It was much heart-warming and comforting to hear Governor Alan Huckle and Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming speak about the importance of youth leadership and development issues in their Christmas Messages.

When persons and businesses at all levels of the society publicly pay attention to our young people, it is a matter for commendation because our youngsters constitute an important resource in Anguilla as in any other country. Without them, the bedrock for nation-building and of succeeding generations, there would be nothing on which to build.

Anguilla is at a stage where every effort must be made to safeguard, nurture and develop our increasing number of young people. We must protect them not only from the common dangers that lie in their pathway of life but from themselves, harnessing their energies, talents and other attributes so that they can become productive and responsible citizens. Any lip service without meaningful action will go with the wind and we will lose the opportunities to save our youth and the future wellbeing of our island nation to depravity and the forces of evil that stark them from every direction.
Gratitude must be expressed to all those individuals, and the varied organisations in our midst who over the past year have been positive influences and towers of support to our young people and who have organised and sponsored programmes of benefit to them. This work must be continued in this New Year even with greater fervor as the times in which we live are both demanding and worsening. All is not lost because, happily, there are many Anguillian young people who are showing a sense of responsibility and pride, willing to be led and are responding to those assisting them. We have to stamp out the small pockets of destructive elements that tend to undermine the efforts of Government, families, schools, community and church groups to preserve and promote youth leadership, development and harmony.

This year, the Government promises to place more emphasis on social development, a substantial part of which must be devoted to our young people. It is recognised that unless something is done to help them, and to control the bad elements among the young generation, this could negatively impact the economic progress the island has made over the years. It is hoped that plans for a rehabilitation centre, and further efforts to develop the probation service, will succeed during the year.
Another effort that the Government is pursuing over the coming months, as announced this week, is the development of a National Plan for the Protection of Children. This, as stated elsewhere in The Anguillian, is intended to provide improved care and protection for children particularly from abuse. Given recent depraved actions by some adults, such as incest and the raping of minors which caused much public concern, this is a step that must receive widespread support across the island. The Ministry of Social Development has an awesome responsibility to develop and carry out strategies to deal with many social issues in Anguilla and must take the lead in this matter and obtain the necessary technical assistance needed to fulfill its mission.

Whatever are our other interests, we must not ignore the general wellbeing of our young people. The majority of them are looking to those who can help them and if we fail them, the result will be a swelling of the numbers of bad elements already around in the community. Our aim must be to reach out to them and provide the leadership, development and protection that would make them the important human resource Anguilla needs now and in the future.

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