Youth Village opens
Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton (left) checks out some of the products on display at Jamal Farley’s (right) booth, as Youth Village Coordinator, Adeti DeJesus looks on  (Delano Williams photos)
Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton (left) checks out some of the products on display at Jamal Farley’s (right) booth, as Youth Village Coordinator, Adeti DeJesus looks on (Delano Williams photos)

– with many youths showcasing their services and products

SCORES of schools’ students and other young Guyanese swarmed the Durban Park on Friday morning for the opening of the Jubilee Youth Village, where Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, encouraged them to ensure they capitalise on opportunities afforded at the exhibition aspect of the event.

Students of the North Georgetown Secondary smilingly display their products at the Jubilee Youth Village on Friday, from left are: Steven Vasconsellos, Tatiania Munroe, Emily Dhanraj, and Amelia Bhoodoo

The two-day Youth Village, which is part of Guyana’s Golden Jubilee Republic Anniversary celebrations, focused on showcasing many youth-owned businesses, as well as bringing awareness to health, employment, and educational services important to youths that could help them in developing themselves.

“It’s a good initiative to have a Youth Village to help the youths to showcase their talent. They should have one every year,” commented 29-year-old Jamal Farley, who was one of the youths who came out to showcase his business at the exhibition.

Farley specialises in craft and art products. Also part of the exhibition was a booth for the some of the business students of the North Georgetown Secondary School, who showcased several products that they made. Their booth was sponsored by the Small Business Bureau.
Youth Village Coordinator, Adeti DeJesus, said that while the event still had a lot more in store, she was pleased with the response from the public at the opening.
“It has been exciting, and energetic. The young people are not only interested in the entertainment aspect, but they are there visiting the booths, finding out from other young people what type of business they are involved in, how they started, how they can start a business as well,” DeJesus related.

Aside from the exhibition, Friday’s programme also included a fashion display and a performance by the Calibro Band.

A craft business on display at the Youth Village

The exhibition continues on Saturday, while also scheduled is a “Zumba Party” conducted by fitness trainer Noshavyah King; as well as a “Local Talent Fiesta” where some 24 up-and-coming acts are schedule to be performed by youths.

During the event’s opening ceremony, Minister Norton, said that the youth village, and other investments that the government has made in youth development over the past four years is indicative of the government’s faith in young people as Guyana’s future.

“The setting up of this youth village was done deliberately and intentionally to showcase the youth, and provides an ideal forum. Youth village is a statement to the world that young Guyanese are ready, they’re intelligent and fully committed to taking this nation to new heights. It is for that reason that this administration will continue to invest heavily in your development, especially as it relates to education,” Norton conveyed.

In the 2019 budget, some $236.9M was set aside for capital investment in youth-focused programmes and initiatives. For the past few years, the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Ministry of Business have been massively pushing and supporting entrepreneurship among young people, through the provision of training as well as financing opportunities through grants and loan assistance.

“We have crafted programmes specially designed to prepare our youths as entrepreneurs. It is our intention to ensure young Guyanese have the capacity create work for themselves. In addition to our many skills training programme, we have the Youth Innovation Programme which assists annually for business startup,” Minister Norton noted during his remarks.

A section of the exhibition at the Youth Village at Durban Park, on Friday

He pointed out that with Guyana slated for unprecedented economic growth over the next few years, the investment in youth is expected to increase proportionally, as such it is vital that youths position themselves to capitalise on the progress.

“With new fortune being on the horizon, and I refer to our oil and gas, our investment in youth empowerment and development will only grow. Your children and children’s children will depend on you to make the right choices to help Guyana, to keep Guyana on an upward trajectory. I am confident that we are in good hands and are on the right path. Keep striving for greatness, elevate yourself and commit to this great land of ours,” Norton urged.

Also delivering remarks at the event was Regional Information Officer for Region Three, Ganesh Mahipaul, who spoke on “Reflections of Guyana’s History Leading Up to the 50th Republic Anniversary”; while “Leadership and Youth’s Role in Transforming Guyana,” remarks were slated to be made by Ronald Austin Jr.

Booths at the exhibition which opened from 10:00 hours included several private, mostly-small businesses, as well as government entities such as the Ministry of Public Health’s Mental Health Unit; and the Ministry of the Presidency Department of Public Service.

“As mental healthcare providers we are here to support our youths, they are the face of today and we want to see them become the face of tomorrow, so we’re here to give them that support,” shared Evelyn Ganesh, a licensed psychologist and Health Educator.
“Educating the youths is powerful and useful, if our youths are equipped with skills of critical thinking thoughts of suicide would be avoidable. Our youths out number us as adults so we have to support them.”

Educational institutions with booths at the event included Nations University, Global Technology, University of Guyana, the Guyana School of Agriculture and the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

Some students checking out the National Museum booth at the Youth Village exhibition on Friday (Delano Williams photos)

The Small Business Bureau sponsored a booth for the fifth form business students of the North Georgetown Secondary School to display some of the products they have made, and were recently on display at the school’s Business Fair last week.

Some of the products that were created by the various groups of fifth form students were health cookies, bath soaps, facial cleansers, hair products, health shakes, body scrubs, wines and scented candles.

There was also a booth from the National Museum, as well as Parliament.
Bringing down the curtain on the event will be and international concert where Rupee, KI, Timeka Marshall and reigning Soca Monarch, Brandon Harding are scheduled to perform.

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