Bacchus tells youth: 'Your future is digital'

MINISTER of Digital Transformation Hassel Bacchus has asked people over 50 not to limit youth.

He passionately addressed an audience largely composed of teenagers and children at the launch of Youth Week 2024 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Frederick Street, Port of Spain on Monday. It was scheduled to take place between 4 pm-9 pm but did not officially start until 5.30 pm.

The event was titled White Night, and also featured a Fully Positive concert.

The week is a joint effort between Bacchus’ ministry and the Foster Cummings-led Ministry of Youth Development and National Service.

Cummings joined Bacchus on stage along with tech entrepreneur Kyle Maloney and social media entertainer Gervail (Jr Lee) Lemo. Maloney and Lee shared their experiences in developing digital businesses.

He spoke to three age groups: under 15, 15-50 and over 50.

To those over 50, he said, “We have a different job, those in the over-50 crew. What is our role in this? Do not limit the young people. Our job is to encourage, facilitate, and support. Especially when the things that they are trying to do don’t work in this digital space.”

He said both Maloney and Jr Lee would tell the audience their respective successes were built on a solid foundation of failure.

Older people should get everyone to do what they need to do, Bacchus said.

Although opportunities might have been limited for older people in the past, Bacchus told the young people they now had the opportunity to truly be anything they wanted to be, thanks to digitalisation.

He told those under 15 that even while playing digital games they were growing and developing their skills for the digital environment.

“The world is replete, full of people who, when they set out, did not set out to do something spectacular, but became and did something that turned out to be business and business-oriented.

“Digital technology – which is natural to you guys – is the key to that,” he said.

Bacchus told them what some saw as fun and games represented the digital foundation they would need to be able to succeed in their lives.

He told them to continue to try new things, learn and do the things that would allow them to learn in the digital space.

For people 15-50, Bacchus said the digital world was not a joke and “fun and games.”

“This digital thing is something you have to take seriously. You cannot function in this world and not be digitally literate.

“You cannot function in this world and not try to understand how the technology that immerses itself around you, encircling you, demanding things of you, strangling you. If you’re not able, if you don’t become digitally literate, in this age, you are operating at a decided disadvantage,” he said.

Bacchus said the Government and the ministry had many free programmes for people of all ages. He called on them to visit the ministry’s website and register on its developer’s hub. He added that there were thousands of programmes and courses with internationally-valid certification.

Those were the keys that would allow people to continue to work in the digital space.

“You will not be able to succeed without having a minimal level of digital literacy,” he said.

Youth Week events:

The week continues until Saturday.

On August 20, a Youth in Sport event is scheduled for Pleasantville Indoor Sporting Arena

August 21: Youth in Business at NAPA

August 22: Youth in Agriculture event, NAPA

August 23: Digital caravan, NAPA:

August 24: Youth on Stage finals, also at NAPA.