–says municipalities and Regional and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils can provide solutions

By Shauna Jemmott

FIRST Lady Sandra Granger has said that municipalities and Regional and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils can become key partners in developing holistic solutions to target issues that impact the cultural and spiritual moorings and values of Guyana’s teens.Delivering remarks at a stakeholders symposium held in observance of United Nations World Population Day, recently held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, the First Lady pointed out that many young people are alienated, uneducated and undereducated, and are “adrift of cultural and spiritual moorings and values”.

As a result, she said, a multi-sectoral approach to the myriad problems facing teens in Guyana is needed, to ensure they receive adequate preparation for future leadership roles.

The UN observance this year is held under the theme “Investing in teenage girls,” and Mrs Granger said the theme has been expanded locally to include boys, given the challenges faced by Guyanese youths.

She said careful examination should be done into how teenagers are socialized, so that holistic solutions can be developed to target issues affecting them.

“We must consider the social and economic environments in which they grow; the influences they are exposed to, and the hardships and challenges they face,” Mrs Granger said.

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
“The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) reported last year that Guyana has a consistently high rate of youth unemployment of 40 per cent since the year 2000. It is important that a well-defined strategy be implemented to ensure that teenage girls and boys have the opportunity to become viable citizens who will both contribute to, and benefit from, the country’s wealth and resources,” Mrs. Granger said.

The First Lady also highlighted the need for investments to be made in youths through support for their families and the communities in which they live. She pointed out that municipalities and Regional and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils can become key partners in this process.

She has also called on non-governmental and religious organisations to partner with those bodies in order to give guidance and support, thereby positively influencing the lives of youths.

The education system must cater to the needs of each child, she said, and help to nurture them into their desired career paths; and schools must be adequately equipped with facilities and staff.

FIRE FOR LEARNING
“Novel ways must be found to engage them, and to light in them a fire for learning through access to information and community technologies, skills in sciences and arts, and access to technical and vocational education; knowing that they will be able to lift themselves out of poverty and share in the good things life has to offer,” she said.

She said that health and family life education must also play a role within the school system, in communities and in social organisations.

“We, as a nation, would fail if investment isn’t made in the health and well-being of our young people who are at a difficult period of their development,” Mrs Granger said, as she encouraged adults, educators and health sector professionals to provide necessary information about sexual and reproductive health to empower teenagers to protect themselves from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).