Government officials and youth advocates urged young Barbadians to take charge of their futures as the four‑day I AM Conference opened on Wednesday, bringing together students and aspiring entrepreneurs to discuss business innovation, mental health and community empowerment.
As the third annual I AM Conference opened at the Hilton Barbados, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth, Joy Adamson, said the sessions over the four days are aimed at inspiring and guiding the young participants.
She said: “We had sessions with several organisations, and we actually surveyed them to find out what kind of topics they would want to have discussed at this I AM Conference; so it came from the youth, and we know that we have to plan the roadmap for them moving through. So we would have done several sessions over the next four days looking at things that we believe will impact them.”
She said the programme will focus heavily on entrepreneurship, business and sport.
“We are looking at opportunities for them to start businesses, to come up with business ideas for them to invest,” said Adamson. “We’re actually going to have a youth pitch tank where they’ll be pitching their ideas as it relates to a new business, and there’s going to be a competition and the opportunity for persons to win money. We also have a lot of sessions dealing with sports . . . and education.
“We just had a successful beach soccer tournament and we believe that on the heels of that, we can also talk about sports here in Barbados and how persons can get involved in sports.”
She also pointed to plans to showcase Barbados’ sporting heritage through road tennis.
“We partnered with the Hilton Hotel and we actually have a road tennis court here and we’ll actually be displaying the road tennis, this indigenous sport here at the conference, and then leaving a legacy at the Hilton for our tourists and our guests here at the Hilton to participate in this indigenous sport.
“The diverse sessions that we have and the breakout rooms that we have will surely create an opportunity for the young people to engage and to share their ideas as we move forward.”
Health, wellness and mental health are also on the agenda.
“We need to make sure that they also improve on their physical and mental space. Let’s unpack it, and we’ll be doing sessions on mental health of young people. So generally over the four days, this I AM Conference is all about youth propelling them into the future to be worthwhile adults in Barbados.”
Participants will also receive practical support to prepare for the world of work.
“We have a Dress for Success session in here as well where they actually get an opportunity to choose outfits for interviews. We tell them about interviewing. So it is our belief that we are sowing the seeds for persons to do better moving forward.”
Adamson encouraged the secondary and tertiary students, as well as other young people attending, to take full advantage of the four days.
The Minister of Youth underscored the importance of young people moving forward positively.
He said: “I want you to be totally engaged in the activities that you will get involved in over the next four days. I need for you to become a sponge. I need for you to soak up everything that you will hear from the presenters. I want you to share with your peers who didn’t make it here this morning… you are fortunate that you were selected by your school, maybe by the guidance counsellors, to be here, to be impacted with knowledge that you can use for the rest of your life.”
He also stressed that the content of the conference was shaped by feedback from young people.
“The ministry would have canvassed a number of young people in terms of the things that they want us to do, and in every single instance, we are research‑driven. We’re able to do things based on the needs and the aspirations that you embrace.”
Over the three days, participants will also engage in discussions on housing and land ownership, robotics, financial literacy, money management and investment, entrepreneurship, employment and career planning.
(LG)
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