IN HIS address at the Coalition’s elections campaign rally at Diamond, East Bank Demerara Wednesday night, President David Granger assured the nation that, if reelected, the Coalition will ensure that the country’s youth benefit from a minimum of 10,000 jobs and career paths, which his government will realise in the various economic initiatives during the ‘Decade of Development’.

The President told the rally that his government has already created the path for job creation for the country’s youths through a series of initiatives, among them the re-vitalisation of the Guyana Youth Corps, the forerunner of the Guyana National Service, which the PPP had disbanded, leaving many persons, including school-leavers out in the cold. He told the gathering that the administration re-established the youth corps, and according to him, 1000 young Guyanese will be trained annually by the institution over the next 10 years. None can deny the importance of such a focus, given that the future of our young demographic, if not addressed in a forceful and concerted manner, is perilous.
With his bold announcement, President Granger is saying that the crisis in the youth community will no longer go unnoticed, or will a hodgepodge or piecemeal approach in seeking to fix it, suffice. Approximately two-thirds of this society is 40 years and younger, which means that Guyana not only has a healthy human capital pool at the most productive period of their lives, but is under-utilising such talents, which carry dire consequences for development, inclusive of self and nation.

The hope demonstrated back in 2015 by the young in getting involved to shape the political destiny of the country speaks to a group that no longer wants to be invisible, but being a major player in moulding their destiny. Thus, the pronouncement by President Granger must be seen as a response to the growing, visible activism to not be on the sidelines of affecting their affairs and the course of the nation’s direction. The Youth Corps (1968) was the precursor to the Guyana National Service (1975-2000) which suffered the injuries of having its objectives misrepresented. As the concept for the Youth Corps unfolds, it requires the involvement of stakeholders to ensure avoidance of the pitfalls of the past, and ensure the programme meets the acceptable desire of the young community. Staying engaged on this idea is a responsibility of every citizen, more so the older among us, who have a responsibility to create the enabling environment for younger generations to bloom and grow.

Opportunities for learning need not only be readily accessible, but also affordable, because, in this growing complex world, ignorance is not a choice. The Youth Corps clearly is identified with this principle, as the students of this institution are receiving free training that will equip them for life. The benefits of the Youth Corps has seen more people being put into productive activities, which will enhance various sectors in the economy, even as it creates new ones. With government’s aim of pursuing economic development in a sustainable manner, focusing on the protection of the environment can propel the transformation needed in tackling climate change. 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 Granger’s remarks clearly indicated his administration’s 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.