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What’s been happening?
Because Gen. Y members (aged 14 - 28 years) are going to play a major part in how Trinidad and Tobago progresses over the next ten years, it is important that we do everything we can to help them shape and achieve their aspirations now and in future years. The way in which they contribute (positive or negative) will impact on each and every one of us. Following is an update of where we are at with this important project.
‘Y-Vision’ workshop
Ian Ivey, assisted by Sasha James and Keironne Banfield-Nathaniel of NIHERST, facilitated a ‘My Personal Vision 2020’ workshop with a group of young men and key supporters at the Youth Training Centre in Arouca on February 23. The session was organised by Adrian Alexander, a person who does a great deal of work with young people facing many challenges in life. The participants rated the workshop very highly and are keen to continue developing their personal road maps for the future. The Assistant Commissioner of Prisons, Mt Allan Jones, was also present for a while and was keen to see the programme extended more widely in the state’s penal institutions.
Other ‘Y-Vision’ developments
Four additional modules that provide Gen. Y persons with more in- depth facilitated sessions in focus areas such as career development, building personal alliances and networks, developing the skills needed for success, and building a detailed vision-based short- and long-term personal roadmap are now almost ready for testing. Mr Maurice Inniss, a senior educator who has become a real Champion for Y-Vision, has also opened up several doors for the project that are likely to lead to wider use of the Y-Vision modules with less advantaged young people in T&T through both NGOs and possibly the public school system.
‘Wired’
This project focuses on helping young people gain basic computer and Internet skills. The UWI Computer Society has volunteered to manage ‘Wired’ as a community service project. On February 4th the overall project coordinator, Akosua Dardaine-Edwards, was at a Train the Trainers session facilitated by Maxine Attong. She is a person who has excellent skills in facilitation and who has volunteered to help. The session focused on helping potential trainers understand how to best deliver the ‘Wired’ modules so that young people would really benefit. The next step is to connect the programme with a broader range of groups and agencies working with less advantaged young people.
The ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation Club’
Over the past month a lot of progress has been made by Ryan John and Natasha Ramkissoon who are driving this project. A number of key stakeholders have agreed to become Trustees in a Trust that will support the development of the Club. These include the Business Development Corporation and the University of the Southern Caribbean. A website for the Club should soon be online and a mentoring network has been set up which should be ready to help a number of young people progress towards their aspirations in the near future.
What does this mean for T&T?
All three projects are being linked into existing channels and programmes so that they add value rather than create another ‘empire’. The sole purpose of all three initiatives is to help young people to achieve their dreams and aspirations because, if they can do that, everyone in T&T will benefit from living in a more ‘future-fit’ country.
Key Question: How will the future for T&T be if we don’t help young people move towards realising their aspirations?
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