Dear Editor,
I wish to introduce you to the Young Influencers Programme through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security as the wider public may not be aware of the work and dedication of these group of young people which can go unnoticed and unrecognised. The Young Influencers Programme was launched in 2021, and seeks to engage young passionate leaders in community activities and enhancing their voices by creating projects and campaigns tackling youth issues through advocacy.
In the past year, the Cohort of 2022 has been on their feet despite the many challenges they face while working and studying full-time, and keeping the balance with their busy and personal lives. This goes to show these are youths are passionate about change and are steady in whatever comes their way. At the forefront of the programme is the Minister of Human Services, herself, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, and Ms. Rhea Ramkhelawan, who oversees and coordinates the programme. This group of champions comprises [of] future doctors, pharmacists, artist, social and community advocates, politicians, economists, social media and content creators, university students, and entrepreneurs, whose brilliant minds collectively share a common vision to see our youths transformed, becoming more involved in national and local community projects and ventures.
These are not ‘influencers’ who are deemed promoters of social events for fame and popularity, but young people who take action and labour to get their voices heard by producing results to see transformation in their communities and environments. Currently, the programme has about thirty diverse young people from all ten administrative regions who plan, organize and develop projects and campaigns centered on youths which is then channeled to the Minister for her approval. Highly-spirited about change, in the preceding months, this group has accomplished much in making valuable contributions to the youth population of our country. Hence, they have created the Anti-Bullying Campaign (ABC) in which they promoted and brought awareness of online and physical bullying.
Likewise, they are working on similar campaigns to educate young people on various social challenges that presently affect them. These torchbearers have been steering their own ship, setting examples for other young people in Guyana by sending positive messages through various occasions such as FumaCon, Safe Space, etc. They have seized every opportunity that came their way as difference makers, being beacons of hope for our young people in the midst of rising negativity, on platforms such as Youth Parliament 2022 and IdeaTon which they have excelled at. Most recently, fellow young influencers participated in and won Ideaton where they pitched an idea to introduce an app, ‘EDUparME’ which will educate at-home parents, provide information on the nutrition of students and monitor absenteeism of pupils while bringing together key stakeholders that have the most critical impact on a child’s educational development in particular, the parents, teachers and students themselves.
Further, they have been advocating by adding their voices to Gender Based Violence. These Influencers played an integral part in the Ministry’s 16 Days of Activism where they partook in painting of the Orange Walk Avenue on Camp and Lamaha Streets, created their own skits for dramatic performances at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism and shared their voices alongside senior officials on Cyber Bullying Awareness. The efforts of these young leaders are commendable and applaudable, but these cannot be the only words to describe them and this certainly cannot be where their work stops. Young leaders, like them, need to be given the avenues and fields to strive, so that their leadership capacities can be nurtured and developed. Presently, this programme is the only local platform that brings together youths from across our country into one space to share ideas and innovate solutions to social problems that affect young people.
Never have I heard of another programme that allows young people to take the lead like this. Further, it is even more humbling when the Minister would set aside her time and meet with them and place her attention and interests in them by inviting them to her office for discussions and even launching their campaigns nationally. This goes to show the value that she places on young leaders. In my opinion, these are the opportunities that young people desire and seek after, to be listened to by our political leaders, and the Minister has demonstrated this by not denying these young people a good benefit. Finally, as a current Young Influencer, I can attest that the exposure and experience gained are noteworthy and will equip me for a lifelong career in government and community projects. It has been a venturesome moment and I look forward to its growth and expansion in the coming years.
I would encourage young people who are enthusiastic about social change and development to apply next year as our cohort comes to an end soon, and would challenge them to be fresh and creative in their inventions and concepts towards the programme. For now, young people, grab every opportunity that you get to make constructive influences to our society. You can follow the work of the influencers, upcoming events and activities on our page at YoungInfluencersGy on Facebook, Tik Tok and Instragram.
Sincerely,
Imran Bacchus
Young Influencer – MHSSS (Cohort 2022)
