ON Friday, the President of Guyana launched his Youth Advisory Council which will be at the centre stage in implementing the policies and programmes throughout Guyana.

President Ali was quoted as saying that this Council would not be doing political work. He expressed the hope that it would be focused on national priorities and matters that will lead Guyana on the right path to the development trajectory.

The President hopes that this group of young people, which has a wide-ranging skillset and abilities, are critically integrated into the policy-making and policy implementation in Guyana.
He said, boldly, that the Council was living in a country that will be among the best by the year 2030 before telling them that he expects hard work on hinterland development programmes, feasibility studies, and urban projects.

In general, he said that the Council must always be in a state of readiness to support projects for young people by young people.
This, he said, will see young people involved at each level of the decision-making process.

The President was also quoted as saying to the Council that they must “Focus on the task ahead, focus on your country, focus on the future, focus on the legacy you want to leave; focus on what you want to do, what you have committed yourselves to do. Do not focus on the noise.”

Firstly, this initiative by President Ali is appropriate and timely because he managed to launch his youth advisory council on the day Guyana is joining the world in celebrating United Nations International Youth Day 2022.
He chose this significant day to fulfil a manifesto promise that was made during the 2020 elections period to establish this youth advisory council.

Secondly, the Council must take what the President said seriously, always yearning for more opportunities to be of service in this rapidly changing environment.
They must work to accomplish President Ali’s goal of developing ‘One Guyana’ through a series of developmental projects and undertakings. Additionally, they must take seriously the responsibility and trust that the President has put in them to guide him in his decision-making process on the policies and programmes that his PPP/C Government is likely to pursue over the next three years.

Thirdly, the theme for international youth day was intergenerational solidarity and it speaks to the need “to leverage the full potential of all generations” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to ensure “no one is left behind”.

Members of the advisory council must have this goal at the forefront of their minds. They must always speak out and up about the policies and programmes that will positively change Guyana’s future in 2030.
These include issues related to youth unemployment, youth crime and violence, youths working towards food security, youths addressing climate change, and youths for the socioeconomic advancement of Guyana.

Hopefully, the Council is not made up of ‘yes’ men who will do much more harm than good because President Ali needs, from a youth perspective, to know which policies will resonate with the man in the street, and what is good as well as what is not working.

Finally, the launch of the President’s Youth Advisory Council must be taken very seriously. It is not a cursory move. It is not window dressing or showmanship.
Right-thinking Guyanese know that it’s part of the PPP/C commitment to the young people of Guyana. It demonstrates seemingly that the administration cares and wants to hear from the youths of this country about the kind of policies and programmes they are piloting.

This is not politicking or speaking loosely but the PPP is saying loud and clear that young people must decide for themselves the type of Guyana that they want to inherit now.
The entire Cabinet and the President are banking their resources on the young and energetic people of Guyana to lead the country into a brighter, more prosperous future for all.

When 2030 comes around clearly Guyana must be ready for the next wave of development buoyed by its rich mineral and human resources and oil and gas sector. Our young people must utilise this council to keep the change occurring and advancement going.