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• Justin Missick, the RYC member for the Turks and Caicos speaks about his experience at CYF6

Justin Missick, the RYC member for the Turks and Caicos speaks about his experience at CYF6

6 December 2007

After the successful completion of CYF6, it seemed only right to catch up with the youth delegates and get their thoughts and feelings about the forum and its potential impact on young people across the Commonwealth

CYP interviewed 20 year old Justin Missick, the regional youth caucus member for the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

• How were you selected as a youth delegate?

Having the position of an RYC alone does not merit or guarantee your selection into these forums. I was selected by the department of Youth Affairs because of my active participation and involvement within my community through different youth led initiatives and groups, after all I am a young person so the issues that young people face affect me as well. I made it my duty to get involved and try to effect change on issues that were important to me and other young people in my country and it carried me all the way to Entebbe, Uganda.

• What were your expectations going into CYF6 in Uganda?

My expectations going into CYF 6 were very high. This was in partly because of the unity and eagerness of my fellow RYCs to participate and make their voices heard and presence felt through out the Commonwealth on behalf of the young people that they represent from their respective countries.

I expected it to be a trying process to which it was, but I believe that was matched with a high level of representation from all delegates attending the forum.

• What were some of the key outcomes at the forum?

I believe one of the major outcomes of the forum was that young people were able to come together, set aside their differences and pool efforts in putting together a joint communiqué detailing what the issues concerning them were and what the possible solutions could be from a youth perspective. Young delegates held discussions on some of the worlds most plaguing issues to date such as “conflict management and social transformation”, “young people and health”, “sustainable development” and perhaps one of the more popular topics “climate change”. This sends a message to our Commonwealth and indeed our world and its leaders that if our youth can accomplish this in such a short time then they should also be able to do so.

• From the discussions at CYF, what do you feel are the main issues affecting young people in the Caribbean region and the Commonwealth as a whole?

One of the biggest problems right now is the lack of youth involvement in the formal governance structures of organisations at all levels of policy making. Putting measures in place to engage young people at all levels is the only way we can truly see change coming from the grass roots, the young people who are at the source and bring to the forefront the youth agenda. This is an issue I believe is faced by young people across the Commonwealth but as it relates to the Caribbean specifically, two of the major issues that young people are facing right now are the issues relating to health with a focus on HIV and AIDS because most of our countries in the Caribbean are limited in many resources and human capital is one, this can not be overlooked for a region on the map where countries can hardly be seen but has the second highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the world. The other issue is climate change which is of particular concern because most of our countries in the Caribbean are low lying areas and most of us are Island nations. The term island is really a figure of speech because we are surrounded by water and have no place else to go. For the purpose of ensuring the future for generations to come, if this issue is not addressed adequately and is allowed to persist there will be less and less of a Caribbean or none at all in the coming years.

• How can young people become agents of change in addressing some of these issues?

I think Dr. Henry Charles (CYP Caribbean Centre, Regional Director) said it best when he said,

“The reality is that you are a citizen of your country and a member of your community, you have rights but you also have responsibilities. One of the ways you can exercise your responsibility is to get involved in youth groups and other community organisations.”

Through our participation and helping hand to a cause we feel strongly we can make a difference. There is strength in numbers and by joining and forming youth groups we are empowering ourselves to become the change we seek to make.

• Has the CYF changed your perspective on issues facing young people in the Commonwealth?

CYF has not changed my perspective on the issues facing young people but rather I think it has expanded my understanding of what I have already known and then broadened my out look on it. Most importantly the experience has made me recommit myself to the issues that young people face and given me an energized stance on the way forward.

• How has the insight and information at CYF helped you in your role as a Regional Youth Caucus representative?

As a RYC, building your knowledge base and being well informed on the issues are very important, training in the fields of advocacy and lobbying, the principles of a debate and democracy go a long way and will at one point or the other during your RYC tenure be needed. Forums like these give young people a chance to experience each other’s culture and learn from our differences and diversity. I believe this can be used as a strength, also to network with each other and share best practice solutions.

My participation in CYF 6 has been a truly rewarding experience, I believe now that I have had a chance to participate in an initiative on this pan-commonwealth level I am better equipped to handle a lot more of the situations on a national level.