At the inauguration ceremony for the tennis courts at the ATA’s new facility in Blowing Point, the Honourable Victor Banks, Minister of Finance and Tourism gave a speech. I asked Mr. Banks to speak on behalf of Government as they had contributed a great deal of resources and funds to both the children’s programmes and new building. Although he did not know that he would be speaking until that morning, I was very impressed with his eloquence and ability to deliver such a well thought out speech. Most of his speech dealt directly with the history and conception of the ATA, but there was point in his remarks that really stuck with me. He said, “At some point in our lives we lose connection between the young people and ourselves. The language, the attitudes, the things they are thinking are things that stand between us and them. I believe that we now, as older people, need to make that positive contribution to youngsters who are prepared to take leadership roles and not turn them away nor ignore them.”

I found the aforementioned quote to not only be wise, but completely inspiring. In essence, Mr. Banks is calling on all young adults to take charge of Anguilla by making positive differences in the lives on the children. I find it to be admirable that the Honourable Minister would make such a humble quote. It is tough to admit that as one gets older, he or she might lose touch with the younger generations. Instead of developing a negative attitude towards things that we do not understand, it is important to seek advice from people who actually understand current popular culture in order to reach a specific demographic. When I was a high school Spanish teacher in Lexington, Kentucky, a common consensus among the student body was that although adults know a great deal of information, they are slow and in that respect, “dumb” as they would say. I have also realized that as I age (I turned 30 on July 12), I have become much more aware of things on a philosophical nature. Philosophical in the sense that everything I do or learn about somehow fits into a more panoramic, overall scheme of understanding. When one is younger, he or she tends to see things in a more narrow light.

Mr. Banks’ comments show a level of understanding that all young people should try to attain, but, ironically, at the same time passes the torch to younger generations. By looking towards younger people to take action to help resolve youth related issues in Anguilla, there will be more opportunities to make a difference. With this vote of confidence from a Government representative, I encourage all willing and able youth leaders to strive to have dreams and set goals to build Anguilla to the country it desires to be.

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