… says Minister Dr. Anthony
THE People’s Progressive Party PPP/C has always been a champion of youths and continues to provide thousands of opportunities in training to build their capacities, so that they can participate in making the decisions that shape their future. This declaration was made by Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, yesterday, as he was called upon to address the celebration of the United Nations’ (UN) International Youth Day, observed on August 12 each year.
Minister Anthony was at the time addressing hundreds of young Guyanese gathered at the International Conference Centre (GICC) to participate in the first ever Youth Conference and Expo, dubbed Impress- Making Your Mark.
According to him, the Youth Conference and Expo should be seen as an important and historic occasion, with President Bharrat Jagdeo and Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar meeting with young people from across Guyana, to hear from them the issues of greatest concern to them, and to work with them to fashion initiatives to confront challenges.
In an effort to recognise the efforts of world’s youth in enhancing global society, the United Nations’ (UN) International Youth Day aims at promoting ways to engage young people in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions to their communities.
The  UN General Assembly has called for action in  15 priority areas, including Education, Employment, Hunger and Poverty, Health, Environment, Drug Abuse, Juvenile Delinquency, Leisure time activities, Girls and Young Women, Participation, Globalization, Information and Communications Technology, Youth and Conflict, International Relations and HIV/AIDS, Anthony highlighted.
As to the administration’s drive to address these issues, he pointed out that several of them may not have same significance locally, but government continues to look at the priority list in the country and has been working on areas of concern to Guyanese youth.
“The PPP/C Government and its various partners have developed and are delivering programmes to address some of these challenges faced by young people, and have made substantial progress, and in  some cases we have surpassed the  world’s expectations,” he asserted.
On this note, Minister Anthony emphasized that this nation has many things to be proud of and many achievements to celebrate, most important of which is its young people.
He explained, “Our young people are talented, educated, and are bringing new ideas and public thinking, most of our young people are not infected with the prejudices of the past; while they want to understand the past, they do not want to live there, they would like to transcend the differences of race, religion and gender, and the political stereotyping, and reach for a higher goal, that is, a better Guyana.”
The PPP /C fully agrees with the young people of this country, which is why it has fashioned policies  and programmes that have allowed young people to live their dreams and to build upon their aspirations, he added.
Alluding to the party’s continued commitment to focus on youths and youth issues, he stated, “We have been a party that has been powered by the energies of the young and we will continue to expand the frontiers of young people’s development in Guyana…I am confident that just as President Bharrat Jagdeo has invested in you, so too President Donald Ramotar will continue to invest in the future, by investing in you.”
The International Youth Day aims at promoting awareness, especially among youths, of the World Programme for Action for Youth to the year 2000 and beyond. This day avails an opportunity to the youths to evaluate the various activities/programmes aimed at meeting their needs and aspirations.