March, youth village hosted to observe International Youth Day

Guyanese youth on Friday joined their peers in other parts of the world in observing International Youth Day under the theme: “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production”.
Following a march from the Ministry of Education, Brickdam, a youth village was held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) where hundreds of youths gathered. Present at the event were Minister within the Ministry of Education Nicolette Henry, Permanent Secretary to the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport Alfred King, Director of Youth Melissa Carmichael, and Director of Sport Christopher Jones.
Minister Henry in brief remarks said that International Youth Day focuses on the rights of young people to have full access to education, adequate health care, employment opportunities, and financial services.
The minister told youths that a draft National Youth Development Policy that entails a strategic blueprint to see youth development in Guyana was recently laid in the National Assembly.
According to Minister Henry, the policy has “a number of training programmes aimed at empowering our youth economically, politically and socially, have already been conducted in various parts of the country and attended by youths from almost every region.”
The minister explained that when young people are empowered, they will be able to play a meaningful role in building strong and inclusive communities. However, it was pointed out that youth of today face more serious problems than those of previous generations.
Youth Director Carmichael urged those gathered to continue to strive for greatness.
Speaking also was United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative Marianne Flach who said that young people are not only the future, but also the shapers of the present.
Flach explained thus: “Youths must be embraced because there can be no true sustainable development if you keep them on the sidelines. Their initiatives should be supported and they should be given the opportunity to grow and shape their future.”
The youth village featured a number of interactive booths aimed at developing youths’ knowledge, while addressing their needs and issues affecting them.
They were also given the opportunity to be guided on a career path, as a number of government, business and non-governmental organisations were present.
The youth were also afforded the platform to display their talents in dancing, singing, drama and poetry at the Youth Concert which was held on the tarmac at the NCC.