Youth convention chair: Imbert must invest in young people

AS Budget Day approaches, the founder and executive chairperson of the TT Youth Convention (TTYC), Nikoli Edwards, has called for Finance Minister Colm Imbert to invest in youth development.

Speaking at the TTYC at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) on Wednesday, Edwards said such an investment would essentially help young people to capture and make full use of the educational, recreational and entrepreneurial activities already afforded to youths. “TT has no shortage of educated youth or young people who find creative ways of burning off excess energy. What we do have is a shortage of effective programmes which capture the imagination of the youth, help them to realise their potential and put them on a real path to progress.”

He also called on the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Shamfa Cudjoe, who was in the audience, to advocate for the removal of “Youth Affairs” from the ministry’s name and replace it with “Youth Development.”

Saying youth advocates and leaders dream of a day when the youth portfolio would exist independently of sport, Edwards said in the interim he wants the minister to undertake to rename the ministry the Ministry of Sport and Youth Development or Youth Development and Sport.

“Youth work is not an affair and must be given the respect it deserves. As the old people say, ‘You must speak it into being,’ and so today we want to usher in a new era in youth development work in our country.

“Too many citizens fail to understand what youth development means, and so while one may think that a simple name change would not do much, we cannot ignore the positive psychology effect that it may have, especially as it shall guide the work of the ministry.”

Although Cudjoe spoke after Edwards, she did not address his request. Edwards said it was important that Cudjoe’s ministry develop and roll out effective programmes, to give a youth policy that is truly representative of the views of the country’s youth, “one that can increase its human resource so that more can be done across the country and can support the youth who are offered opportunities to represent our country regionally and internationally, but who, try as they might, simply cannot afford to venture beyond our shores due to economic challenges.” He said the TTYC stood ready to lead by example when it comes to demonstrating what youth development means and how it is an integral part of national development. Hundreds of students from different schools from across the country were invited to hear the speakers, including Canadian High Commissioner to TT Carla Hogan, Cudjoe and seven-minute presentations from seven young people on their personal experiences, ranging from mental health, entrepreneurship, financial freedom, sex and relationship, civic engagement and social responsibility. There was entertainment from Travis Hosein, known as Travis World, who produced the 2018 Road March Soca Kingdom.

There was a display in the lobby by JMMB, Nestle, family life services, several ministries, including the Office of the Prime Minister and Social Development. The students were also involved in a workshop.