– at youth expo hosted by Minister Harmon

YOUTHS of Region Three were given the opportunity to share their vision for the future and grievances, at the first ever “Youth Explosion” which was hosted by Minister of State Joseph Harmon.
According to a press statement from the Ministry of the Presidency, Youth Explosion is an open discussion between youths from across the region and government officials.

Participants were able to have their say about the future and development of their region and country, and to also air their issues, grievances, and receive advice on the way forward.

The event was held at the Barnwell Event Hall and Hotel on Saturday.

The programme featured cultural performances of song, dance and drama to help promote social cohesion among young people.
Over 250 youths from Parika, Karia Karia, Leguan, Patentia and other villages had a chance to participate under the theme, “Unlocking our minds, releasing our potential”.

At the end of the plenary session, each group selected a spokesperson to present their findings to the minister and members of the regional administration.

“Today is not a day for me to speak. It is a day when I want to listen to you… You hear my story every day. You read it in the newspapers, when you look at the television, when you hear me speak… It is time that I hear you speak. This is why we are here today, to unlock… the young minds of our people so that we who are in central government, we who are in regional government can listen and hear what it happening in our communities,” Minister Harmon said during the opening ceremony.

Speaking on the President Granger’s mission to provide a ‘good life’ for persons living in Guyana, Minister Harmon said that the education and empowerment of young people are pivotal to accomplishing that goal.

GOOD LIFE

“We want to give you a good life. We want to provide more opportunities to young people to be the best they can become. We want to be rich, not merely in material possessions, but… in human values… A ‘good life’ is a gateway for providing young people with opportunities for self-actualisation and self-esteem. Young people must be educated and empowered to be able to grasp these opportunities,” the minister said.

Encouraging the young people to make the most of the Youth Explosion, Minister Harmon promised to take the stories told during the discussions back to the Cabinet.

“This is why we have called it a Youth Explosion. I want you to explode. I want you to explode those talents that you have. I want you to speak to us in word, in music, and in dance. We want to take your message back to the various levels of government, so we can provide for you that quality of life, that good life,” he said.
The youths spared no time when given the opportunity to voice their opinions about the event.

Parika resident, Geetangli Samlall, said the minister’s visit gave her hope that things in the academic arena will improve.

RAY OF HOPE
“Having the minister here today, I feel as if there is a new ray of hope coming… He’s here and he is motivating us. He’s trying to get something from us that he probably can’t get when he’s sitting in his office, because we’re so far away… I feel really privileged to be here and I hope that he really does listen to some, if not all of our concerns…. The youth need better education system overall because education is [the] key to everything, and Guyana is opening up to a lot of things that require education…. make it better. Make the syllabi… more practical, more logical, [and] more useful to us,” she said.

In an invited comment, Organiser for Youth Explosion, Renee Rodrigues said that it is important that the young people have the opportunity to speak for themselves.

“A lot of the time we find that even when we’re trying to represent youth, we have the older folks representing them. So, what we want to do is have the young people represent their own interests… in my opinion, I don’t think that the older folks can really represent the youth. There’s a big age disparity and generational gap, so we will have different thoughts and ideas… It’s important for us to hear from the youth themselves,” she said.
Project Officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Youth Explosion Organiser, Dr. Astell Collins praised the minister for initiating a dialogue between the government and Guyana’s young people.

“We’re giving young people a new narrative where they are the champions and captains of their destiny. So, I believe that this has been a success…. This is the first Youth Explosion that has the perception that it is not about the government or any authoritative figure giving solutions… it allows those it caters for to come up with the solution so that they are valued,” he said.