Nicholas Henry | Importance of youth involvement in Jamaica

In November, Jamaica celebrated National Youth Month. This month commemorates the impact of youth from across the globe in their respective fields. However, it is also important to discuss the importance of youth involvement locally. Youth involvement in Jamaica has, in many ways, been relinquished to tokenism and formality rather than meaningful participation. This is something that we must change.

Former state minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEYI), Alando Terrelonge, stated in a Gleaner article titled “Role of youth in national development critical” that “Jamaica is blessed with young people who can drive the island’s transition to a developed country. You are wired to the world, and you have information, knowledge, and power at the tips of your fingers.” He emphasised the important role that stakeholders play in ensuring that Jamaica becomes a better place with the passing of every generation.

To write this column, I interviewed several young leaders, and from these conversations, the overall consensus is that the human resource of our nation’s youth is underutilised. For one, youth mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Bobby Francis, stated that youth organisations could have a greater impact on various sectors of the economy and nation development if they were given a chance to truly make an input and not participate in these pseudo-parliamentary “oratorical championships”.

One school administrator even stated that while there may be many clubs and societies at the secondary-school level, “the youth voice is not effectively heard in our society in spaces where there may be an opportunity for meaningful change”.

I believe that although many youth are making the best use of the opportunities made available to them, there is a significant deficit of resources, which contributes to young persons not realising their full potential.

Former education officer in the MOEYI Neil Henry noted: “Youth participation mirrors the wider socio-economic conditions in one’s immediate setting.” Thus, youth participation is heavily dependent on where one is situated in terms of availability of resources, ones’ social capital or the lack thereof. In turn, this determines whether one becomes involved in different stages of youth development.

Youth participation is of paramount importance in planning for the future as they represent the emerging workforce and leadership of a nation. UWI Guild librarian Ashleigh Onfroy shared this sentiment by stating that “the involvement of our youth, wherever possible, is vital to sustainable development and succession planning at the local and regional level”.

Youth have the potential to be the driving force for good, positive change, and national development. However, we must be mindful that they also have the potential to perpetuate and worsen the social horrors currently faced by our society. If left without meaningful involvement, they may seek alternative paths to fulfilment, including engaging in gang violence and scamming.

WAY FORWARD

In keeping with the theme for National Youth Month 2021, “Evolve”, I would like to stress the importance of agriculture as one such alternative lifestyle for our nation’s youth. Though many may not be immediately attracted to this sector, agriculture must be promoted among young people.

Pursuing agriculture would allow for Jamaica to marry the innovativeness of her young people with a key national industry. This could lead to the sustainable growth of our economy and help the country to achieve food security. Going forward, we must take a solution-oriented approach that would positively promote this engagement with young people. This includes:

- Promoting community involvement, which encourages positive attitudes towards teamwork;

- Increasing sensitisation about our civic duty through education and showcasing the success of agriculture as a viable lifestyle for young people;

- Developing training programmes that teach skills in agriculture;

- Introducing tax incentives to manufacturers that source their primary products from young farmers.

We as citizens have a responsibility to assess the condition of our nation’s resources, and where possible, make the necessary changes to maximize their use. We must also take this approach to our nation’s youth as they are the strength, heritage, and pride of Jamaica.

Nicholas Henry is second-year Faculty of Law student and a member of the public relations committee of the University of Technology Students’ Union Council. Send feedback to nicholashenry757@gmail.com.