A call has been made for a fully-functional Youth Development Office in Anguilla. It has come from Tonya Carter, the island’s CARICOM Youth Ambassador. She highlighted the need for such a facility while responding to an address by Leader of the Opposition, Hubert Hughes, during the welcome ceremony for the Torch of Unity Run Celebration on May 10.

Miss Carter said the facility she recommended should be primarily committed to youth affairs. She noted that many islands throughout the region had already explored that avenue and it was her belief that Anguilla needed to follow suit.

She expressed her belief that the success of any nation was measured largely by its human resources and that the young people held the key to the future. She also stated that regional leaders had recognised that to invest in youth development was an investment with guaranteed high returns.

“The Government of Anguilla is beginning to recognise this more and more as we see young people being exposed to overseas symposia, youth targeted radio talk shows, youth marches and other means of allowing the voices of youth to be heard,” Miss Carter continued. “These opportunities contribute to the molding and emergence of brilliant future leaders. Your initiatives such as those promoted by CARICOM, Regional Governments and other NGOs, will ensure that the Caribbean will always produce Nobel Prize Laureates, brilliant politicians and other leaders that will embrace the changes of an evolving modern society.”

One of the other points on which the Anguillian young woman spoke was the need for youth representation at the national level. She stated that the youth of Anguilla were in need of passive as well as active representation so that their desires could be sufficiently met.

Miss Carter also stressed the need for youth participation at the national level. “Young people of today are going to be the nation builders of tomorrow. To do so effectively, we can start equipping them for this role from now,” she added. “Participation and representation by young people at the national level provides us with the knowledge and experience necessary to advocate the rights and wishes of Anguillians at regional and international levels.”

Tonya Carter-CARICOM Youth Ambassador

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