President engages youth leaders on matters of national development

Georgetown, Guyana – (July 20, 2018) President David Granger, today, met and interacted with members of the Linden Youth Leaders (LYL) and its regional chapters, whom he urged to explore the endless opportunities that await them in the area of entrepreneurship and enterprise as he noted that everything they need to venture into manufacturing and agro-processing are available right in their regions.

Speaking at a special luncheon held at the Baridi Benab, State House, the Head of State said, “The time has come for young people to seek different forms of employment and the best for of employment is self-employment in which you set up your own enterprises, manage your own finance, have a bank account and aim for prosperity…this type of employment is more reliable, your job is not dependent on the whims and fancies of a boss or a manager.”

The President also reminded the youths that inequality remains a major impediment to development and charged them to, in their work, reach out to vulnerable communities, particularly those in the hinterland and in riverine areas and ensure that the children of those communities have access to education.

“Education is a great equaliser, if you are educated you have the opportunity to be what you want to be, and to be the best that you can be… Wherever you are living, if you know there is a child who cannot get to school, you help that child to go to school,” he said.

The LYL was established in 2006 by former Mayor of Linden, Mr. Carwyn Holland and Ms. Rochelle Sparman, a second year Law student at the Hugh Wooding Law School, who in her remarks, said that President Granger played a pivotal role in inspiring them to form a group to engage youths in community development. She said youths had become very disenchanted in Linden, having been forced to forfeit their dreams and ambitions as a result of financial constraints. “The Linden Youth Leaders is made up of vibrant youths who feel passionately that we have great value and propose to fulfil our responsibilities by developing ourselves, our communities and our nation,” she said.

After the establishment of the LYL, Mr. Holland received requests for similar groups to be formed across Guyana and as a result, today there are Chapters in Wakenaam, Bartica, Corriverton, Beterverwagting, Tuschen, Cornelia Ida, Versailles, Buxton, Lusignan, Diamond and Georgetown.

President of the LYL, Mr. Romel Gonsalves said that these groups are all committed to the President’s vision of reducing poverty and inequality and building social cohesion as he noted that they look forward to forging a closer working relationship with the Head of State.

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