Fix disparity within the youth leadership space

Although Jamaica’s youth leadership space has been active for quite some time now, it is a far cry from the reality we wish to see as it relates to the development of our Jamaican youth.

Our youth are an important aspect of Jamaica’s drive to realise a future in which Jamaica is seen as a progressive nation, and equally so all our youth leaders must see themselves being represented therein. Therefore, I wish to shed some light on the apparent trend, wherein only youth leaders affiliated with the major tertiary institutions in Jamaica are given meaningful opportunities, both locally and internationally, to voice their concerns and to participate in the governance of the country.

As a youth leader myself, I take issue with this due to the fact that these individuals do not truly represent the entire youth collective in Jamaica. The main argument for this is the fact that they can only speak for a relatively small subsection of the population, which, mostly, are privileged youth and those attending these institutions.

The second argument is that most, if not all, have no form of contact with the remaining youth population. Ask the average youth on the street if they are aware of any of these so-called prominent youth leaders and their respective organisations and you will be met with blank stares.

I also wish to point out that the climate of disparity within the youth leadership space in Jamaica has and, if allowed to continue on its current path, will inadvertently cause the disenfranchisement of our youth to progress even further than it is now, creating more underserved youth and even elevating the present level of at-risk youth in the country.

This is the antithesis of positive youth development, not to mention the fact that it also contradicts Goal 4, Goal 5, and Goal 6 of the National Youth Policy of Jamaica.

Youth leadership, on its own, is not directly responsible. But the practices surrounding it are. To clarify, in Jamaica, youth who had the opportunity to attend the traditional learning institutions, or get to attend university, are the ones who get the most opportunity to advance themselves in society. They get a lot of exposure that highlights their talents and skills, compared to the remaining youth who are not a part of these institutions. What this creates is an environment in which there is unequal access to opportunities for many of our Jamaican youth to empower themselves.

Time and time again we keep seeing these select groups of people, with it being said that they voice the concerns of all our youth, when in truth they voice the concerns of a select few, while the remainder of our youth remain unheard and, because no one is listening, silenced. This is the cause of their disenfranchisement and why they are being left behind by society.

I am not suggesting that no effort has been made to engage youth leaders, or youth in general, from other areas of society, but I must ask the question: Are these efforts enough, and are they even meaningful in the long term?

In order for the country to effect positive youth development, engagement of young people from all levels of society needs to be done, and not just in academia. We need to see more community youth leaders being allowed to represent at the national and international levels, as they represent a greater cross section of the youth population, compared to people in student leadership positions. This will increase diversity and result in greater accuracy of youth representation.

Also, the Government and all involved stakeholders need to take seriously the National Youth Policy, particularly these areas:

Goal 4: Youth Participation – Have increased engagement of youth from the community and not solely at the tertiary level. This should address the issue of the lack of cultural and civic awareness among young people.

Goal 5: Social inclusion and reintegration – Reach more at-risk and vulnerable youth from rural areas as well as youth of varied abilities, and not just in academia.

Goal 6: Professionalisation and strengthening of the youth sector – Provide legislative and institutional support in order to provide expertise (youth workers) to better meet the needs of young people.

We cannot become a progressive nation without the involvement of all our youth, especially those who represent them and not just solely in academia. We must understand that a small, select group cannot speak for, or represent the entire youth population of Jamaica; therefore, the current climate of disparity that exists within our youth leadership space needs to be addressed, by making the national and international youth platforms more welcoming of our grassroots community youth leaders.

Adherence to the National Youth Policy must be our mandate, and doing this will alleviate the problem of youth disenfranchisement and promote positive youth development. My only wish is to raise awareness about the issues at hand and hopefully see them addressed.

Time and time again we keep seeing these select groups of people, with it being said that they voice the concerns of all our youth, when in truth they voice the concerns of a select few, while the remainder of our youth remain unheard and, because no one is listening, silenced. This is the cause of their disenfranchisement and why they are being left behind by society

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

1993: The US House of Representatives approves the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico.

OTHER EVENTS

1534: British Parliament passes the Act of Supremacy, which declares King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.

1558: Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England after the death of Mary I.

1604: Sir Walter Raleigh is tried for treason and is imprisoned in England.

1800: US Congress holds its first session in Washington in the building. and Union becomes 1831: partially New of Venezuela, Colombia; Granada an completed independent dissolve New Ecuador Capitol Granada state. the

Egypt, 1869: linking Suez Mediterranean Canal opens in and

Red seas.

1937: Lord Halifax visits Adolf Hitler, attempting a peaceful settlement of the majority German Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. This marks the start of Britain’s policy of appeasement.

1943: The Soviet Union’s Red Army starts the first withdrawal of the Summer offensive in Kiev, where several sections were abandoned in the face of Nazi counter-attacks.

1971: Vemij Thanon Kittikachorn seizes power in Thailand, abolishes Parliament, dismisses Cabinet and suspends nation’s constitution.

1972: Former Argentine dictator Juan D Peron returns to his homeland after 17 years of exile.

1973: US President Richard Nixon tells an Associated Press managing editors meeting in Florida that “people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

1987: Iran says Iraqi warplanes attacked plant. People’s in 1988: parliamentary Benazir Party unfinished scores Bhutto’s elections. nuclear solid Pakistan victory power 75 1992: people Italian in the police largest arrest Mafia crackdown since 1984. 1993: South African leaders endorse a new constitution to end apartheid. 2009: President Barack Obama, with China’s leader at his side, lifts his sights for a broad accord at next month’s climate conference that he says will lead to immediate action and “rally the world” toward a solution on global warming.

2010: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah steps down as head of the country’s National Guard and transfers the influential position to his son, an apparent sign that the elderly monarch is beginning to lessen some of his duties.

2011: Israel has identified eastern Africa as an important strategic interest and is stepping up ties with nations in the region in a joint effort to control the spread of Islamic extremists.

2016: President-elect Donald Trump, at Trump Tower in New York, holds his first meeting with a world leader, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and receives advice from former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

TODAY BIRTHDAYS

Rock Hudson, US actor (1925-1985); Martin Scorsese, US film director (1942- ); Cyril Ramaphosa, African National Congress secretary-general and head of the Constitutional Assembly (1952- ); Danny Devito, US actor (1944- ); Lorne Michaels, US writer/producer (1944- ); Rachel Mcadams, Canadian actress (1978- )