-Guyanese youth urged to participate

AS the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues efforts hear the voice of the region’s youths through the CARICOM Regional Youth Survey 2026, Guyana’s Youth Ambassador to CARICOM, Shaquawn Gill, is encouraging more young people to participate in the exercise to ensure their views form part of the regional policy conversation.

The survey, which closes on October 12, is seeking the views of young people across the Caribbean on issues affecting their lives, the programmes available to them and what they believe should be done to create greater opportunities for youth development.

Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on the significance of the survey, Gill shared that the responses would provide information for regional leaders and youth officials as they spearhead future policies and initiatives, with the findings expected to be featured in a regional youth dialogue in November.

Gill explained that the survey is intended to gather information on how young people across the Caribbean view government programmes and opportunities available in their communities and countries.

“The survey is essentially for us to collect information, and the views, and perspectives of young people across the Caribbean, essentially on how they feel about government programmes in their communities, in their countries,” he said.

The survey covers areas including health, education, civic participation, climate and security, and technology, allowing young people to indicate whether existing programmes are working, whether they can access them and what additional support they believe is needed. Gill was keen to note that the survey is intended to go beyond simply identifying concerns but rather, it is expected to give young people an opportunity to make recommendations on what can be done to create greater opportunities for growth.

The information collected through the survey is expected to contribute to discussions about future youth initiatives and policies across the region. Gill said the responses will help shape the next steps being considered by regional officials and provide a basis for discussions about programmes and policies affecting young people.

He went on to explain that the survey will be particularly relevant to a regional youth dialogue scheduled for November 4, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Youth Forum. The dialogue is expected to bring together ministers and directors responsible for youth across CARICOM, providing an opportunity for the findings from the survey and other consultations to be considered as part of regional policy discussions.

Moreover, Gill emphasised that the importance of the survey lies in creating a direct avenue for young people to have their views considered when governments are developing policies and programmes. He said there is often discussion about the importance of the youth voice, but the more important question is how those views are incorporated into the decisions being made.

“We talk a lot about how the voice of the youth is important, but the question we always have to ask ourselves is when these young people speak, how are they certain that their concerns, their views, their opinions, fit into the policy agenda and direction of their individual governments,” he said.

He said the survey is one of the avenues through which that greater participation is being facilitated, with the information gathered expected to be presented during the regional youth dialogue. “All of the information that is generated and gathered from this survey and all of the forms of consultation will be presented at that regional dialogue for the ministers of youth [and] for the directors of youth, so that they can then use it for their policy direction and determinations,” Gill said. This process, he explained, is intended to connect the views expressed by young people with the work of officials responsible for youth development across the Caribbean.

Further, Gill pointed out that Guyana’s ‘strong’ participation in the survey is an indication of young people’s interest in being part of that policy conversation. He said Guyana was among the leading countries in terms of the number of responses as he noted, “Guyana has been one of the main countries in young people responding and that is a positive.”

He added, “Currently Guyana is the second leading [country] in responses for the entire Caribbean Community and we want to build on that,” he said. Gill cited this level of participation as encouraging and reflected a willingness among young people to become involved in discussions about policies and programmes that affect them.

The strong response from Guyanese youth, Gill said, is particularly significant given the range of programmes and opportunities already available to young people through national initiatives. He referenced programmes involving the Board of Industrial Training, the Women’s Investment and Innovation Network and other initiatives through which young people are already benefitting. Gill emphasised that the survey provides another opportunity for young people to demonstrate participation by expressing what is working, identifying areas where greater support may be needed and making recommendations for the future.

With the survey deadline set for October 12, young people across Guyana and the wider CARICOM region are being encouraged to take part so that their views can contribute to the regional dialogue and future youth policy discussions.