CYEN making mark on youth inclusion in policy, decision making
CYEN Guyana National Coordinator, Elon McCurdy
CYEN Guyana National Coordinator, Elon McCurdy

 

MEMBERS of the Guyana Chapter of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) are making their mark on youth inclusion in policy and decision making on the environment and on the socio-economic issues that affect young people and their communities.

National Coordinator for CYEN Guyana, Elon McCurdy, recently said: “Our Vision is to ensure that whatever we do as a Chapter can contribute to a positive impact on the environment; on sustainable development; on building the capacity of our young people; and on ensuring that the Government is aware that we are here.”

She said “We want to be part of the decision-making process because, as youths, whatever decisions are made are what we will have to live with much longer than the adults who made those decisions.”

Guyana CYEN was in the news recently when members successfully staged a cutting edge forum for youths to contribute to World Wide Views on Global Climate and Energy Policies and a process initiated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

World Wide Views on Climate and Energy is a citizen participation project on global Climate and Energy Policies which aims at capturing information about how far citizens around the world are willing to go in order to deal with climate change and to bring forward an energy transition.

The local deliberations held by CYEN Guyana gave youths an opportunity to have their views forwarded to the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, to be held from November 30th to December 11th, 2015.

McCurdy said the forum, held with the support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), had been highly successful, and she was certain that views would be considered during COP 21.

She said that the Guyana Chapter will lobby for a youth representative to be part of the Guyana delegation for the event to be staged in Paris.

CYEN Guyana Chapter Public Relations Officer (PRO) Onika Stellingburg said an ongoing aspect of the work has to do with educating youths on environmental protection. She said: “Everything we do, even what we do when we construct our homes, has a positive or negative impact on the environment. It’s not only about littering. We encourage young people to do things in their communities (and) in their homes, such as conserving electricity, re-cycling bags and materials, use reuse and conserve; it can be about the food you eat too.”

“Are you planting the food you eat? So our approach to environmental protection is holistic. It has to do with encouraging youths to live a Green Lifestyle,” she posited.

She said that CYEN Guyana is focused not only on environmental issues, but on all issues that are related to sustainable development, and these are economic, social, and inclusive of the environment. These include poverty alleviation, youth unemployment, health (HIV/AIDS), climatic changes, and conservation and other natural resources management issues.

The group has been actively involved in organised clean-ups, community work, presentations to school children, and other exercises aimed at increasing awareness all across Guyana.

She said the group has frequent contact with the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment — a Ministry in the previous Government, as well as the Department of Youth.

The Chapter has also benefited greatly from support from the Guyana Chapter of the WWF.

 

By Clifford Stanley

 

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