As Nat Hodge has been away for almost two weeks, I have been attending the many press conferences and writing most of the articles for both this week’s and last week’s Anguillian. I certainly have a new found respect for Mr. Hodge as it takes a great deal of work to publish this newspaper on a weekly basis. Yet, although I have been working extremely hard, it has been made obvious to me that many people in Anguilla work even harder for the good of man. As you will read in this week’s paper, the Ministry of Social Development is answering the call of the people by taking new initiatives and putting things in place to make Anguilla better. One of those initiatives is the subject of this article; the Department of Youth and Culture. The DYC was created in January, 2007 “to enable young people to play an assertive and constructive role in national development and to promote cultural expression and the preservation of Anguilla’s intangible cultural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations. This will be achieved through the design and implementation of evidenced base policies and programmes that value, among other things, collective action and the rights of the individual.”

Mr. Jason Allen

The above information was obtained from a press briefing given by the DYC and the following information was derived from that as well. It is important to note that the DYC operates within a framework that consists of national, regional, and international policies and plans that include, The Anguilla National Youth Policy and Action Plan, the convention on the rights of the child and The Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment. Two other plans that are currently in the development stage are The National Child Protection Plan and the Anguilla National Cultural Policy. The five core areas in which the DYC operate are: Youth Development, Promotion of Cultural Expression, Preservation of intangible Cultural heritage, mobilization and administration of resources for youth development and cultural initiatives, and coordination of the development, implementation and review of relevant national policies.

The DYC is also currently engaged in a number of initiatives that hope to pay dividends in the near and far future. For any program to work, there must be planning, and the DYC has a strategic plan for 2007-2010. The hiring of more staff will also ensure a stronger department as they are actively seeking candidates to fill the positions of Deputy Director of Youth and Culture, Programme Officer Culture, and Programme Officer Youth. Although the DYC has a budget of EC $708,628 per annum, the development of strategic partnerships will allow them to do positive work. Partnerships with the Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre, local community organisations, and the Department of Education will help reduce the need for human resources within the department. Development of youth governance networks, a national cultural policy for Anguilla, and supporting other organisations that might need the help of the DYC are also areas that have been initiated.

Lenox Proctor with Tamar Richardson (seated) and Jevonne Vanterpool

The future of the DYC will lie in programmes such as youth skills training, small enterprise training and incentive, and the development of a national strategy to address youth crime and violence. Moreover, there will be training for youth workers and leaders, the development of youth friendly spaces across the island, a system of awards to recognize the achievements of young people, as well as the creation of opportunities for Anguillian artists to market their work locally and regionally. The DYC’s director, Mr. Lenox Proctor said, “the need for coordinated action has been recognised and the DYC is actively seeking to develop partnerships locally, regionally, and internationally. A large factor in the success of the DYC will be the positive response of the community and other stakeholders. I am therefore calling on all stakeholders in Anguilla to assume ownership of issues in Anguilla and work with the department as we collectively seek to enable our young people to play an assertive and constructive role in national development and to promote cultural expression and the preservation of Anguilla’s intangible cultural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations.”

I feel that the DYC is in good hands under the leadership of Mr. Proctor and with the help of everyone, this new department can help to ensure that Anguilla’s culture will not only remain constant, but flourish.

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