Twenty-one youths were on Saturday night recognised for their contributions in various fields while 40 were awarded grants of up to $2 million and they were all charged to continue being role models and trailblazing agents of positive change.
At the fifth annual National Youth Awards, which was held at the Pegasus Hotel, Minister of Social Cohesion Dr George Norton said that he was very privileged to be able to share space with some of Guyana’s most exemplary young people.
“At a time when our society is riddled with injustice and self-centredness, you have been the sunshine on a cloudy day. You have demonstrated noble traits in your quest to improve the lives of those around you whether in the area of volunteerism, arts, agriculture, youth entrepreneurship or technology,” said Norton. He added that the country is immensely grateful for their efforts and the awards being conferred on them is the government’s way of saying, “thank you so much.”
“I want to express sincerest congratulations to each of you and I hope that you will continue to be role models and trailblazing agents of positive change in our society. I wish also to express congratulations to the 40 recipients of [grants under] the Youth Innovation Project of Guyana (YIPoG),” Norton said.
He explained that as the name suggests, the YIPoG programme was designed to support the creative and innovative ventures of young people as the ministry has often recognised that it is difficult to secure support, especially as it relates to finance, when undertakings are not necessarily considered to be typical. The government recognises and understands the importance of encouraging a pioneering spirit among the young people of the country and this is why they designed the YIPoG, Norton said.
“We want to bring those million-dollar ideas to life. The YIPoG is your financial support and we are confident that if we provide you with the tools you need to fly, you will soar. Awarding you this grant is a small price to pay for encouraging you to continue thinking outside of the box,” he added.
In brief remarks, acting Director of Youth Leslyn Boyce said that the Department believes that young people are valuable assets to the country and investing in them will bring tremendous social and economic benefits.
The 21 youth awardees were recognised for their contributions in the arts, entrepreneurship, volunteerism, environmental conservation and protection, innovation in science and technology, agriculture and food security, and sports.
Quacy Welcome, Renata Burnette and VoicesGy (group) were recognised for their service in the arts; Evie Kanhai-Gurchuran, Davendra Laltoo and Omesh Antonio, and Dason Anthony were conferred awards for their service in entrepreneurship; Surujdai Mukhram, Patrick Benjamin-Huntley and the Nulli Secundus Youth Group were awarded for their service in volunteerism; Lalia Gopaul, Davindra Laltoo and the Guyana Youth Environment Network were recognised for their service in environmental conservation and protection; Jaianan Hirai, Francine Leitch and Farnaz Baksh were conferred awards for their service in innovation in science and technology; Josh McDonald, Jewel Collier and the Belladrum Shade House farm were awarded for their contributions in agriculture and food security; and Rajindra Ramballi, Nathalie Ruth Chaitram and Maranda Bennet were awarded for their contributions in sport.
In relation to the YIPoG grants, which will be up to $2 million, persons were awarded from every administrative region.
From Region One, Dianne Robinson received a grant while Tyrone Stephney received for Region Two. For Region Three, Donald Ramlakhan, the West Demerara Secondary School, Jaianan Hirai and Verinda Singh received grants. In Region Four, Kenny Valladares, the Next Gen Committee of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Tricia Dainty, Dave Danny, Nyron Sookram, Youth for Positive Change, Eon Stephens, Nicholas Chesney, Rhonda Joseph, Victor Cuffy, Ebunoluwa Prince, Nigel Peters, Shemar Spooner and Angelisa Alexander all received grants.
For Region Six, the Baracara Women’s Group, the Baracara Revelation Group and Jamie Jeffrey were awarded grants while Foronna Joseph, Reberta Marshall, Lyra Edwin and Jerika Percy were the grant recipients from Region Seven. For Region Eight, Odessa Paul, Romallo Phillips and Sylvester Edwin received grants while Shunette Thompson, Carol Jacobs, Simeon Taylor, Joan Thomas, the North Rupununi District Development board and the Bina Hill Research Institute were the grant recipients from Region Nine.
For Region Ten, the Guyana Civil Defence Commission’s Voluntary Emergency Response Team, Darwin Grenville, Clair Fraser and Crystal Lam Designs were awarded grants.
