The front page of this edition of The Anguillian is all about children and rightly so because they are not only our heritage, but our future. Over the past recent days many of our positive and upstanding boys and girls, young men and young women, have made us proud of them. What is more, is that we have an opportunity and a responsibility to further consider how we may nurture, inspire and protect them and ultimately pass on to them the mantle of leadership in every sphere of societal life. It is on their young and strong shoulders that rest the burden of rebuilding Anguilla and charting a safe course for its future.
That is why the launch of the 2015 State of the World’s Children Report in Anguilla by UNICEF, with emphasis on the rights of children and their protection against abuse, was so meaningful. Clearly, if we fail to protect our children, they will not be able to take control of our island’s affairs when our leaders and elders depart the scene and, like a rudderless schooner, or one without a capable crew, Anguilla will drift in the seas of despair. And so, it is a good thing to sensitise our youngsters about their rights and protection against abuse, and to devise ways and means of doing so through some of the initiatives outlined, at the above event, by the Ministry of Social Development. The planned legislation to safeguard our children against domestic violence and abuse will not only be timely, but absoluteLY necessary in this day and age of increasing assault on our young generation.
It is always heart-warming and encouraging when there are opportunities to gloat over the successes of our young people, and their functioning in various societal and other as of life. For example, we have seen over the past several days many children from the various primary schools demonstrating a high level of success in the classroom by winning awards for outstanding work. (some of them, if not all, have gone on to the Comprehensive School.) This followed closely on the heels of the graduation of the first batch of students with Associate Degrees from the Anguilla Community College, as well as the Fifth Form graduation at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, both of which were glittering and memorable occasions.
As a further example of the success and involvement of our young people in national life, were last week’s and this week’s political debates for parties and candidates in the 2015 general election. Organised by the Literary and Debating Society of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, with the participation of teachers and other persons, the debates were aimed at stressing the need for accountability and, to some extent, to assist the electorate in choosing the right persons to govern Anguilla. This has been a commendable initiative regardless of any imperfections. Even by securing the willing participation of the politicians and attracting fairly large nightly audiences, the debates have been both useful and successful.
The above are, by far, a small insight into the need and importance to safeguard our young people and how by their commitment and success they can make all of us proud of them. As stated previously, they are the future of Anguilla and we need to guide them into that direction. There is a growing need for sincere leadership in Anguilla and children, frank and bold as they are, are known for their sincerity which, in all probability, may follow many of them through life. As we decrease, they must increase and be our successors. The Prophet Isaiah coined the phrase: A little child shall lead them. If we should paraphrase and apply that to our future situation, we may say: Our little children shall lead us.
