THE Duke of Edinburgh International Award has been formally launched here and Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs , Sydney Allicock has plugged sustainability through partnership as key as the venture takes effect.
The Vice-President made the assertion at the Duke of Edinburg International Award Americas regional conference which opened at the Marriot Hotel, Kingston on Monday. The conference concludes today.

The award rebrands the “Presidents Youth Award Republic of Guyana”.
According to a release from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, representatives are meeting to develop a Global Strategy for the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award 2018 – 2023 with the aim of reaching as many young people as possible globally. The Foundation is looking to complete the Global Strategy Document for publishing in January 2018.

Minister Allicock in his remarks said “you’re gathering here from across the Americas and I believe that if we could use the power of reasoning to be that guiding light, it can help us to have this wonderful group of young people to be able to be developers and that sustainable driving force of our people within the Americas and who knows we can be an example to the entire world”.

He expressed the hope that stakeholders can benefit from suggestions to ensure communities are united and make the country more supportive rather than competitive. He said in the industrialised world the focus is on competition but in the indigenous communities, focus is placed on support.
“We can be able to all benefit from the suggestions that will make us a stronger people, that will make our communities united, that will make us more not competitive as such, but supportive. I know in the industrial world it is more about competition but we in the hinterland believe in supporting one another” he said.

At the forum, Allicock promoted Guyana’s thriving tourism sector with specific mention of the giants that can be found here including the ant eater, the largest fresh water scale fish the Arapaima, the giant anaconda, the Harpy Eagle and the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation.
General Secretary of the Foundation, John May, expressed optimism on the future of the planet given the fact that young people globally has seen it fitting to make positive contributions in this regard.

“What is fascinating to see is that we have a generation of young people joining the award now, joining the activities we hope to facilitate, who are not driven by saying the what’s in it for me question but by the question of what’s in it for society, what’s in it for us, what’s in it for our planet so Minister, your words about cooperation and collaboration I think are absolutely appropriate” May emphasised.

Referring to the “Giants” Minister Allicock spoke of, May noted that another giant can be added to that catalogue in that “it’s not just an anaconda but also the thoughts that we can have, and if over the next two or three days we as a group of leaders who are helping to imbue in the next generation of leaders great thoughts, we can have giant thoughts and aspirations then our young people can do anything”.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award which is the world’s leading youth achievement award and has been running for the past 60 years in more than 140 countries and territories around the world, has equipped and empowered in excess of 1.3 million young people to transform their lives, become active and emerge as leaders of tomorrow.
The programme was introduced in Guyana in 1998 with the first batch receiving bronze awards in 1999. To date, close to 50,000 young people have benefitted in the areas of vocational skills, community service enrichment, physical education and building team work capabilities.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Alfred King, who joined the programme from its inception said “ the award is bigger than saying it is a thing for young people. It is a total package or experience provided to transition young people successfully from adolescent into adulthood making them productive, positive citizens and in so doing causing them to use their leisure time wisely based on their own abilities, levels and maturity to pursue these activities”.

Government and private sector responses have been commendable as they both work in unison to equip the nation’s young people with the essential tools necessary to motivate them during that critical transition process, of which they are rewarded. The programme has also seen close to 40 leaders adequately trained annually to deliver rich supervision to the young people.

Guyana was unmatched as it relates to voluntary work in spreading awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention. One such programme was “HIV/AIDS Edutainment” where Government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) ramped up awareness through campaigns such as dance, poetry, drama, radio programmes among others.