WITH approximately two-thirds of its population being 40 years and under, Guyana has a wealth of human capital to tap into and propel the nation’s growth and development. The continuous high levels of unemployment and under-employment hinder this progression, and therefore require deliberative thinking and actions. Harnessing our human capital for production and productivity requires having policies and programmes that can be accessed by all across the country. The failure of previous governments to implement a National Development Policy that includes programmes for the youth continues to adversely impact the people and country’s development. Those who have not left are either hoping to leave, or depend on the benevolence of loved ones overseas to supplement their incomes, live with their parents, struggle to make ends meet, or turn to a life of crime. Our nation’s growth and development require working to avoid the aforementioned challenges. Current programmes such as the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and a promised National Youth Policy are laudable, and deserve to be expanded through learning and benefiting from the past, looking at the opportunities presented in the world today, thinking big, and acting outside the box. Major General (ret’d) Joe Singh has offered an interesting perspective on a new form of national service, which can contribute to alleviating the unemployment crisis. Guyana has vast forests, which should not only be seen as offering eco-tourism and economic opportunities for foreign businesses, but needing to be policed, peopled, and developed for the benefit of the people.

The young can be tapped into to meet these goals. Forests create work opportunities for those who are willing and able to work. The presence of a legitimate workforce protects our land from drug trafficking, destruction of the forest, and illegal entry. The threat to our borders can be managed by creating opportunities for the young to solidify our boundaries, such as providing effective border patrol. In order for Guyana to be competitive and relevant in the 21st Century, we need to prepare our youth to get caught up, starting now, or we can fall way behind in comparison to other countries. The best way of doing this is investing in our people,which means that we need to invest in the current and upcoming generations. The youth remain our best and greatest resource; their potential is limitless, because they are more informed and more educated, but need guidance and a sense of purpose. It is at this stage in human growth that people are very optimistic, progressive, and have limitless energy. Also, with the inherent less emotional attachment to a specific means, such as a job or career, they tend to take greater risks, and are also more entrepreneurially-minded.

There are, in the world, more millionaires and billionaires under 30 years old than ever in human history. We are in the technological age, which allows the individual to flourish, unlike the industrial era, which allowed for industries and companies to flourish. In this Information Age, we have an exponential increase of access to wealth and information; there are no boundaries, borders or time limits to making money. The young generation is brought up and built for this age. Guyana has the resources and land space to be a rich country, which requires focus with the aim of living up to our potential of being the breadbasket of the Caribbean. We have everything that we need, but what we need to do is invest in the raw talent that is being left idle or underutilised, and exported to countries to aid the development of other lands. People are never too young to learn; the more persons are deprived of mentorship and leadership opportunities, the more errors we will have, given that that generation will be ill-equipped to govern. If this generation of leadership does not allow the next generation to develop in the ranks of leadership, our country will have a void of leadership in the next generation. The consequences borne from not being given opportunities to develop in the leadership rank will mean that the young will suffer in terms of preparation for what the future holds for them; when the time comes, persons would be incapable of performing.

Mentorship to take over leadership means preparation to lead, and this reduces the chances of leadership being placed in bad hands. The father whose son was shot to death while entering another man’s premises, called for attention to be paid to the young to assist them in leading a productive life away from crime. This father’s call brings attention to the cliché that the devil finds work for idle hands. When the young have nothing to do, they will make only bad choices; thus keeping them preoccupied allows them to use their efforts and energies productively.