ACDA-UPN, Inspiring Young Minds to Aspire Higher

On Saturday November 18, 2017, the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) alongside the Urban Pilot’s Network (UPN) launched Guyana’s first ever Youth Aviation Camp with funding secured from the Youth Innovation Program initiative through the Ministry of Education.

Project Leader Dion Haynes introduces students to the dynamics of flight through a virtual reality simulation.

The ACDA-UPN Youth Aviation Camp is primarily dedicated to stimulating the minds of young African Guyanese through the application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S.T.E.M) across the varying facets of the aviation sector.

As global economies expand there is a greater need for the movement of goods, services and people. To fulfill this, demand the Boeing corporation through its technical outlook survey estimates the need for over two million new aviation personnel which includes pilots, aircraft mechanics, cabin crew, air traffic controllers, and a multitude of other professions within the sector by 2035. Guyana due to its new hydrocarbon wealth and projected national expansion plans will require a significant percentage of the projected skilled workers in the aviation sector to ensure the country can expand and grow efficiently to be competitive in a global market.

Meeting this demand will require innovative solutions — focused on educational outreach and career pipeline programs — to inspire the next generation of pilots, technicians, and cabin crew. This is where our program comes into focus. The ACDA-UPN Aviation Camp will introduce young people to aviation, impart basic skills on an introductory level through experiential teaching by current aviation professionals. This will in our opinion spark a greater desire to pursue a career in aviation ensuring that the Guyana Aviation Sector will have ample supply of capable, enthusiastic, young minds to help build a vast, safe and competitive national airline network which will be integral in the establishment of a national commerce market. In short, the ACDA-UPN Aviation Camp aims to be proactive in recognising the demands of Guyana as a nation and preparing for it through training and mentorship of young Guyanese.

Dion Haynes (fourth from left) Commercial Pilot and Project Lead and Fabian Thomas (first from left) Aircraft Engineer and Project Mentor pose for a photo taken by an Aerial Drone used to demonstrate theory of flight alongside some of the programme’s participants.