The National Youth Council, NGOS and GONGOS

I have long felt that as our country strives to achieve meaningful social and economic development it is handicapped by the absence of significant peoples involvement in the process that has much to do with the non-existence today of proper functioning civic organisations.

A Civic organisation is a group of people who have gotten together to work for the betterment of the community and broader society. It centres around bringing people together to build their communities, tackling local issues and working for positive change. The organisation is voluntary, non-profit, and driven by a sense of service. It becomes an advocate for change and for building awareness. Civic organisations include non-government organisations, charitable based organisations, faith-based organisations and include sporting and cultural groups. I became interested in the recent discussions about the National Youth Council during its period of existence and the efforts to ditch the significant role it has played from the 1970s to 1990s. I write not as one who had been a member of the Council but as one who has worked with it, particularly in its advocacy for making Chatoyer a national hero and in promoting Independence for SVG. Let us clarify a few matters. The NYC was an umbrella grouping of different organisations, some church based, some community based and others of varying kinds. It was non-governmental, received no funding from government except for a small stipend to maintain its office. So, the NYC was a small group of persons, but was a kind of executive for a number of groups. I remember attending its launching in 1966 when the feature address was delivered by Kenneth John who was about to leave our shores to continue his studies. Many members acquired leadership skills and went on to serve our country at different levels and in different capacities. I can think of some of its presidents, Justice Adrian Saunders, Corletha Ollivierre, Jeremiah Scott former parliamentarian, present members of our Legislature, Honourable Curtis King and Senator Israel Bruce. Also serving at the highest level were Lennox Bowman and Arthur Bobb.

I remember when I returned to St. Vincent as a young graduate, being invited by Jethro Greene on behalf of one of the NYC groups to participate in a panel discussion on Independence- the other participant being Ebenezer Theodore Joshua. I also got involved in the NYCs advocacy around Chatoyer as our first National Hero. We must remember too the role played by the NYC in the establishment of the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill. Their advocacy around the abolition of January 22 as Discovery Day also has to be remembered. I am aware of other things done by the NYC. Their Radio Youth Challenge programme, their involvement in the fight for the liberalisation of the air waves with an FM radio license, their role in assisting with the establishment of other youth councils in the region, and in the establishment of the Caribbean Federation of Youths. Other areas of their involvement include their efforts at establishing a youth parliament and in promoting commonwealth youth ambassadors. Their involvement through their affiliates in pig farming in the Diamond community and in block making. These are only some of their accomplishments. Their accomplishment are large and cannot be denied.

Of importance was that the NYC was voluntary and was non-governmental. NGOs were about people’s development and the raising of consciousness. The eruption of the Soufriere volcano in 1979, the passing of Hurricane Allen in 1980 and the economic hardships of that time led to the interest of International NGOs in St. Vincent and neighbouring islands. A Catholic Organisation, The Commission for the Development of Peoples- for Justice and Peace assisted with the setting up of Projects Promotion (PP) which was registered under the Companies Act of 1967. I joined other members who aided in the formation of PP. Among them were Oscar Allen, Glenroy Browne, Solomon Butler, Fr. Denis Hebert- a Catholic Priest based in Layou, Earlene Horne, Cyprian Neehall, Adrian Saunders, Horatio Skeete and Cecil Blazer Williams. I raise this because we began then to have the development of other types of NGOs. PP was part of a regional grouping of what were called Local Development Agencies. As International NGOs moved into the region rather than having to support a multiplicity of small groups, they preferred funding through the LDAs. CUSO was one such Northern Funding Agency and through CUSO was born CARIPEDA which became an umbrella grouping of LDAs in St. Vincent, Grenada, St. Lucia, Jamaica and Belize. CARIPEDA was born in 1983 with a CUSO person serving as Coordinator. In 1986 it had its first permanent Coordinator, a position I assumed. Other International NGOS, such as OXFAM UK and US, HIVOS, among others, provided funding for the LDAS which then supported income generation projects among NGOS in the region. But this was only part of their role because the raising of consciousness and advocacy through popular education and popular theatre became essential to their work. The NYC was involved in its work.

Funding from the International NGOS was restricted to non-governmental organisations. Different governments tried to capitalise on this by setting up, or attempting to set up their own NGOS. These were regarded by real grassroots NGOS as GONGOS (that is Government NGOs). The role played by these organisations which were outside of government was important. But that period has passed. It is not going to be possible to set up another NYC, simply because the community and church groups that formed the NYC no longer exist. There is still need for voices outside of government, the voices sounded in the seventies, eighties and nineties by NGOs. It was really efforts at development and consciousness raising from the bottom up rather than from the top down. We have to remember that these are different times and different strategies and organs are necessary. But let us always remember that the NYC was an organisation for its time and played an important part which must be recognised. A body such as the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Youths is of a different magnitude. It is my view that what is needed today are bodies not created by, but independent of government. Not another GONGO!

• Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian