12-year-old appointed Linden’ Junior Mayor
─ Junior Council comprises of seven students
─ students tasked with proposing a $500,000 project for schools
─ project to be replicated in the other nine municipalities
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Twelve-year-old Janea Bristol, of the Bishops’ High School, will now head the Junior Council of the Municipality of Linden and act as the shadow Her Worship the Mayor to Linden, Waneka Arrindell.
Bristol was declared junior Mayor following a panel presentation on September 14, at the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC). There were also presentations from six other Linden students.
In her initial appearance, Bristol drew the council’s attention to issues affecting her former Primary School – Regma Primary and also pledged to implement a recycling project to address the garbage collection and waste disposal issue in Linden. The other presenters spoke of the need for the installation of street lights in their communities, and the rehabilitation of roads, illegal dumpsites etc.
When it was announced that Bristol won, she remarked: “I feel happy that I have been appointed as the first female junior Mayor of Linden and I will work to make Linden a better place.”
The Junior Mayor project is the brainchild of Mayor Arrindell and aims to equip youths with requisite skills and knowledge needed in the local government arena. The Linden Mayor explained that with the return of local democracy after more than two decades, it was discovered that those elected to serve, had the task of learning everything about local governance. According to Mayor Arrindell, her mission is to avoid this gap occurring in the future, and those elected to lead will do so more efficiently, having had a hands-on experience.
The first junior Council was launched in 2018 and the first junior Mayor to serve was Devon Beckles. With His Excellency, President David Granger endorsing the junior mayor project and encouraging all municipalities to adopt a similar initiative, the Ministry of Communities came on board to sponsor the junior Mayor 2019 project.
Students from the various schools in Linden were chosen to come on board and went through a series of sessions on local democracy. They were then tasked with presenting to a panel of judges, what changes they would bring to their community or school if they became junior Mayor.
Member of Parliament, Hon. Jermaine Figueira, who gave the charge to the junior Mayor and her Councillors, encouraged them to work together in making representation for their communities and to set an example for their fellow youths to become involved in community development at an early age.
The first junior Mayor Devon Beckles reflected on how serving in the capacity has changed his life. “Today, my self-esteem has improved; I am no longer the same person, I am also comfortable now and proud of who I am. I can speak out for myself and others.” Beckles says he plans to one day run for the office of the Mayor.
The seven youths will now form Linden’s junior Municipal Council. They are tasked with submitting a proposal for a $500,000 project, that will benefit schools across Linden. They will also make representation on issues affecting their communities, and these will be brought to the attention of the Mayor and Town Council, by the junior Mayor, at statutory meetings or any other platform necessary.
Plans are in place to have the junior Mayor programme replicated throughout the other towns in Guyana.