); United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC); and, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

The announcement of the first female chairperson and new executive complements the release of the Port of Spain Statement on Youth Economic Empowerment.

This statement covers the six key priority areas of the regions youth and presents key recommendations to governments around the region. The CRYC has committed to working with stakeholders to create an environment that supports the implementation of the recommendations.

The new executive expected to lead this process is led by the first female and first Barbadian chairperson Roshanna Trim. The other executive members are Anya Edwin – Vice Chair Resource Mobilization (St. Lucia); Russhell Ellis – Vice Chair of Policy and Advocacy (Antigua and Barbuda); Neil Gumbs – Vice Chair of Members and Partnerships (Anguilla); Kendell Vincent – Board Member Communications and Information (Trinidad and Tobago); and, Jerome Palmer – Board Member Training and Development (Jamaica). The new Executive Board officially assumed office on Friday January 24, 2020 for a period of two years.

MINISTER of Youth and Community Empowerment, Adrian Forde has given the assurance that government’s Building Blocks programme will start within a couple of weeks, giving the "guys on the block" an opportunity to become entrepreneurs, or as he termed them "blockpreneurs".

His comments came during the 2019 Annual General Meeting and Youth Hero Awards of the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC), held at United Nations House on Saturday night.

He reminded that the programme, which was officially launched last July, is being developed as a means to provide a comprehensive community-based social intervention strategy to address the problems of unemployment and incidents of crime and violence.

Saying that blocks do not exist in silos but within our communities, he said efforts to break them up proved to be futile, adding that there is a need to transform and build them out in a way that young people could be given the skill-sets and training to become productive and responsible business persons in Barbados.

He noted that a component of the programme includes beautifying structures, adding that a holistic approach must be taken that includes the entire community.

Minister Forde stressed that Barbadians are a resilient people and therefore investing in the human resource of the country is essential. "If we do the right things Barbados can not only take itself out of the economic morass, but the social morass."

He once again lamented the level of youth disengagement that exists in the country, highlighting the worrying statistic that approximately 30 per cent of young people in this country are unemployed. "This figure should never be," he said. He said it recognises that 70 per cent of young school-leavers between 17 and 21 have a burning desire to be entrepreneurs. "We are seeing we have to make our programmes target specific."

"Young people of this country are the most important cog in the development of this country. If we get it wrong at this stage then Barbados will be Barbados no more … We must engage young people. We must have fit for purpose programmes and special training programmes were young people become employable."

During his presentation, the Minister expressed concern about the popular local video called "Badness" found YouTube. "What came across most dreadful is the fact that guys of the block said they were going to change the name of Barbados. It is going to be called Barbada**. I am saying today Barbados will never be called Barbada**. Because we know our country and we know that Barbados be only be the Mecca, not only of the Caribbean but the world."

He used the opportunity to commend the BYDC for their ongoing work, adding that young persons must be encouraged to be a part of these youth organisations. "We don’t know it all and we cannot do it all. We have to get the resource information from the young people of this country. You have to tell us what you want and we have to provide that listening ear. It is the only way," he said. (JH)

A youth leader has questioned  Government’s anti-violence campaign mere days after it launched with a series of anti-violence messages on bus shelters around the island.

While noting that violence is a cause for concern, particularly violent crime among men under 30,  Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) President Roshanna Trim told Barbados TODAY the campaign does not appear to have a focused narrative.

Trim declared: “If the backlash has been so great [towards] an initiative that is focused at young people in order to respond to a challenge that they are disproportionately affected by, have we [then] truly engaged young persons in a matter that has truly affected them?

“While we are not fully aware of the extent of what the project is, anti-violence campaigns have always been [criticized] for not truly responding to the root causes of gang violence, as well as gun crime.”

Trim blamed a host of underlining issues that anti-violence campaigns have failed to address – poverty, lack of real job opportunities for young people and an outdated education system that fails to cater to the needs of the youth in this modern society, among others.

“It also has to be transparent and clear, what the campaign wants to achieve, and how it is supposed to achieve these things,” said the BYDC president.

“I also think the ministry needs to take a more collaborative approach and to engage young people, and youth organizations in the entire process from start to finish, and not simply persons who work in the ministry, but also persons on the outside watching, as well as young people who come from communities that are specifically vulnerable.”

Suggesting an alternative strategy for the campaign, Trim said: “Why have Youth CSOs (Chief Strategy Officers) not been openly given a chance to submit proposals that address the challenges being faced? Youth CSOs remain underfunded and under-resourced, yet very committed to addressing social ills within communities. I think it’s an imperative and at this point in time that we take a look at how we fund, and treat to these CSOs.

“We can do a lot better to work collaboratively and engage young people, not simply as problems to be solved, but as partners in building a better Barbados.”
(SB)