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Youth empowerment critical for youth leadership

20 August 2008

Guyana's Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds joined young people from around the Caribbean to celebrate International Youth Day

Guyana's Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds joined young people from around the Caribbean to celebrate International Youth Day in Georgetown on August 12 2008, under the theme ‘Youth and Climate Change: Time for Action’.

Mr Hinds and Commonwealth Youth Programme Regional Director Henry Charles were special guests at the first Caribbean Red Cross Youth Forum, aimed at boosting the capacity of Red Cross youth volunteers and members.

At the Forum, Mr Charles addressed delegates about Making Youth Leadership a Reality, and stressed the importance of youth empowerment.

"While there can be no doubt that the State has a primary responsibility and moral obligation to facilitate the creation of the enabling environment for youth empowerment, this can only be achieved through strategic partnerships involving young people, their democratic networks, kinships, governments, civil society, the media, and international development stakeholders," he said.

He pointed out that empowering young people means creating and supporting those enabling conditions under which young people can act on their own behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others.

"These include an economic and social base; political will; adequate resource allocation and supportive legal and administrative frameworks; a stable environment of equality; peace and democracy; and access to knowledge, information and skills, and a positive value system," said Mr Charles.

At the two-day meeting, he extended greetings on behalf of Commonwealth Secretary General, Mr Kamalesh Sharma, the Director of the Commonwealth Youth Programme Dr Fatiha Serour, and the Pan Commonwealth Youth Caucus.

Prime Minister Hinds also addressed the gathering on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana. He highlighted various challenges and opportunities that globalization posed and called upon young people to remain focused in their quest for self actualisation.