“The effectiveness of this course must be reflected at the community level”

– Norton tells graduates of leadership programme

DPI, Guyana, Sunday, September 23, 2018

Young people who gathered for the 16th Youth Leadership Training Programme graduation ceremony were charged by Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton to use their knowledge gained to impact their communities.

The simple ceremony was held at the Madewini Training Centre for 80 young leaders who came from the 10 administrative regions. Minister Norton told the youths that with the skills acquired, they now have to spearhead meaningful changes in their communities.

“The effectiveness of this course must be reflected at the community level… whatever training you undergo, you must be able to impact positively on the community that you are from” Minister Norton stated. He also noted his satisfaction that participants from every region were a part of the training programme.

The Minister reminded the young people that as the next generations of leaders the future of Guyana depends on their readiness to take charge and lead the country into an era of increased prosperity.

“… get involved, get others involved and continue to be involved, Guyana needs you. It needs you to shatter old barriers and pave the way for unity among all our people because there is so much truth to saying that united we stand, divided we fall” Minister Norton underscored.

Participants of the programme spoke of how impactful the training was and their plans to let trickle down to their respective communities.

Rozetta Latchman, Region Two: “I have learned so much and as a young person, I can take back so much to my community and share with the youths. My village is a small place and we need leaders and we need to empower young people.”

Treadeci Lewis, Region Three: “This programme for me was very educational, informative. I am leaving here with more knowledge as to how to be a great leader within my village and even within my home… I would encourage every young person in this country to be a part of this programme. It may teach them self-value, it may help them to develop certain skills and be a better person.”

Lauristan Choy, Region Six: “For me, it was empowering, it allowed me to understand leadership and I was able to gain information on being an effective public speaker. I was able to learn about event planning which definitely would enable me to be a better leader when I return to my community and I am able to inspire and empower other young people.”

T’wanda Small, Region Four: “It was wonderful, very inspiring. We learnt a lot about disaster risk management, how to be a better leader, how to do well in public speaking, and in communication, as we reach out to other young people. I would encourage any young person out there to come an be a part of the programme.”

The youths completed 20 contact hours in the areas of Youth Leadership training, Leadership and Management in Youth Work, Youth Organisation, Disaster Risk Management, Organisational Development, Group Dynamics and Team building, Communication and effective public speaking, Meeting and Procedures, and Event Planning.

Isaiah Braithwaite

Image: Karime Peters and Giovanni Gajie

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