PRESIDENT David Granger is scheduled to deliver the feature address at the second reunion of ex-members of the Guyana National Service (GNS) billed for August 22-30 here in Georgetown.Most of the events are scheduled to take place at the Carifesta Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue, and ex-GNS members and their families are expected from North America, the Caribbean and all across Guyana, according to a release from the Association of ex-GNS Members.

The reunion activities will commence with a religious service on Sunday at 09:00hrs at the Carifesta Sports Complex.

The highlight of the week of activities will be a symposium on Wednesday, August 26 from 17:00hrs at the Carifesta Sports Complex, under the theme: ‘Youth development strategies; problems and solutions, then and now.’

Other scheduled items on the programme will include tours to places of interest, such as New Amsterdam, Skeldon and Corriverton, in Berbice; the New Opportunity Corps at Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast; the famous Kaieteur Falls; and the Baganara Island Resort. The grand finale will be a gala dinner and dance at the Impeccable Banquet Hall on Brickdam on Friday,August 28.

The organisers of this year’s event, along with all the participants are joined by a deep conviction that national service is relevant today, the release stated.
They shared a unique experience of the geography and cultures of Guyana, lifting a veil on the diversity, beauty, and vast opportunities of their native land.

“For so many of our members, the national service experience was a transformative one that changed their lives for the better in terms of their education, skill set, civic values, physical and mental agility, and arguably a winning attitude that ‘we can do it’ in all our pursuits,” according to the release.

“Perhaps the major asset and blessing of the institution was that after school there was an avenue for betterment for our most valuable resource – our youths, a door that is closed today.

“The second reunion of ex-GNS members is our strong statement to Guyana and the world that the national service experience is one that we treasure as a unifying force that empowered us and has the potential to empower Guyana’s youth,” the release concluded.