Ryan Duncan is ready to serve others

RYAN Duncan, 17, has always loved helping people. It is why two of his possible career paths include being a doctor and a politician. But in the meantime, he is using his love for helping in the form of being a youth ambassador.

The San Juan native attended the Febeau Government Primary School and come September, will be a form five student at St Augustine Secondary School.

During his even younger years, he said, life was difficult at times as he did not have much. But thanks to a supportive family, he was able to push through.

"My parents would have worked really hard and provided the necessary tools and resources I needed to get further in life...And as I get older and become more exposed to the real world, I am understanding more and more the sacrifices they made.

His interests as a child were simple – football, planting and cooking. He recalled always wanting to be in the kitchen alongside his mother as she prepared meals for the family.

However, he also mentioned growing up in a community where he witnessed a lot of hate, crime and violence among young people. This furthered cemented his dream to have a positive impact on the youth.

"Some issues I've noticed are young people being advantaged by their parents and as a result of what's going on at home, not having a physical space to focus on their school work.

"Kids could grow up in households with fighting and cursing and it could change them mentally and physically."

He recently graduated from the Morvant Men's Morvant Movement (M4) in the area of fire services where he would of learnt about community fire safety, rescue techniques, first aid, among other things. But in addition to this, he said he learnt more about the qualities of a good leader.

He praised his mentors fire sub officer Kevin Ross and firefighters Rahei Boucher and Jamaal Joseph.

"They've taught me about being an active listener, a problem solver, critical thinker and being someone who really takes time to understand things that may be new to them.

"They showed me real life scenarios and broke it down and really worked towards helping me become a better version of myself. Those three men made my life better."

The skills he learnt further allowed him to join the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Advocacy Network, where he underwent two weeks of "intense" training with other youth ambassadors.

"I had access to so many events and resources, was able to connect with ministers, learnt even more leadership skills...

"They taught me a lot about how to fight for what is right and what we believe in and how to be a voice for the youth – and how to let those voices be heard.

Within the network, he also works in the administration, mental health, human resources and environmental departments.

He said as he tries his best to put the skills he has learnt to use, many have complimented him on his "excellent leadership.

"Just like my mentors, people said I could break down situations and have clear communication to help them better understand things. People have also said I'm very accountable and serious about my role."

He added that he enjoys working with children and is very interested in volunteerism and humanitarian work.

"I really want to help educate the youth and help them to not give up on their dreams and just share positivity."

Duncan also expressed his views on the areas of education and national security.

He believes increased access to social workers at schools in TT is crucial as many need counselling, stemming back to at-home issues.

"A lot of these students have so much going on at home and often take it out on other people at school."

On crime, he said it breaks his heart to see those who are involved in that lifestyle, especially those in criminal effects.

"I know once I go down that road, I would lose everything I worked so hard for...Many of them can't even leave their communities because they will be killed."

He hopes to some day create a community project to highlight the skills and talents of young people there and to show them alternatives.

"We are a great country that has a lot of things to offer. People just need to take the opportunities that are being presented

He has ambitions of becoming a doctor, which is why he is currently studying natural sciences at school. However, he is also open to becoming a nurse as well as a politician.

He said he has an interest in midwifery as he was told there are not many men in Trinidad and Tobago doing that, and he wants to challenge himself.

He also hopes to get picked to participate in the Youth Parliament some day.

"My grandmother always dreamt of having a relative in politics, and seeing me involved with all these ministries recently, she has been very grateful and excited."

In fact, he said his entire family is supportive of all his goals and aspirations.

"We are here to be the positive footstep in young people's lives. When adults look at us, they would also be able to say, 'That's a good one.'

"I am a young man of positivity and ambition and for my age, I’m doing excellently. I try to make myself available to anyone and I'm very interactive with people to advocate for the right thing."

He said his mantra is the Satya Nani quote, “A little progress each day adds up to big results."