“ONE thing that can lift you out of poverty is education”. Those were the words of Youth, Culture and Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony as he addressed hundreds of awardees of the President’s Youth Award: Republic of Guyana (PYARG) Saturday at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).
Represented in three broad categories, namely the Gold, Silver and Bronze, the contingent was recognized for its involvement in a number of activities, ranging from skills training, to community service, physical recreation, adventurous journeys and explorations, all of which served to enrich their lives while benefitting their communities.
Awardees came from all ten administrative regions, but Region Six was classed the best performed region, an award won by them last year as well.
Seemingly overjoyed at the achievement by Guyana’s future leaders, Dr Anthony said the PYARG, which is almost as old at the subject Ministry itself, has been rewarding and fruitful since, to date, over 17,000 young Guyanese have been involved in the programme.
He noted that a greater appreciation for Guyana is developed through community involvement and youth building. “These young people have done good community services, and I am sure it was a rewarding experience for them,” Dr. Anthony said.
“Presently, we have embarked on hiring youth and sport organizers to expand the programme in every region, so next year we hope to have much more people involved in the programme,” the minister said while issuing a challenge to secondary schools to be more involved so as to further aid in Guyana’s development.
Dr Anthony also underscored the need for a tertiary level education, which he described as “essential” in today’s world. He noted that while spending time in the PYARG, participants should have realized that they need to take advantage of the many opportunities available.
The Youth Minister highlighted that while technical education is free and a tertiary education at the University of Guyana is estimated at a very minimal cost, “education is a lifelong pursuit and one is never too old to learn”.
Minister Anthony implored the awardees to pursue tertiary education. He reflected on the limited opportunities that had been available to their foreparents and said that education should be used as a stepping stone, not only for the academically inclined but for those gifted in technical fields as well.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds echoed the sentiments of Youth Minister Dr Anthony and acknowledged the efforts of the youths to be part of a meaningful programme which seeks to further develop Guyana.
The Prime Minister said the awardees should see their lives in what a Japanese saying describes as three stages: learning, becoming an adult, and becoming a mentor or teacher.
Noting that they are currently at the two stages of learning and becoming an adult, the Prime Minister advised the participants to strive towards achieving all three phases in their lives, and
encouraged them not to see Guyana as being fragmented or divided in any way, despite ethnic differences.
PYARG, he explained, is one such avenue through which a spirit of “bringing us together” is promoted.
“Our challenge is to come together…. Reading our history, we can see how great it was coming together. I tend not to lose hope and faith when I look at world history. Looking at history, one can see it is quite a challenge, but we can achieve this,” he assured.
Finally, he admonished that, as nation builders, we should stay away from the “we don’t have this and we don’t have that” mentality, and seek to challenge ourselves in getting things done while we have the power to so do.
The ceremony was also graced with cultural performances by Indira and Nadira Dance Troupe, PYARG participants and Guyana’s reigningSoca Monarch Kwesi Ace.
The President’s Youth Award: Republic of Guyana programme was birthed on October 3, 1998 to replace the International Award for Young People, which developed out of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award which was introduced in Great Britain in 1956.
Since the launch of the PYARG programme, teens and adults from across Guyana have benefited and continue to benefit greatly from the life-changing experiences and services provided by the programme. To this extent, the award has afforded approximately 17,000 youths aged between 14 and 25 years old the opportunity to be involved in a number of nation building activities.
These activities enable them to enjoy a variety of experiences and cultures whilst discovering and expanding upon new skills. Upon successful completion of the programme, participants’ achievements are recognized and awarded. (Ravin Singh)
