-launches its ‘Young Professionals Network’

TWENTY-THREE young professionals from 12 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states received certificates after successfully completing four months of intensive training through the CARICOM Young Professionals Programme (CYPP) on Friday at the CARICOM Secretariat at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

The occasion also marked the launch of the CARICOM Young Professionals Network (CYPN).

The CYPP was launched in 2024 in response to Caribbean youth being unaware of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and its potential to enhance their future prosperity. The programme seeks to empower youths in the region, as well as to better position them to take advantage of opportunities that are available under the CSME.

Over the last four months, participants were involved in a number of activities that were aimed at deepening their understanding of the CSME. Through this engagement, they gained skills needed to deepen awareness and understanding of the CSME, while advocating for greater youth involvement.

On the other hand, it was stated that the CYPN, which was formally launched on Friday, is intended to encourage even greater youth participation in the decision-making process related to the CSME.

Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Social Development at CARICOM Alison Drayton, in delivering an overview of the programme, stated that this is the rise of a new generation of Caribbean leaders, who are resilient, confident, and ready to “make things happen”.

Through the CYPP, participants would have tackled real issues: Regional integration, policy development and implementation.

Drayton noted that as they revised the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan, lessons from this cohort are already shaping the future, one that empowers our young people to participate meaningfully and lead boldly.

She reminded the participants that the certificates are not full stops, but they are launchpads.

Drayton used the opportunity to urge them to take what they would have learned into their workplaces, communities and across the region.

Further, she encouraged them to strengthen cooperation, advance the CSME, and keep the voices of youths loud, informed, and impossible to ignore.

She said, “We know the journey was not always smooth. There were hiccups, hurdles, and I’m very sure a few Wi-Fi wars along the way, but your perseverance, your professionalism, and your teamwork speak volumes about the kind of leadership our region needs, grounded, collaborative, and unstoppable.”

Marked as the continuation of a collective journey towards a more inclusive, empowered and sustainable future for young people in the Caribbean region, it was said that young professionals are more than future leaders; they are present actors, and champions of development.

The CARICOM Young Professional Framework and Declaration that was presented is a product of months of consultation, collaboration and conviction, that is rooted in the voices of youths across CARICOM Member States.

In it, strategic priorities for regional development that centre on youth engagement are outlined, not as a tokenistic gesture, but as a fundamental pillar of sustainable governance, economic transformation, climate resilience and digital innovation. The declaration affirms CARICOM’s collective commitment to building a Caribbean where opportunity is accessible, contribution is valued and no voice, especially that of a young person, is left unheard.

Coming out of this, as part of their vision, five ideas were suggested to advance the CSME: a CSME Regional Youth Business Incubator, CSME Navigators Network, a Regional Virtual Job Fair and Youth Startup Grant, Mentorship Programmes, and a Youth Business Mobility Card.

The CARICOM Young Professional Network will follow a particular structure where we are still going to be guided by the CARICOM Secretariat, specifically the Directorate of Youth Development Programme.

It will subdivided into a Regional Youth Leadership Network, Regional Initiative Lead, Resource Mobilisation Lead, Information and Communication Lead, and an Advocacy and Policy Brief Lead.