Dear Editor,
Last year a young man whom I knew from childhood who left Guyana in his early teens and went to live in the United States of America with his family, distinguished himself by becoming an international lawyer. That young man is none other than Dr Philip H Mozart Thomas.
After months of discussions with him over a period of time about how Guyana could be developed, the issues he raised were so compelling that I decided to support those ideas. The result is that I assisted him to establish the Guyana National Council on Public Policy (GNCPP), an NGO with a difference. In the last few months Dr Thomas was constantly on the air being interviewed and explaining what the organization of which he is Chairman is all about.
Youths have been defined as persons less than 25 years of age, even under 30 in some jurisdictions; ‘youth‘ therefore includes children of school age and definitely adolescents at secondary school and those eligible to vote in national elections.
Governance in the context of youth engagement refers to leading, managing, steering, and organizing active participation and decision-making by consensus rather than consultation or inclusion. In our society the concepts of ‘youth voice‘ and ‘youth involvement‘ in decision-making have by and large been overshadowed and indeed fashioned by our cultural traditions in which it was widely held that ‘children must be seen and not heard.‘ Adults, it was said, were ‘the people who know what’s good for youths‘ and thus youths must know their place.
What seems to be necessary is the establishment of more student councils, youth groups/clubs, a National Youth Council and other forms of youth involvement. This will somehow support and embrace the concept of ‘youth governance.‘ Adults are seen as fearful of giving youths definite opportunities to take charge of significant projects at home, in school and in the community, or even to be part of the consensus process. If the skills of citizenship, which include leadership, informed decision-making, loyalty, patriotism, care for each other and care of the environment, are to be learned then youth must be given opportunities to learn those skills. Youth governance is a positive and dynamic way for this to happen.
The GNCCP is putting out a challenge to youths to join their organization and let us hold hands and march forward giving our youths real chances to grow into active leadership roles.
“Communities are dependent upon the minds, hearts and hands of their young people and young people are dependent upon the viability, vitality, protection and attention of their community…“
Engineering a culture of youth involvement and youth governance is a challenge for all adults in our society. It requires the willingness to recognize youths as persons who have a contribution to make to society, a society that they would inherit, so why not involve them now?
If adults truly accept the reality that youths shall inherit the legacy they shall leave, how much more effective, efficient and appreciative youths will be in the management of that legacy if they are brought into youth governance.
Yours faithfully,
Jonas M F Coddett
