Youth and Oil
Biology student, Ms. Aliyyah Anderson said that young people bring fresh, new ideas and perspectives to the table.
Biology student, Ms. Aliyyah Anderson said that young people bring fresh, new ideas and perspectives to the table.

IT is said that the foundation of any State is the education of its youth. As Guyana lays the groundwork for the emerging Oil and Gas Sector, this truth has not been forgotten. Young people across Guyana will not settle for being mere beneficiaries of oil and gas developments but insist on being active contributors within the sector. In this edition of Government in Action, we hear from the young Guyanese assuming their rightful seat at the decision-making table.

THE MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE

Eager to prove themselves, several students from the University of Guyana (UG) have highlighted the importance of targeting youth for national development.

Pharmacy student, Ms. Shekinah Stuart said that knowledgeable and innovative youth can only be assets to the oil and gas sector.

Biology student, Ms. Aliyyah Anderson said that young people are worth the investment. “Now would be an ideal time because we’re… starting [now] and we can combine fresh ideas with old ideas to combine and get something different… a different perspective on the sector… We’re the next generation. You need to invest in us because I think we bring a different perspective, fresher, newer ideas to different topics that have been… there for a long time. I think they need to invest in us,” she said.
Pharmacy student Ms. Chantelle Sinclair agrees. She believes that the youth may surprise the older generation if given the chance. “Give us a chance. There are a lot of brilliant, innovative young people out there. They have a lot of good ideas and if they can just give us a chance to speak, give us a listening ear, we can bring so much to the table and they themselves might be surprised at what we have to offer,” she said.

Highlighting the plethora of skills and talents young people have, the students all expressed the view that that young people like themselves can be assets within the oil and gas sector. Biology student, Ms. Ivana Foster asserted that young people are innovative and can augment current developments that advance Guyana’s economy and help it to play a leading role in the Caribbean. “Ten years from, I’d like to see Guyana at the forefront of the Caribbean in healthcare, in tourism, in education. We can do it. We can definitely do it,” she said.

Another Biology student who is eagerly anticipating the emergence of a diverse and resilient economy is Mr. Akeem Cave. “What we want is not just somebody who will come and manage the oil and gas sector, but somebody who will know what to do with oil… Can we refine it? Can we get other industries that can be sparked from the sale of oil and gas? I think we need to look at stuff like that because our youth need to be prepared. We [are] the first generation of oil… I think Guyana has a lot of untapped potential, not just in terms of our natural resources, but our human resources as well. I think we have a lot of talented youth… We have a budding scientific community in Guyana and I think… a lot of youth could benefit [from] seeing that. [Through] oil [revenue], there will be diversification in the industries in Guyana,” he said.

Director of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe

Pharmacy student, Ms. Shekinah Stuart is also hoping for a rapid pace of development as the oil revenue accrues and envisions Guyana becoming “the next Dubai”. She expects that “We’re going to have a large gross national product and gross domestic product because the youth are given opportunities to work so we will be able to develop Guyana more.”

ARMED WITH KNOWLEDGE

Director of Youth within the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport, Ms. Melissa Carmichael, said her department applauds young people’s interest in this field and will continue to implement programmes that can both nurture it and foster growth. She noted that her department has made good on its mandate to ensure that the youth are empowered through opportunities that encourage their active participation in the nation’s development. Most recently, the department has embarked on a nationwide Youth and Oil Symposium tour, ensuring that young people across Guyana are well-informed of advancements within the sector and can engage with policy makers.

“All of these developing issues are things that young people need to be empowered on. They need knowledge…so we thought it necessary to include them in the discussions… We want them to share with us and we will share with them… More so, we want them to participate in these developing sectors. We don’t want young people to be left behind. We want them to receive information and we want them to also make recommendations to the policy persons,” she said.

Boasting an attendance of over 600 youth in Georgetown, and over 100 in Linden, Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region 10), Ms. Carmichael said that the symposium gives young people the tools that they need to thrive within the sector.

Director of Youth, Ms. Melissa Carmichael

“Young people have shown up in their numbers and that speaks to their interest in Guyana’s development. [They] want to be a part of the discussion and to be included in national development and national decisions… “If you want to be taken seriously and if you want to be a young person sitting at the decision-making table and making meaningful contributions, it is necessary that you are… armed with the facts, that you are armed with the information with regards to this country and where it is going. Nothing else should be more important to the youth…They are the future. They are now. Nothing should be more important than them accessing information that will seek to develop both of their families, themselves as well as their communities,” she said.

DIVERSITY WITHIN OIL AND GAS

Meanwhile, at the symposium hosted in Linden, Director of Energy, Mr. Mark Bynoe commended the young people for demonstrating their interests in this field; however, he discourages a ‘sector-specific’ mindset. He said that young people need not deviate from their dreams, but prepare themselves to be beneficiaries of the resources afforded by oil and gas.

“We also want you to understand that even without oil and gas you still have the opportunity to benefit from the resources coming from oil and gas. So, you don’t have to be directly employed with Exxon. You don’t have to be directly employed with the Department of Energy to benefit from the resources that are coming from oil and gas… whatever you are pursuing, remember, you are aiming to be the best at it. The resources that will come from oil and gas will still facilitate whatever dreams and aspirations you may have,” he said.

The Energy Director reiterated to the youth that their dream careers are within reach right here on Guyana’s soil. “When you benefit, the country should also benefit. When you excel, the country should also excel. When you are successful, the country should also be able to succeed… Your future doesn’t rest outside of Guyana. I am a product of Guyana and your future resides right here if you’re willing to make the investment, make the plan, and make the right decisions,” he said.

The tapped potential of Guyana’s youth is the fuel that drives progress within our nation. The Government invites youth to be active contributors in its development by providing the forums necessary for young people to engage policy makers, thus securing a bright future for all Guyanese.

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