Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony urged students at the Kuru Kuru Training Centre (KKTC) to demonstrate the spirit of generosity they feel at Christmas all through the year, when he attended the institution’s annual Christmas lunch.
Anthony, Permanent Secretary Alfred King and Assistant Director of Youth, Devanand Ramdatt, joined the students at the resident training centre to celebrate the festive season, according to the Government Information Agency (GINA). The students are participating in training under the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training Programme.
“You can be the one that goes out there and show people, how there is a different way of living,” Anthony was quoted as saying. He also told them that once they embraced this concept and live accordingly, others will emulate their example and this will bring about “a different Guyana, ‘a Guyana where all of us are one and treated as one.’”
“It is easy to see things that make us different, it’s easy to see things that pull us apart, but we are living in one space called Guyana, this is our home, this is all that we know and we can make that difference if we can embrace our neighbour and friends and live differently,” Anthony added. He noted that he was confident that the kind of interaction and social skills that the students have been taught at the KKTC would result in them becoming changed persons.
Anthony also said that the ministry expects that as the students return to their communities they would in turn effect change.
“We see you as going out there and making a difference in people’s lives, just as we would have had the opportunity of making a difference in your lives, we want to multiply that effect,” Anthony said. According to him, the centre affords young people the opportunity to learn skills that they can use to develop Guyana.
He said it is for this reason the ministry has worked over the years to improve the quality of life there and it plans to augment the programmes offered there every year.
The Permanent Secretary echoed Anthony’s wishes for the students.
He reminded them that Christmas is about love, sharing, kindness and spreading cheer and that they must also remember those less fortunate than themselves.
He said the ministry’s staff also looks forward to celebrations for the festive season at the KKTC and they were especially pleased to be celebrating the minister’s birthday with them.
The students, staff of the KKTC and the ministry then presented Anthony with special tokens for his birthday.
