Young people who are not classed as “at risk” are being left behind and missing out on opportunities they deserve, according to Caleb Brathwaite, head of the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC).
Brathwaite told Barbados TODAY on Friday that young people raised these concerns directly, and he has taken the issue to the Minister of Education Transformation.
The ministry and the BYDC agreed in principle to work on these concerns together, he said.
“Up to [Thursday], I was approached by students who expressed a concern that, while it is important to focus on young people who may be more at risk, there are also young people who are not considered ‘at risk’ who are not necessarily receiving the opportunities or equal opportunities they deserve.”
The students also questioned whether the student-led mechanisms within schools were working as effectively as they should, he said.
Although the council did not receive an increase in its subvention, it is working to strengthen youth organisations, he added, because “when we strengthen youth organisations, we strengthen the young people and communities they serve”.
Brathwaite said strengthening the council began with strengthening the organisations at its core, through greater capacity-building, stronger partnerships, improved access to resources and initiatives that help organisations become more sustainable. If youth organisations were struggling, he said, BYDC could not be as strong or as effective as it should be.
The council is also working to stand on its own feet financially.
“While government support remains important, the organisation must continue exploring partnerships, programmes, sponsorships, and other opportunities to diversify its resources and reduce its reliance on a single source of funding,” he said. “This is an area where we have already begun taking steps, and it will remain a priority.”
The council’s role was to keep the voices, experiences and needs of young people in the national conversation while helping youth organisations become stronger, more sustainable and better equipped to serve, said Brathwaite, describing BYDC as “the collective voice of Young Bajans”.
Trust, he said, had grown: “Young people know BYDC a lot more now and, importantly, they know that we will continue to represent their interests and advocate for them.” The council, he added, must build on that trust “and ensure our actions continue to match our commitment”.
Brathwaite pointed to the human resources, systems and expertise needed to meet the growing demands of young people and youth organisations.
Describing the council as an organisation nearly as old as Barbados as an independent nation, he appealed for partners rather than critics.
“We should not work against it; rather, let us work together,” he said. “Let us strengthen BYDC so that BYDC can, in turn, work alongside you to help deliver meaningful outcomes for young people and youth organisations.”
(LG)
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