FIJIAN TAKES SECOND TERM AS U.S. EMBASSY YOUTH COUNCIL MEMBER
THE EMBASSY YOUTH COUNCIL NOW HAS 23 MEMBERS FROM FIJI, KIRIBATI, NAURU, TONGA AND TUVALU. The council provides youth an avenue to voice their needs and challenges and help shape the Embassy’s youth outreach programmes to address the current needs of youn
AFijian youth has been reselected to be a member of the United States Embassy Youth Council(EYC) for the next two years.
Maanvik Goundar will be engaging in youth-involved activities in the Pacific.
The 21-year-old is an enthusiastic environmentalist who represented Fiji at the United Nations for the Youth Climate Summit in 2019.
He is one of the nine youth members of the council, including Tonga and Kiribati.
“As the EYC, we have always tried to carry out projects and activities that showed people that all you need is determination with a pinch of courage and enthusiasm to make a difference,” Mr Goundar said.
“In the past two years, not only has the reach grown, but we as individuals have also grown through our experiences, engagements, experiments and interactions.
“I, personally, was able to conduct my first project with EYC and USP through the experience
and training I received while being part of the council.” Mr Goundar said new members were in “for an experience of a lifetime”.
“Let us remind ourselves that we matter, you matter, I matter and everyone matters,” he said.
United States Ambassador to Fiji, Marie Damour, welcomed the members and impressed on them the impact they would have on the embassy’s youth engagement portfolio.
“The inaugural council, despite the lockdowns and travel restrictions, found meaningful ways to improve the lives of Pacific Island youth,” she said.
“Most notably through virtual talanoa sessions, which reached more than 20,000 youth and gave them the social support necessary to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.”
The council has been providing insight and advice to the embassy into issues and challenges affecting Pacific youth. Youth-centric programmes and projects focused on such priority issues as diversity and inclusion, mental wellness and economic recovery.
“You are our link to the rising generation of Pacific youth. This is your seat at the table to help us shape initiatives and programs that reflect your priorities and concerns,” she said. “Together, we’ll build a future of prosperity, peace and opportunity for the region’s youth.” Ms Damour thanked the representatives from USP, Rainbow Pride Foundation, and Tasty Kitchen Collective for continuing to partner with the council on their endeavours.
Minister for Youth and Sports Jese Saukuru said youths were
optimistic and it was important that people listened to the youths for a better future. He officiated at the event and revealed youth leaders around the council would convene this year to make empowerment and capacity building work for youths.
“The young adults I have met far across Fiji have shown me time and again that your generation understands something very important: that to tackle a big challenge, you need to focus on the root causes, not the symptoms – something society still struggles with,” he said.
About the council
The Embassy Youth Council was officially launched on October 23, 2020.
The U.S. Embassy has five accredited countries, which helps in realising projects and initiatives with the youth it deems fundamental to the work that the United States is undertaking in the South Pacific.
This initiative provides youth an avenue to voice their needs and challenges and help shape the embassy’s youth outreach programmes to address the current needs of young people today.
The Embassy Youth Council now has 23 members from Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu.
The council meets regularly, both as a whole body and thematic groups. The council has four thematic working groups focused on education and arts; environment, disaster and health; entrepreneurship and economic development; and good governance.
Members have a term of years to serve on the EYC.