Young Grenadian leaders Ali Dowden, Garvel Stanisclaus, Terick Frank and Zoë Hagley, represented the Spice Island at the recently concluded 6th Caribbean Youth Leaders’ Summit (CYLS).
The young Grenadian delegates represented their respective organisations: The National Democratic Youth Movement (Dowden), the New National Party Youth Arm (Stanisclaus, Frank) and the Commonwealth Youth Council (Hagley).
The 6th CYLS was convened under the theme of “Promoting Youth Economic Empowerment for Sustainable Caribbean Development’ and was held from 21–23 January 2020 at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The summit brought together approximately 200 delegates, 150 of whom were youth from 13 countries and territories from across the Caribbean and the Americas Region. The overarching aim of the summit was to provide a platform for young leaders and youth development workers in the Caribbean to engage in a dialogue with stakeholders on how decent can be achieved for youth at national, regional and global levels.
The summit consisted of several presentations, and group discussions on the many issues surrounding youth employment in the Caribbean.
The participants were selected from National Youth Councils (NYC), the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), youth organisations and other key youth development partners and stakeholders; including the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); Commonwealth Secretariat; International Labour Organisation (ILO); United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC); and, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.
Following the summit, delegate Dowden reflected on his attendance. He said, “For me the summit was an important opportunity for us young people from around the region, to engage on issues affecting us by sharing our challenges and providing solutions.” He continued, “Now that we’ve all attended, it is my hope that we will return to our respective countries and share the knowledge gained from the summit with our respective youth organisations.”
In light of the presentations and discussions at the summit, all delegates are committed to continue efforts for youth policy development, empowerment, inclusion, engagement and participation. The Grenadian delegates share the hope that the island will soon have its own National Youth Council leading up to the 7th summit in 2022.
Coalesce Consulting
