Commonwealth Day

Commonwealth Day message from Minister for Youth Empowerment Grenada Patrick Simmons

Commonwealth Day address at the National Cricket Stadium on Monday 8th March, 2010.

His Excellency, the Governor General, Sir Carlyle Glean; Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Veda Bruno-Victor; Coordinator of Youth; Mr. Kevin Andall; Coordinator of Youth Service & Leadership; Ms. Jacqueline Alexis; Chairperson, Ms. Nisha Mc Intyre; Other staff of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment & Sports; Members of the various youth organizations and clubs; Distinguished guests; visitors from various Commonwealth Nations; principals, teachers, parents, students Cultural Performers; everyone present here today.
A pleasant afternoon to you and a special thank you for being part of today’s Commonwealth Celebrations. Welcome.

While the Commonwealth exists to serve everyone in every member state, the Commonwealth has placed specific emphasis on youth development. I am happy to see so many young faces today. For this reason, my remarks will focus heavily on the youth and their relationship with the Commonwealth.

A young person may ask himself or herself, “What is Commonwealth? What is this thing that we are celebrating today?” It is good to ask these questions. Many times, the answers we get are the source of our empowerment. Therefore, allow me to empower you.

While the Commonwealth exists to serve all the citizens of participating countries, the Commonwealth exists in large part to serve you – young people - youth. Approximately half the Commonwealth’s population is under 24 years old, with the highest numbers coming from developing countries like Grenada. In Grenada, youth comprise more than half of the population. In Grenada, 47% of the island’s population is under the age of 14 and 70% are under the age of 30. Startling statistics!

What this means for us, as a Commonwealth nation, is that we must live up to our responsibility to empower our youth. Failure to do so, will endanger our survival as a nation economically, socially and otherwise. Our task now is to empower you with the tools, skills, training and anything else that is needed to take Grenada ahead, successfully, into the next century.

We must empower our youth to ensure a more developed, productive, technologically-savvy, scientifically-advanced and human-resource-friendly nation. This is not up for consideration and it is part of the commitment that the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Sports has made to youth development.

This Ministry is ready and willing to do its part to empower our youth through personal development, education and certification, youth rehabilitation, small business and youth service. I also applaud the Governor General’s initiative in establishing the Camerhogne Foundation which empowers our youth spiritually and morally and enables social development by way of providing youth with vocational, technical, entrepreneurial and life skills.

The Human Rights approach to development acknowledges that persons under the age of 18 have the “right to express views freely in all matters affecting them, the views, being given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity…” (a quote from the Convention on the rights of the Child, 1989, Article 12)

This means that when our country makes a decision, Grenada, as a Commonwealth nation, has a responsibility to ensure that our youth have “a say” and that their opinions be taken into serious consideration. Why are you, the young people of Grenada, so important? Because you comprise the majority of the population and you will be the ones most affected by any decisions made by your leaders. Allowing youth to participate in a country’s decision making process is something that the Commonwealth feels passionately about and which all leaders of member states should ensure.

Within the Commonwealth, more than one billion young women and men will be looking for work between 2000 and 2015. There are much less jobs than persons seeking jobs. Many youth are and may remain unemployed. Many government policy decisions will have to be made to address this situation. This means, that Grenada needs to actively involve its youth in initiatives that will encourage and promote economic activity and reduce and prevent poverty. An early introduction to small business, for example, the RBTT Young Leaders Programme, is crucial in encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. If our youth remain on the outside looking in and are not embraced in our planning and decision-making at all levels, then we are in for trouble. The good thing is that young people of Grenada are asking to be involved and we, the leaders, must respect the fact that they deserve to be involved and empowered to be strong leaders of this nation.

Through its youth forums, the Commonwealth gives young people the opportunity to express their concerns, allows them to participate in decision-making and ensures that their leaders do the same. In 1997 the Commonwealth endorsed the empowerment approach which states:

“Empowering young people means creating and supporting the enabling conditions under which young people can act on their behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others.”

In other words, young people should be encouraged to think and act independently. The Commonwealth Plan of Action, I can proudly state, was designed and approved by youth in the Commonwealth’s Youth Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, in the true spirit of the Commonwealth.

If anyone asks you what Commonwealth stands for or why Commonwealth Day is celebrated, you are now educated to inform that person. You know that young people are embraced by and empowered by their nation’s involvement in the Commonwealth. You know that the Commonwealth holds its member nations to high standards, as it pertains to democracy, equality and good governance, global consensus building, ensuring sustainable development and the eradicating poverty. The Commonwealth is you and me, and it exists to create better opportunities for us all. Happy Commonwealth Day!

I thank you.