The Anguilla National Youth Council began hosting a three-day Caribbean Regional Youth Council business meeting at Residences and Resorts by CuinsinArt on Tuesday, June 25.
The participants represented Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and the Turks & Caicos Islands.
The meeting had as its theme: “Mapping the Future of Youth Councils”. It was aimed at devising strategies for an enhanced action plan to strengthen the capability and capacity of youth councils in the region. There was also an input from the National Commonwealth Councils to facilitate increased knowledge of policy processes and to provide a realistic strategy direction over the next two years.
Outgoing Director of the Department of Youth and Culture in Anguilla, Mr. Bren Romney, said he was delighted that, after a long pause, it was possible to hold another meeting of the Caribbean Youth Council in Anguilla. He observed that the passion and drive of the regional organization, and the commitment of its executive members to obtain resource funding, were instrumental in the execution of the meeting. He recalled that in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, the Caribbean Youth Council was known as the Caribbean Federation of Youth – and that the Government of Anguilla had sponsored one of its annual membership meetings.
Chairman of the Caribbean Youth Council, Mr. Shaquille Knowles, stressed the importance of participants listening and sharing information. He encouraged them to take the conclusions of the meeting back home to increase the effectiveness of their respective Youth Councils.
The feature address was delivered by Anguilla’s Parliamentary Secretary for Youth Affairs and Culture, Mr Cardigan Connor. He said in part: “I am particularly pleased with the many avenues provided for the civic engagement of our youth leaders. Much more can be done, but opportunities like what you are having in Anguilla this week speak to the fact that national leaders and policy-makers recognise your valuable input in national development, advocacy and in leading change.”
Mr Connor expressed gratitude to the various organising committees, funding agencies, the executive body of the Anguilla National Youth Council, and the Department of Youth and Culture, for coordinating the Caribbean Youth Council business meeting in Anguilla.
The opening programme featured a cultural poem by a member of STAGES, a newly established Anguilla performing group, and a calypso entitled “Stamp out Bullying” by Ethan Connor (The Educator) who is the current primary school calypso monarch. The Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School also presented an instrumental version of the Anguilla National Song, and members of the Cadet Corps bore and posted the flags of the participating islands, thus adding much colour, pomp and ceremony to the event.
