April is annually observed here as Youth Month, designed to celebrate the talents and achievements of young people, and to emphasize youth empowerment through a series of national and community activities. This week, the youth and sports ministry’s youth director, Mary Wilfred, offered a hint of the many scheduled activities. The first, a speech festival, took place from April 1 to the 4. Students fine-tuned their oratorical skills by debating parliament-style debating, reciting poetry and delivering addresses.
“We are hoping that coming out of this training, we will have more young people who can use various advocacy tools; that they can now better address issues that affect them, not just as students but also as citizens,” said Wilfred. The formal opening of Youth Month took place on Friday. Dubbed “Youth Expose,” the event attracted many uniformed groups, including the cadets, Red Cross and scouts. A formal opening ceremony was held at Constitution Park and included live performances and a showcase of young entrepreneurs. The grand opening marked the start of the packed calendar of events for the month.
The Wayne Louis Memorial Lecture is scheduled for April 13 at the Financial Administrative Center, starting at 6:00 pm. This event is held in partnership with the Wayne Louis Memorial Foundation, to commemorate the former vice president of the National Youth Council. Dr. Winston Phulgence will deliver the lecture.
April 15-20 will be observed as Youth Service Week. During this time individuals, youth groups and organizations are encouraged to show acts of kindness, and make a difference through service projects in their various communities. The groups can photograph their acts of kindness and upload it to Facebook. The picture with the most likes receives an award. A weekend “Kamp Kalinago” will take place from April 19 to 21 in Soufriere. The camp will seek to provide opportunities for young people to access leadership development. Participants are expected to learn skills in events management, budgeting and proposal writing and public relations, among other related topics. They will also be exposed to the history of the Kalinago people, sometimes referred to as the Caribs. They were the indigenous people of the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
While a date has not yet been set for Youth Parliament, it is expected to take place in the last week of April. The debate will center on the Youth Justice Act that was passed in the House of Assembly last November. Youth month culminates with Youth Awards on April 27 at the Financial Administrative Centre. The award ceremony seeks to celebrate youth and their achievements in many categories, including: Outstanding Youth in Entrepreneurship, Outstanding Youth in Social Development, Outstanding Youth Organization and Youth of the Year. –
