Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
Very Commendable, But No Substitute
Editorial
January 17, 2025

Very Commendable, But No Substitute

We extend our congratulations to the organizers of last weekend’s Youth Excellence Awards that rewarded the accomplishments of young Vincentians over the past year. The event was an initiative of the Prime Minister’s National Advisory Council on Youth, and in keeping with the high profile given to this youth body.

A total of 23 young people received awards at the ceremony based on their outstanding contributions in various categories over the year. It was part of the continued emphasis on youth by the Unity Labour Party- ULP- administration, and by Prime Minister Gonsalves in particular as best demonstrated by the emphasis on providing educational opportunities for young people right up to the tertiary level. These are commendable initiatives which, in spite of what shortcomings that may exist, should make our country proud and be of great encouragement to those who were so rewarded. However, by itself, an appointed body is no substitute for independent self-organization, whatever the category of people involved. If anything, it would be best that appointed bodies like the Youth Advisory Council have a central task to encourage, support and facilitate independent self-organisation of youth. Our country has had a proud history of independent youth organisation for fully six decades now. It was visionaries knowing the worth of youth organisations, who took the historic first step to mobilise youth at the community, student, religious, sporting and other levels to form the National Youth Council (NYC) in 1966. In spite of political pressures from various governments over the years the NYC managed to maintain its independence and to become an invaluable part, a leading light in fact, in civil society organization in this country. The NYC went on from its humble beginnings to provide the backbone of the future leadership of our country in many areas of endeavour, so much so that the NYC was perhaps the most popular acronym among civil society organizations in SVG.

Not only did the pioneers build an effective national network, but attention was paid as the entity figuratively spread its wings to helping youth at the community levels to organize, including in rural areas and the Grenadines, despite the challenges of those days. Additionally, the NYC paid particular attention to encouraging and supporting student activism, and several active Student Councils were formed providing a training ground for popular participation in the democratic process.

The NYC distinguished itself in its leading roles in many areas of the democratic process. It is to its eternal credit that we owe the constant education and organisation around the contributions of the Garifuna people led by our sole National Hero, Paramount Chief, The Right Excellent Josef Chatoyer. It is that body of young people which deserves the highest praise in ensuring the erasure of the colonial and humiliating “Discovery Day” from our calendar and the institution of the noble National Heroes’ Day.

Over the years though, for one reason or another, the fortunes of the NYC have declined, and it no longer exists as a national body, like many other civil society organisations. One would therefore have thought that paramount among the advice to be given to the Prime Minister by the National Advisory Council on Youth, would be how to encourage, facilitate and support the independent organisation of a body like the NYC, open to all strands of thought and belief. Unfortunately, there is no indication that consideration is being given to that. But do we expect young people, traditionally affiliated to, or associated with, whether by family or community history, the political opposition, to want to be part of the current set-up? As we said at the outset, it is always good for young people to seek to organize, but central to it must be their own right to independent organisation.

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    12 left homeless in mid-day fire at Richland Park
    Front Page
    12 left homeless in mid-day fire at Richland Park
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    A fire that destroyed a multi-family complex in Richland Park over the weekend has left at least 12 people homeless, including a 23-year-old mother of...
    PM responds to US military strike on small boat off Venezuela
    Front Page
    PM responds to US military strike on small boat off Venezuela
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves has responded to reports by the United States administration that its military had carried out the bombing of a boa...
    Building material disappear from the Mary Hutchinson Primary School
    Front Page
    Building material disappear from the Mary Hutchinson Primary School
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Police investigators on Union Island are said to be looking into the “disappearance” of building materials that were sent to the Southern Grenadine Is...
    What’s new at Fitz Hughes Government School?
    Front Page
    What’s new at Fitz Hughes Government School?
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    by Grace Francis After sharing a small space for over a year, children and teachers at the Fitz Hughes Early Childhood Centre went into brand new prem...
    MRI-6 donates over $70,000 for school meals for vulnerable students
    Front Page
    MRI-6 donates over $70,000 for school meals for vulnerable students
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Several secondary schools and special needs institutions across St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) have received $5,000 donations towards meals for s...
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    News
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    News
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Climate Change Resilience Network (CCRN) in collaboration with the Youlou Radio Movement (YRM) recently embarked on a disaster preparedness initia...
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    News
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, is to obtain three more Heamodialysis machines as part of the revolution in the healthcare secto...
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    News
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is leading a delegation to the East African country of Ethiopia; the delegation left the state on Wednesday, Septe...
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    News
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The modern port in Kingstown is expected to be handed over to the government just before this country celebrates its 46th anniversary of political ind...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok