From a “leap of faith” to a Leadership role

─ graduate of youth leadership training making strides

 DPI, Guyana, Saturday, August 4, 2018

Two years after participating in the Youth Leadership Training Programme, Colin Moore is happy that he took that leap of faith.

“I was sceptical at first but I mustered the willpower and turned up for the training, and that is where I met several other young people who inspired me to become a leader. It is there that I also heard the inspiring lecture on leadership and leadership qualities by the facilitator Aubrey Norton,” Moore said.

Launched in 2016, the Youth Leadership Training Programme was undertaken by the Office of Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment Unit (PAYEU) to provide young people with the necessary skills to tackle the challenges facing young people in various communities across the country.

Moore related that following his graduation in 2016, and armed with the knowledge gained, he returned to his community of Kildonan and soon formed an NGO called the Youth Champions Network (YCN).

The organisation, he said, aims to build capacity among the youths within Region Six, East Berbice-Corentyne in order for them to be more involved in leadership roles within their respective communities and the country, as a whole. The group focuses on youth empowerment and capacity building.

Moore said that this step launched him into a series of leadership roles beginning with Chairmanship of an e-governance ICT hub in his region and the Community Action Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Security.  The young leader followed up his success by running for the Local Government Elections (LGE) in 2016, where he was elected as a councillor at the age of 19.

Moore also serves as a facilitator of the Kildonan Night School held at the Kildonan Community Centre.

The night school programme, which also falls under the supervision of the office of Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment Unit (PAYEU), began in 2016 and provides a second chance to school drop-outs and persons who gained less than five (5) subjects at Caribbean Examinations Council (CSEC). Currently, there are 60 persons enrolled who are preparing to sit their examinations next year.

Today, Moore currently holds the position of Chairman of the No.28 Bush Lot/Adventure Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

The young leader related, “it has been an amazing two years [for me] I have gained a lot of experience as well as faced a lot of challenges as a young leader living in a rural area, I mean persons look up to you and there are certain expectations they set [for me]. However, I was trained and I know what is expected of me.”

For his future plans, Moore will be soon launching himself into a much bigger pond. The youth leader is considering a political career through which he hopes to add to the development of Guyana.

By: Neola Damon

Images: Kennyann Bacchus