GUYANA on Saturday joined youths the world over in celebrating International Youth Day under the theme “Youth Building Peace” and to recognise the contributions of youths here to development.
Youths are widely accepted as agents of change and with 65 per cent of the population below age 35, Guyana can be considered a youthful nation; full of energy and creativity but not fully harnessed.
Here in Guyana, youths can be found in every sphere of national life, be it in the public service, the teaching profession, the legal profession, in business and in politics. The impact of youths here cannot be underestimated. Many would recall the “Vote Like A Boss” campaign managed by youths and the impact it had in getting young people out to vote in the 2015 regional and general elections.
More recently, a group of young Guyanese were part of the spotlight on the world stage. The Guyana Robotics Team, participating in the International Robotics Championship in Washington, USA, for the first time, secured a place in the top 10, despite coming up against great odds.

These simple lessons have indicated that youths here, if given the opportunity, can be as good and equal to anyone else in any part of the world. And being the majority in Guyana, they hold the keys to change, to the social, economic and political development of Guyana and it is important for this reason that more and more youths play a role in shaping the peaceful, inclusive and prosperous Guyana they all envision.
This is not asking too much of them since they are ideal agents of change, generally see things differently from their senior counterparts and are in the driver’s seat when it comes to making a genuine difference, including breaking down barriers to Guyana’s divisive political culture.
While young people in Guyana have been making a meaningful contribution to the development of Guyana, they can do a lot more but would require support from government and other stakeholders.

Robust efforts must be made in galvanizing parents, spiritual and community leaders in ensuring that every youth, whether rich or poor, receive an education and are positioned on a path of making a meaningful contribution to their family, community and country.
It is heartening to know that the government has been contributing towards this process through the awards of scholarships (some 500 in total in the past two years), a process it has executed without much fanfare. It goes without saying that an investment in education is an investment in people, an investment in skills development and an investment in nation-building.

Aside from education, strong attention needs to be paid in encouraging young people into the world of business, since entrepreneurship is a vital means of youth empowerment, rolling back unemployment levels and creating avenues for innovation.
The young people of today all aspire to having a good job, a home and a secure future and, education and entrepreneurship are the avenues that will help them realise their dreams. But all of this will be incomplete if they are not imbued with good values such as honestly, respect, discipline and hard work, which when combined with education, allows for the all-round development of individuals and the creation of genuine and capable leaders. Since Guyana is a nation where the majority of her population are youth, it cannot be overemphasised that due attention has to be paid to this segment of the population in ensuring both their growth and development and their participation in the process of national development. In this way, the youths of today can be vital agents in building a peaceful and prosperous Guyana.