UN75 Youth E-Dialogue “Our Future: Our Say” Series Concludes With More Innovative Youth Solutions

The two-part series, which launched on August 12 in commemoration of International Youth Day, sought to amplify the voices of youth across the region and featured riveting perspectives with innovative solutions from the young panelists regarding current issues impacting them.

During today’s session, youth leaders from Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Grenada joined their counterparts in contributing to the  global conversation, on creating a better and more sustainable future for all.

Making the case for meaningful and long-term youth engagement as he moderated the panel of his  peers, Pierre explained that young people are living the experiences and thus have a keen understanding of the challenges being faced across the region.

Representative of UNICEF Eastern Caribbean, Dr Aloys Kamuragiye, in delivering welcome remarks  on behalf of the UN system, reiterated the power that young people have to innovate, create and achieve the change for themselves and for our world.

​Grenada’s Youth Minister, Kate Lewis, in her brief remarks , underscored that young people should be the center of focus in the conversation, adding that  they “play a crucial role in the action plans to limit the spread of COVID-19 and its adverse impacts on public health, society and the economy at large”.

Following the opening remarks, the moderator successfully set the tone for the almost two-hour long conversation asking his peers to expound on the key challenges being faced by Caribbean youth, particularly  in light of COVID-19 and the type of future they want to create. He next turned attention to the action that needed to be taken today to create a better world, with a focus on innovative solutions and finally he asked them to focus on the way forward relative to the advice they would give to members of the international community in terms of prioritizing their focus to contribute to a better future for youth. 

Challenges facing the youth today

Despite coming from different backgrounds and communities, the youth, like their peers last week,  cited similar challenges being experienced as youth, as well the gaps unearthed as  result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included:  lack of social and psychological development, technological advancements and educational support.

The future they want to see

Zoning in on social and psychological development issues, youth activist Michelle Alexander, underscored that not enough intervention is established to assists young people dealing with depression and mental issues. An issue that COVID-19 made more apparent especially among young people.

Community Activist, Shea Alexander, underscored that a lot of what he wants to see in the future is steadily being implemented now due to COVID-19. Technology is being rapidly introduced in the work force and a sense of self sustenance is occurring within Caribbean economies. He maintained that “young people need to be brought into the framework in a lasting way and not just politically and temporarily”.

Actions needed to be taken

President of Anguilla National Youth Council, Neil Gumbs, called for the diversification of economies and an improvement to the Caribbean education system. He highlighted the need to tap into different segments of the economy, specifically the digital.

Further addressing the issue of economic diversification and technology, Shea Alexander underscored that young people will be the segment of society to achieve this. He maintained that “a lot of the challenges that we currently see were due to the fact that we were not embracing modern thinking, but young people have epitomized those two elements for a successful work force”.

Complimenting Neil’s point on education, President of Dominica National Youth Council, Kerdisha St. Louis, emphasized the need to adapt to a more holistic education system which involves educating students on various issues including those pertaining to the environment and pollution. However, she emphasized that a more "grass root approach” needs to be taken as “much progress cannot be made unless we start with the family”.

The Way Forward

In order to “build back better” and to be more sustainable, Neil Gumbs called for further collaboration throughout the Caribbean and advocacy for greater youth involvement.

Shea Alexander underlined the need to work collaboratively because “In harmony we would be able to accomplish a lot more than we have right now”. He maintained that more investment needed to be placed in embracing Caribbean culture as a region so we can move forward as a unified body.