…President urges youth at inaugural luncheon

REMINDING them of their critical role in nation-building, President David Granger urged the nation’s young people to seize every available opportunity to be the best they can, when he hosted his first youth luncheon since taking office in 2015.

“You can be whatever you want to be and I do hope that while I am here, I will be able to give you that vision and that sense of purpose, so that you can want to use the resources to venture into your profession of choice,” he told the youths, who were present at the luncheon held at State House on Wednesday.

Acknowledging that youth unemployment remains a challenge, President Granger said his administration has made job-creation a priority with the focus on youths. It was on this note that the President disclosed that his government is in the process of consolidating all of the youth programmes, including initiatives such as the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) and the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training Programme (YEST).

“We are bringing all the youth programmes together to have a common core curriculum so that every child, whether or not he or she is a school dropout, who enters that programme will get common training, which will prepare him or her to get employment in Guyana. I don’t like to see young children, some of them who have left secondary school in the Rupununi for example, drifting over to Brazil to do menial work. I think they can stay here and get a good living, not only because oil is on the horizon, but also because we can produce practically every food that the Eastern Caribbean needs,” the President said.

In this regard, he outlined the prospects and the many opportunities that lie in entrepreneurship such as value-added and agro-processing ventures. The President also took note of the importance of education, which is intrinsically linked to employment.

President Granger urged students and young adults to pursue higher education, noting that tertiary education is mandatory for most jobs today. “The country is wide open and it is open to you…Your education will not only equip you for employment, but it will also equip your for entrepreneurial activities so that you can become rich,” he said.

Speaking of the environment, the President reminded those in attendance that they are the ones who will inherit the national patrimony and therefore, they must develop a greater appreciation and love for their country. “You will inherit this country…This is the most beautiful, the most bountiful country in the Caribbean…I want you to love your country, I want you to own your country, I want you to be the best you could be,” he said.
The event was coordinated by Brian Smith, who holds the post of deputy director of sport. He expressed his appreciation to the President.

The coordinator also gave the assurance that this event will be expanded to include an even wider cross-section of youths. “Whilst we have not been able, this year, to have more members from the outlying regions, it is definitely something that will be done next year,” he said. He added that this luncheon, which will be an annual feature, enables the President to interact with young people and in many ways, remove any impression of a veil of mystery regarding State House and the presidency; in other words, opening up the country’s highest office to youths.

Representatives from the President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG), the Department of Youth and Sport, Director of Youth, the Volunteer Support Platform, African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) Youth, the University of Guyana’s International Affairs Association and Student Association, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC), Guyana Environment Initiative and young professionals and entrepreneurs attended the event.
They were drawn from Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and 10.