The Organisation of American States (OAS) is a multilateral organisation which brings together all countries of the western hemisphere. This year the Office of the Assistant Secretary General and the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Youth co-ordinated an event entitled Youth in Action for Democracy and Entrepreneurship.
This OAS initiative brought together young people and decision-makers on youth issues from across the Americas and provided a forum for dialogue among presenters and participants. The golden thread that ran through all the discussions was that the youths in the hemisphere must be encouraged to actively participate in and positively contribute to matters such as politics, economic development and social welfare.
In Existence
Already in the region, there are young people who have formed and lead non-governmental organisations and they shared with the audience the achievements of their entities and the manner in which they overcame and intend to overcome the challenges that face their institutions.
It was inspiring to hear from young people between the ages of 20 and 25 talk about the passion that drove them to make positive differences in their societies and the significant impact that their organisations are making in helping others to help themselves.
There is no lack of creativity and personal ability in the youths of the Americas; the challenge is encouraging more young people to become aware and interested in matters that affect them and the region.
Enter Internet
Speaker after speaker made the point that the advancement of technology has made it easier for young people to communicate and interact instantaneously with thousands of people around the world as information and ideas are shared about myriad matters. Social media and the internet are expanding and will remain tools that can be instruments to build nations, or if abused, to destroy societies.
A great responsibility is therefore given to young people to use these means of communication with the highest degree of integrity, ensuring that information posted on Web sites, for example, is based on facts and derived from platforms of knowledge.
All this technology which is available at the fingertips of the youths must be used to include the widest cross-section of people to ensure that there is the fullest participation. Even the most stringent regulatory policy and strictest laws will not prevent abuse of the internet, and so the values of social responsibility accountability and transparency must be tenets that guide the actions of youths.
Reducing Age
This OAS conference was a means to engage youth and to listen and address the concerns they have with respect to participating in areas that have the potential to be controversial and divisive. On the matter of politics, one presenter suggested that it is important for young people to get involved at the earliest opportunity and that in some countries, consideration is being given to lowering the voting age from 18 to 16.
While it may be true that the youth of today are more actively aware and engaged in political issues because of the expansion of the means of communication, especially the internet, do young people at 16 have the requisite social maturity to make decisions such as who should be the policy-makers for their countries?
In our country, there is focus on empowering the youth and several initiatives have provided a forum for the showcasing of talent and sharing of ideas. The Youth Parliament, in which students from schools across the region are given the opportunity to act in the role of parliamentarians as they debate a particular "bill" brought to the House, has created significant interest.
Perhaps the time has come for us to take the initiative, as other countries have done, to have an elected youth Parliament-an official entity comprising youngsters who have faced the polls and which meets once a month to specifically address the current issues that affect youths. After each session, recommendations are made and submitted to the Government for consideration and implementation.
Good Advice
Young people are full of energy and ideas and these must be properly and positively directed as our hemisphere moves forward. There was no shortage of advice for young people at the conference about the best ways to ensure success and make positive contributions to their respective countries.
The OAS must be congratulated for arranging this forum which provided an opportunity for young people in the hemisphere to collaborate and co-operate in promoting democracy and entrepreneurship. On a personal note, I thank Ambassador Albert R Ramdin and his team, including Shelly Dass-Clarke and Mariette Vidal, for making this event a success.
I end with the advice given by Mr Samuel Urrutia, an accomplished entrepreneur in Latin America, who shared his four pillars of success: "Integrity, which includes humility; expertise; hard work and a life-plan strategy."
