Linden youths benefit from diversity, leadership training

Approximately 38 youths from across Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), last week benefited from a two-day diversity and leadership training workshop facilitated by the Ministry of the Presidency ‘s Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport.

The training, which was conducted on Thursday and Friday, was titled “Unity and diversity, bridging gaps in communities” and saw the attendance of participants from various youth organisations in the community.
Speaking at the conclusion of the exercise at the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) on Friday, lead trainer/training consultant Wil Campbell explained the aim of the initiative.
“The aim is to help people become more aware of their own personal biases and [realise] how these biases negatively impact the way we deal with people in our communities and how they hamper our development as communities and as a nation. We also hope to help people learn how to embrace our diversities rather than see them as liabilities, see our differences as assets rather than liabilities.”
Additionally, Coordinator of the Department of Social Cohesion (ag) within the Ministry of the Presidency, Natasha Singh Lewis said over the course of the two days, equal opportunities for training was provided for young leaders at the community level.
“Our mandate speaks to creating a unified Guyana, equal opportunities for everyone. Our approach to this…is capacity-building at a community, municipal, regional and a national level”, she noted.
Singh further explained that participants were divided into four groups – two for Wismar and two for the Mackenzie areas – and were involved in the creation and planning of community-based projects that will promote unity and cohesion in these areas.
“They are expected to demonstrate what they have learnt…in terms of leadership in their community…they’re going to use projects in their community, the Department of Social Cohesion will support the implementation of the projects,” Singh stated.
She added that the Department’s approach is to train persons to facilitate behavioural change.
Meanwhile, Campbell further explained that the training assisted the participants in focusing on identifying strengths within themselves and various groups and identifying values in others as well as focusing on how they can bring various groups together.
He said it also zeroed in on how negative attributes such as prejudice and stereotypical behaviours can affect progress and how differences can be used to promote strength. Campbell pointed out that the youths were further trained on how to become great leaders for a united community.
Singh related that such training commenced in 2017 and has been conducted in all ten administrative regions. She said it has so far targeted Indigenous communities, Toshaos and other stakeholder groups and organisations. She noted too that the Department is currently involved in the training of young people and teachers in an effort to impact behavioural changes in stakeholder groups. It has also commenced the training of heads of departments for social studies and Councillors, she noted.