WE recently celebrated youth week and I was fortunate enough to be a part of some of the activities. CANI hosted a very impressive rally, Just Youth It. “Youth In Action” is this year’s theme for Youth Week and we certainly experienced that in the Botanical Gardens at Just Youth It. From new businesses to apps. being launched. This is the fifth year for CANI and I must give credit to Ryan Hoppie and his team for continuing to inspire the youth population. Shamar Spencer launched his SWOPP app which has to do with the ancient barter system. It’s great to see these young people being so creative and innovative because they are the future of this great land. We need to support these initiatives because we are depending on a productive society for real development.

All of these young people have the potential for enormous success. That’s why mentorship is important in any society. Martin Luthor King Jr said, “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service”. That quote reminds me of my favourite mentor and the number one leadership guru in the world, John Maxwell. He teaches servant leadership and he has moulded so many minds around the world. Mentorship can change the trajectory of our lives. I would always encourage young people to look at someone in the field they desire as a career path because success leaves clues. The difference between where we are and where we want to be is created by the changes we are willing to make in our lives.

I commenced my first mastermind for the book Living With Intention, as my way of celebrating with the youths. The feedback has been tremendous. As a result of the content of this programme, people will be more intentional about their approach to life. They will learn to win from the inside out and be motivated to give the best version of themselves.

They will be more confident, become more proactive, remove limiting beliefs, have more resilience and develop a growth mindset. I am so passionate about personal growth because our human resource is the most significant of all of our resources. I admire young entrepreneurs who have a teachable spirit and are hungry.

Ruth Wilson is one of those young people. She recently started her production company and the last time I saw her she was teaching her young brother the trade.

I admire companies that acknowledge their corporate responsibilities. Ramps Logistics is an example. They sponsored a cricket summer camp for 10 days for kids from Bosco’s Home, Joshua’s House and the Georgetown Cricket Club. What I like about these camps is that these kids would have never gotten access to coaches like Reon King and others.

They are sad that it is coming to an end because it was something meaningful that added to their lives. One of the other things that I admire about them is that they recently gave a young lady from out of town the experience to be in their booth for cricket.

I must commend Mr. Zulfikar Ally and the recently launched American Chamber of Commerce who invited some dynamic young women on their team as directors. This is a good sign for the corporate world here. I need to also mention a kind gesture from Minister George Norton. He invited a few young people to ride with him to the stadium and experience the hospitality of being in the box with him. He was sharing with me how excited they were being escorted by the outriders on the way to the stadium.

We need more people to give similar experiences to the youth population. There must be something that we can all do for our communities. One thing is for certain and that is there is no development without growth. Think about how you can be a mentor to one young person to take their life to the next level.

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