Members of Parliament Address Youth Issues at National Dialogue
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Young people at Sunday’s National Youth Dialogue
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Basseterre, St. Kitts (November 13, 2007): Residents of St. Kitts and Nevis have expressed satisfaction with a recent initiative which saw Members of Parliament (MPs) sitting down with the nation’s youth to discuss a wide range of issues.
It was an effective exercise in democracy as scores of young people attended Sunday’s National Youth Dialogue which was organized by the Youth Department as part of Youth Month Activities. Director of Youth, Geoffrey Hanley told SKNIS that the event was designed to keep legislators updated on issues that are important to young people.
Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor were joined at the interactive forum by Ministers Astaphan, Liburd, Martin, Merchant and Carty. The Ministers spent the opening hours of the session, held at the Ocean Terrace Inn, dialoguing with individual groups. Each Minister made a brief presentation on developments within their ministry and then fielded questions from young persons before going on to strategize on various national issues.
The second half was a bit more spirited than the previous session. Opposition MP Shawn Richards joined his Parliamentary colleagues as a “Face to Face” styled question and answer segment took place.
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| Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas during group dialogue |
Minister Condor, who holds the portfolio of Youth and Education, responded to a question which asked what was being done to tackle antisocial behaviour in local schools.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that government had a broad-based approach which includes parents sharing the responsibility. He stressed that Parent Teachers Associations have been receiving increased support from his Ministry in an attempt to strengthen parenting and communication skills. The addition of Guidance Counselors in all public schools was also highlighted.
Minister of National Security the Hon. G. A. Dwyer Astaphan touched on the same matter and said young persons must also make responsible decisions. Minister Astaphan added that persons must resist copying what seems to be popular in foreign countries.
“They have [gangs] in America and we want it too,” he stressed. “They watch 15 hours of television in America and we want it too. They eat the fast food up there that is full of hormones and we want it to. To go to jail, in America it’s like a badge of honour, it’s like earning a Bachelors Degree and we want to do that too.”
~~Adz:Left~~The Minister stated that the family and the community have an important role to play in molding the next generation and he encouraged quick action which includes monitoring the television content viewed in the home and instilling positive moral virtues.
A question posed to Opposition MP Hon. Shawn Richards asked if he opposes all measures proposed in Parliament.
He explained that this was not the case although it has been done in the past by select opposition members. MP Richards went on to outline a number of Bills passed in Parliament relating to education, road safety and the hosting of the Cricket World Cup last March, where he supported the proposed legislation because they were “good for the country.”
“The atmosphere was relaxed, and the discussion was very constructive,” Director of Youth Geoffrey Hanley said, while describing the session. He noted the event truly embraced the theme for Youth Month which is “Promoting Respect and Understanding: A Rationale for Youth Empowerment for the Present and the Future.”
