Although I am a columnist for The Anguillian, I am not privy to the actual make-up of the paper each week. I am sure that only the permanent staff of the nation’s newspaper is aware of the paper’s full contents. It is for this reason that I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to read last week’s paper as it carried at least ten articles specifically dealing with youth related issues in Anguilla. Recently, I received a letter which highlighted the fact that I have been living in Anguilla for a short period of time.

I moved to Anguilla in May of 2005, therefore in two months time I will have completed two full years of residence. Yet, I have been coming as a volunteer tennis coach to Anguilla since 1997 and have been actively involved with youth tennis initiatives in Anguilla for almost ten years. Moreover, I have tried in every facet to integrate myself into Anguilla’s culture and although this letter was attempting to insinuate that my short time in Anguilla (albeit not that short) hinders my ability to understand certain things, I am sure that the Editor of The Anguillian feels quite confident in my intentions, work, and ability to interpret issues relating to youth in Anguilla. With that said, being an outsider gives me a unique ability to observe Anguilla from a multi-faceted viewpoint and I must say that at this moment, I am extremely jubilant about the way the country is moving forward.

Before my arrival in May of 2005, I remember hearing a story of an unfortunate gunshot incident in the ALHCS, many fights in which weapons were involved, as well as many threats against teachers which ended up in the school being closed down and a wall being constructed. There was such an outcry from the citizens in Anguilla demanding action from the teachers and government. This was obviously a pivotal time in Anguilla which was met with much attention. In retrospect, although we still have problems with youth related violence, things have improved immensely.

This progress is evident in last week’s paper as the following stories were covered:
The Omolulu School’s initiatives; students bonded together to celebrate the life of Chezroy Desouza; special needs teachers were honoured; children learned how to become pastry chefs; this month was recognized as early childhood education month and there were various activities surrounding that theme; my article spoke of new scholarship opportunities; a charity golf tournament is being initiated to raise funds for the Central Christian School; there was a small article on the National Youth Council; there was an announcement of scholarship opportunities for young adults through the rotary club; and of course, Ashley’s Road Relay was a monumental success.

The aforementioned articles are also tantamount to the many new organizations that have sprung up all over Anguilla that are making positive strides. Programmes such as the Youth Sailing School, the nationally acclaimed Tae Kwon Doe programmes run by Emmanuel Laud and Gregory Permuy, Teacher Art’s environmental programmes, all of the sports programmes around the island, and many others should all be commended.

Indeed, Anguilla is moving in the right direction as the hard work has paid off. Of course, the adults cannot take all of the credit for the major improvement we have seen. It is imperative that we thank and congratulate the youth for responding well to all of the help they are getting. If things continue this way, and Anguilla does not lose its momentum, the island’s future is indubitably secure.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News