Monday 23rd May, 2011
Dear Sir / Madame, Please permit me the publication of this letter in your latest edition.
Sometime ago I was browsing through one of our weekly newspapers and saw an article on a National Policy for Youth. Indeed since you has been and continues to be an area in which I have keen interest I read with interest as the writer lay out the various in and outs of having a National Youth Policy and even went as far as to mention the Youth Policies of other countries near and far. This said the letter to the editor ended with one sour note for me in that the writer was unclear as to whether or not their exists in Grenada a National Youth Policy. This is indeed frightening on several levels since it was not to long ago that we heard utterances from none other than the Honorable Minister of Youth himself that there exists no National Youth Policy for Grenada.
The simple question therefore before us is whether or not there exists a National Youth Policy for Grenada and the answer is a resounding ‘YES’! Added to this the document which is in question was used extensively by the former administration in the formulation of its plans and programs developed with youth for youth with the assistance of various bodies locally, regionally and internationally. The National Youth Policy of Grenada came out of discussions held back in 1995 when the then new Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture the Honorable Adrian ‘Spaceman’ Mitchell attended the Commonwealth Youth Ministers’ Meeting held in Trinidad. At that meeting the Youth Ministers made a commitment to ensure that their individual territories had a National Youth Policy by the year 2000. Using the National Youth Policy Toolkit developed by the Commonwealth for the purpose the Government of Grenada by the year 2001 had produced the first draft of the National Youth Policy. The time between the agreement to formulate a National Youth Policy and the actual formation of the policy was spent in several ways. For instance collection of the data that would formulate the document which proved to be a rather tedious process took some time. This was done in several ways such as focus groups, brainstorming sessions with stakeholders and conferences. In fact no less than twenty six individuals and stakeholder organizations took part in the formulation of the final document along with three consultants in the persons of Ms Norma Shorey-Bryan, Dr. B. Ivan Henry and Dr. Spencer Thomas. The actual final document has also assisted by the National Youth Policies of The British Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago.
Key stakeholders were engaged and a local consultant in the person of Mr. Leon Charles was involved which gave way to an action plan that was completed to formulate the final document. The final copy of the National Youth Policy of Grenada after redrafting was published in October of 2003 at which time no doubt in the throes of election fever many would have missed this most important of announcements after many years of work and dedication. As stated before this document lent itself to the development of programs for Grenada’s youth such as the IMANI Program, Grenada Youth Enterprise Initiative and the Parenting Program. Indeed the issue of employment paid an important part in the final document with a section of the document dedicated to this most important of issues. In fact the Ministry of Youth Development between the years 2003 to 2008 were able to engage thousands of youth in positive activities enabling them to build positive attitudes and promote personal development, academic and spiritual development. In fact as of the year 2008 there no less than twenty two (22) programs under the Ministry providing hope and opportunity to our nation’s youth all as a direct result of the guidelines set in the National Youth Policy of 2003.
Therefore I think all Grenadians can now have a clear understanding of why the youth of Grenada are presently stymied into inactivity. Without a ‘policy’ to guide their direction the present Minister and Ministry are at a loss for direction. The NDC as a Party have never laid out a policy or plan for youth development. They have never as a government done so in terms of the National Youth Policy which members of the present cabinet helped formulate as stakeholders yet claim does not exist. The recent writers asking if there is a National Youth Policy and the Minister of Youth’s claim that none exists leaves us to wonder exactly what (outside of myopic political motives) guide the work (or lack thereof) of the Ministry of Youth? Why were the twenty two programs handed to the present Minister on a silver platter upended and destroyed to the point of being ineffective if not inactive?
The Youth of Grenada need answers Mr. Minister, not the usual political rhetoric that we so often hear along with the cackle of laughter when you speak. There needs to be answers in the real as the reality of youth in Grenada in the year 2011 is indeed disheartening. Should you require assistance I am sure that the well thirty plus workers sent home by your administration on assuming office are more than willing to assist as this is and has always been to us a matter of national importance and not partisan politics. I am sure that the former Minister of Youth, Mrs. Emmalin Pierre will also find the time to assist your Ministry in the same way that she has assisted youth in the past and continues to this day. And Mr. Minister as I close this missive I call on you once again to please ensure the speedy completion of the Grand Bacolet Youth Rehabilitation Facility and the start of a proper program to assist in the rehabilitation of our nations delinquent youth before it is too late.
