THE future of any society is heavily dependent on the actions of its young people. In the case of Guyana — having geographically, politically, ethnically, and culturally diverse circumstances — government has a duty to ensure that the country’s youth have equitable opportunities to contribute to the development of their communities, regions, and ultimately, the nation. With this in mind, the launch of Guyana’s National Youth Corps (NYC) by President David Granger on March 28 at the Kuru Kuru Training Centre, can be viewed as the result of government recognising that it has a duty to perform, and effectively discharging that duty through the implementation of a comprehensive programme designed to meet Guyana’s particular needs.

The idea of a National Youth Corps was first made a reality shortly after Guyana gained its independence; the first NYC was launched on January 1, 1968, by the government of that day. The idea was to implement a programme with the goal of addressing the challenges faced by youth, particularly, lack of educational opportunities, unemployment, and the consequent poverty caused by those issues. That original programme lasted for seven years, during which some 1,200 young Guyanese were trained in various areas of expertise, including industrial skills and agriculture. That programme was viewed as a massive success. The current initiative has objectives similar to the original 1968 one; however, it is obviously tailored to the country’s present realities, and reflects the administration’s commitment to equitable, across-the-board, regional and national development.

The importance of youth to national development has, clearly, been recognised by the APNU+AFC administration. At the launch of the NYC, President Granger said, “We have a youthful population – Youth are our main resource, our richest resource. Half of our people are below the age of 24. One in every five Guyanese is between the ages of 15 and 24.” His Excellency noted that, if Guyana is to fulfil its destiny as a land of opportunity and prosperity, the country must harness the potential of its majority – its young people. The president said, “This country will falter if its youth flounders; it will remain poor and undeveloped as long as its youth remain undeveloped.”

President David Granger’s remarks are most welcome, as they indicate the administration’s clearly defined priorities. Guyanese will agree that young people are the ones who give effect to the ideas of the typically older leaders in politics, business and other sectors. We will also agree that youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow; they are also partners to the leaders of today. As such, arguably, youth play the widest role in nation-building. It is therefore necessary that youth be given the  opportunities, skills, and tools to live productive lives, improve themselves, and elevate their standards and values, as they prepare to assume the role of the leaders and decision-makers of the future. The present-day NYC, which was constructed within the framework of government’s National Youth Policy, has objectives and principles that meet those criteria.

President Granger explained that the ‘Policy’ explains government’s vision as, “… a nation in which young people are united, educated, trained, safe, happy, healthy and integrally involved in the decision-making processes, while enjoying equality of opportunity and equal access to the resources of our country and are politically, economically and socially empowered.” His Excellency revealed that the NYC is built on four pillars.

Education, the first pillar, is, noted the president, the foundation of achievement and the bedrock of a good life. The other pillars being, equality, empowerment, and employment. The President remarked that the last pillar, employment, is, in fact, the greatest challenge faced by youth, and, this pillar is therefore the cornerstone of the NYC.

The NYC — which will initially accommodate some 1000 young people between the ages of 16 and 35 — is a concrete indication that the APNU+AFC government understands its role, is aware of its duties, and is prepared to discharge those duties. Further, the vision, objectives, and composition of the programme point to an administration that knows where the country should be developmentally, and has a plan to get there. Young people, the segment of the population with the most to gain or to lose, should take note of the opportunities being made available to them by the administration, and take full advantage of those options, for their own personal benefit, and that of their country.