BY Alva Solomon

SOME 80 youths from communities across the Mabaruma sub-region of the Barima-Waini Region One community marched across the dusty Kumaka stretch and on to the hilltop community of Koberimo last weekend, as they geared for this year’s President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) awards ceremony.The group, which included three secondary schools in the sub-region, completed the 4 or 5-mile walk, deemed as their first pre-expedition for the year for the new recruits of the Bronze level of the award. They were drawn from the North-West Secondary School unit as well as the Hosororo and Wauna Secondary school departments.

Team leader and Coordinator Renato Srikumar told the Guyana Chronicle during the walk that participants usually complete two pre-expedition exercises, and a final activity is set for the month of June. “This is to ensure that the participants qualify for the award in October,” he said. “I encouraged the youths to be involved in their community development; and after studying, they should return and try to build their communities,” he added.

He said that participants will undergo four stages of preparation for the award, including participation in community services, physical recreation, skills, and adventurous journeys, the latter seen as more exciting by participants. The entire process caters for youths between the ages of 15 and 24.

After completing those four stages, the participants will qualify for the award within a three to six-month period.

Last Sunday, after registering at the North-West Secondary School, the youths walked off in groups along the Kumaka stretch and on to Koberimo Hill. The community, accessible only by via the Koberimo Creek, is undergoing infrastructural upgrade, with a roadway being built to connect the community to the Kumaka Stretch.

The students trekked across the narrow and tricky pieces of wood which were laid along the trail where the roadway is being built. A few near misses made the journey exciting, as some tried desperately to avoid falling into the swampy lands beneath the wood trail. Later, they clambered up a hill on entering the populated parts of the predominantly farming community.

Some students were in for a surprise, as another hilly section stood atop the initial ascent into Koberimo, and panting took full effect at this point.

On ascent into the community, the students rested briefly at the community centre ground, and were later grouped according to the schools they attend. Cooking activities in the form of “bush-cooks” then commenced as part of the exercise. They interacted with each other while the pots boiled; and lunch, made mainly of chowmein cooked with chicken sausage, was served. A motivational speech by Nazim Hussain of the National Aids Programme Secretariat (NAPS) commenced after lunch.

Hussain, who was visiting the region, reminded the attentive students of the value of education, and what it entails to be a youth leader in every regard. He encouraged them to pursue their education goals and to grasp every opportunity which they encounter.

He also spoke on health-related issues which teenagers will encounter, and the students lent a listening ear to this aspect of his presentation.

Later, the group carried out a clean–up exercise on the sprawling community centre ground at Koberimo; and after washing the pots, pans and plates, the students headed for their descent out of the community.

Another adventurous journey is set for next month, and a camp/craft training will be co-hosted by the Guyana Defence Force’s Camp Everad Base at Mabaruma as part of the qualifying process.

Participants in previous exercises have moved on to qualifying themselves at technical and tertiary institutions in the capital city, and are said to be contributing meaningfully to the development

of the Mabaruma sub-region.