After almost four years, the time has come for me to move on. This, my final column, is difficult to write as there are many emotions involved as well as an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia and reflection. Nat Hodge, editor of The Anguillian, and my boss for the past three years, instructed me that I had to write a farewell column.

The first inclination was to write something profound and heart warming. Yet, I quickly changed my mind as the premise of this column has always been first and foremost about the youth of Anguilla. Therefore, it would not befit me to write a final column about myself or my endeavours. If anything, this final edition of Celebration of Youth will attempt to highlight and thank the many wonderful people and organizations that have inspired me over the years.

First, it is important to thank the Anguilla Tennis Academy, its Board of Directors and specifically Mitch Lake, for granting me this life-changing opportunity to live, work and make an impact in Anguilla. Additionally, a very sincere feeling of thanks, admiration and respect goes to Nat Hodge, who has been a mentor and friend for the past three years. He gave me the opportunity to do something that I felt was very important back in 2006. If readers may recall, there was a great deal of violence in the school and these so-called gangs were gaining momentum. There was so much negativity surrounding youth in general and I felt it was not fair at all. Ten to twenty rotten apples should not be able to affect the general public’s overall view of the youth of a nation! Most children are trying their best everyday to please the ones around them. There is no child who wants to receive criticism and they work towards achieving so that they can be rewarded positively. Therefore, Celebration of Youth was born in order to mainly highlight children and organizations making a positive difference in their community in the attempt to make the public aware of the many “good” kids out there.
It was not easy searching out and finding noteworthy stories as in general, people, in Anguilla do not like to receive recognition in the paper (some may disagree). For that reason, some of the columns have dealt with youth issues in general, some have been inspirational and others have dealt with personal issues that were related to youth. There have been so many wonderful people and organizations that I would like to thank for doing such great work: The Department of Youth and Culture and its Director Lennox Proctor; The Optimist Club of Anguilla “Friend of the Youth;” The Social Security Board and its Directors Tim Hodge and Maglan Richardson; All of Public Schools and their many wonderful teachers; The Education Department; The Department of Social Development; The Ministry of Social Development and Mr. Rodney Rey, Mrs. Chanelle Petty-Barrett and The Honourable Mr. Mcneil Rogers; The Sports Department; Teacher Gloria Omololu Institute; Central Christian School; WISE; Good Corporate Sponsors such as NBA, CCB, LIME (formerly Cable and Wireless) and CuisinArt Resort and Spa; The Government of Anguilla; The Anguilla Public Library; Janine Edwards and the Sunset Homes Team; The late and beloved Teacher Art Egle; The Anguilla Youth Sailing School, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Martineau; and many others who have been the topic of this column and those who I have regrettably omitted.
I have seen these many organizations grow over the years into powerhouses of change and optimism! Indeed, youth organizations have come a long way and therefore young people have so many more options nowadays than four years ago. The youth no longer have an excuse to hang out on the side of the road and just “lime.” They can play football, cricket, tennis, sail, play an instrument, dance, debate, skip rope, etc… To all of these groups and people, keep the momentum and energy up and you will be rewarded by positively affecting the lives of children.
Working as a journalist has been extremely rewarding and has opened my eyes to Anguilla in a way that cannot be adequately conveyed in words. For the youth, consider journalism as a career as it is very “cool,” although it is tough work. Nat Hodge and I have teamed up over the past two years to cover events in Anguilla so that the people can be informed. Even though we get criticised for not being as controversial and rumour mongering as others, we have tried our best to stay true and objective in all we have written, which is in fact, the oath of a journalist. I strongly encourage children to learn the writing process and pursue a career in journalism.

To those young people who want to be the first in their family to graduate, those who want to do something great and those who are inspired; keep reaching for the stars! To the parents of these young promises of the future, nurture them and reinforce them in a positive manner. Support them in all their endeavours and accept them for who they will become.

I am going to miss Anguilla more than you all know. In particular, the children and staff of the Anguilla Tennis Academy have impacted me in such a positive way. Never in my life have I worked with children who are so respectful, positive and ambitious. It has truly been an honour to serve the public of Anguilla and I sincerely appreciate you for accepting me as one of you. I love you all!

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