Empowering the Future: Celebrating Caribbean Youth Day in Barbados

Barbados had an eventful Caribbean Youth Day on September 30, 2024, and particularly dedicated the day to recognition of the mighty spirit, creativity, and potentials of these youth.

This day comes in reference to the great role that youths play as future leaders, innovators, and change-makers in society.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment (MYSCE) declared that it stands on centre stage concerning this celebration, underlining its strong commitment to youth development.

The MYSCE enables young Barbadians through various initiatives to gain the skills and opportunities to prosper in life. Programs on educational workshops, mentorship schemes, and other cultural activities are all designed to promote holistic growth and development.

Yet again, this celebration brings forward a challenge, which is the significant social ills that are presently plaguing the youth of Barbados: youth crime and violence.

A collaborative approach is required to deal with these issues, as emphasized by the MYSCE. This comprise connecting with the government entities and churches, Non-Governmental Organizations, community leaders, and families to ensure safe areas and their supportive environment for the youth.

Another outstanding development of the MYSCE efforts is inclusiveness. The Ministry understood that individuals with disabilities must be included in youth programs.

Among the programs that MYSCE supports this year are summer camps for youth with autism, programmed with the view of improving access to participation and affording every young person the chance to contribute to their community.

Some flagship programs that the MYSCE supports include the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme and the National Sports Council.

This Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme is a resort for new entrepreneurs to prove their innovative style toward economic empowerment. On the other hand, National Sports Council assists young sportsmen in achieving their sporting ambitions at large.

Even broader issues related to mental health awareness were to the fore during the Caribbean Youth Day. Such efforts include the launch of the National Youth Support Hotline as an important new resource that will provide mental health support to young Barbadians while mounting demand continues to clamour for accessible services.

This initiative will in fact be very healthy for the mental well-being of youth as the Ministry is placed to focus on their holistic growth. The call to action rang throughout the entire event, calling out to all sectors of Barbados to come together and do their share in building resilience among young people.

The message of MYSCE was simply: creating opportunities in the realms of education, employment, and community engagement would empower youths to live up to their fullest potentials.

Barbados Caribbean Youth Day was a celebration and a call to action. An environment that grows the young ones and faces them with their challenges will see Barbados create a brighter and better future founded on the strength, resilience, and potential of its young ones.