Youth Advisory Council working on slew of initiatives – Pres Ali

– says mental health, social issues top targeted projects

The Presidential Youth Advisory Council, which was established back in August to keep young people actively participating in every level of decision-making in Guyana, has been working on a series of initiatives to target young people.
Speaking with the media on Friday, President Dr Irfaan Ali shared that projects are being pursued in the area of mental health, education and social issues among others.

“The Youth Advisory Council has been working on a number of plans. I know in my last conversation with them, they were working on a plan for mental health and looking at the education system and seeing ways in which they can work with the schools in career guidance. They are looking at some social programmes in different communities,” the Head of State pointed out.
Moreover, work is also being done in agriculture, to generate greater youth involvement and ensure that these persons gain access to capital to expand their ventures.
“They’re looking at agricultural projects, bringing together youth involvement in agriculture and expanding their opportunity to gain access to capital. They are now looking at helping young people to write business proposals, bringing together professionals to support them. So, a lot of work is going on.”
The multi-member Youth Advisory Council comprises young professionals from various fields including medicine, academia, science and environment, legal, military, sport and students from throughout Guyana.
When the council was launched a few months ago, President Ali stated that every policy decision made at the municipal, regional, and national levels in Guyana would be reflective of the involvement of the Youth Advisory Council. This, he explained, is to ensure that those policies and programmes bring the type of goods and services the Government wants to deliver to people.
In this initial stage, the council comprises 29 young, skilled Guyanese, over 50 per cent of whom are female professionals. This number is expected to grow in the future.
The council works with State agencies and Ministries to advance the interests of young people, build capacity, and motivate youths.
Further pointing out that they are the next generation of policymakers, the Head of State had told members of the Youth Advisory Council that they are now in the real world of problem-solving. As such, they were charged to no longer stand by, but to start taking control of their futures by actively participating in the policy formation and implementation process.
“They are here because I believe strongly that we need our young people to be critically integrated into policy-making and into the policy implementation of our country, so they can have a thorough understanding, an in-depth understanding, as to how policies are determined, why they are determined; and they can contribute in the finalisation of the policies and programmes that will take our country forward,” he was quoted as saying.