Young people who gathered for the 16th Youth Leadership Training
Programme graduation ceremony were charged by Minister of Social
Cohesion Dr. George Norton to use their knowledge gained to impact
their communities.
The simple ceremony was held at the Madewini Training Centre for 80
young leaders who came from the 10 administrative regions. Minister
Norton told the youths that with the skills acquired, they now have to
spearhead meaningful changes in their communities.
“The effectiveness of this course must be reflected at the community
level… whatever training you undergo, you must be able to impact
positively on the community that you are from” Minister Norton stated.
He also noted his satisfaction that participants from every region
were a part of the training programme.
The Minister reminded the young people that as the next generations of
leaders the future of Guyana depends on their readiness to take charge
and lead the country into an era of increased prosperity.
“… get involved, get others involved and continue to be involved,
Guyana needs you. It needs you to shatter old barriers and pave the
way for unity among all our people because there is so much truth to
saying that united we stand, divided we fall” Minister Norton
underscored.
Participants of the programme spoke of how impactful the training was
and their plans to let trickle down to their respective communities.
Rozetta Latchman, Region Two: “I have learned so much and as a young
person, I can take back so much to my community and share with the
youths. My village is a small place and we need leaders and we need to
empower young people.”
Treadeci Lewis, Region Three: “This programme for me was very
educational, informative. I am leaving here with more knowledge as to
how to be a great leader within my village and even within my home… I
would encourage every young person in this country to be a part of
this programme. It may teach them self-value, it may help them to
develop certain skills and be a better person.”
Lauristan Choy, Region Six: “For me, it was empowering, it allowed me
to understand leadership and I was able to gain information on being
an effective public speaker. I was able to learn about event planning
which definitely would enable me to be a better leader when I return
to my community and I am able to inspire and empower other young
people.”
T’wanda Small, Region Four: “It was wonderful, very inspiring. We
learnt a lot about disaster risk management, how to be a better
leader, how to do well in public speaking, and in communication, as we
reach out to other young people. I would encourage any young person
out there to come an be a part of the programme.”
The youths completed 20 contact hours in the areas of Youth Leadership
training, Leadership and Management in Youth Work, Youth Organisation,
Disaster Risk Management, Organisational Development, Group Dynamics
and Team building, Communication and effective public speaking,
Meeting and Procedures, and Event Planning.
