President of the Men’s Empowerment Network, Fabian Sargeant, has offered full support to Minister of Education Chad Blackman’s proposal requiring all secondary school students to join a community-based organisation, a move he suggested could reshape national development and influence how young people perceive citizenship.
Blackman announced on Wednesday that he will bring a paper to Cabinet seeking approval for compulsory participation in community organisations from Year 1 through to graduation. The aim, he said, is to strengthen civic values, leadership skills and a sense of service amongst Barbados’ youth.
Sargeant told Barbados TODAY the proposed national service model is long overdue.
“I think the idea of a mandatory national service is extremely important. What it does is that it bridges the gap between academics and the professional world or real life,” he said. “Our young people are existing in a space where there’s limited activity and where they’re limited in their community engagement. What these programmes do is expose them to environments where they can develop skills like leadership, teamwork, public speaking and respect.”
Sargeant, who spent his own youth in several community groups, said such experiences had a defining impact on his personal and professional development.
“I’ll tell you this: the minister of education, persons like myself, and many other people across society would have passed through youth groups and civil society organisations that helped us develop the skills we have today. Whether public speaking or otherwise, even our confidence, this type of initiative is extremely necessary, and I really support it.”
He argued that the programme also reinforces a vital principle — giving back to one’s community.
“A lot of what young people get, a lot of what we get as a Barbadian society, is paid for by the government or by taxpayers,” he said. “Sometimes it comes across as if there’s a sense of a ‘don’t care’ approach to life and even society generally. What any type of national service does, in my opinion, is improve networking and create the enabling environment for growth and development for young people outside formal academics.”
Sargeant stressed that community engagement is not restricted by a child’s school or background and can equip students with practical competencies highly valued by employers.
“In this day and age where employers are looking for competency and skill sets, getting involved in community-based activities really puts young people in positions where they develop things like budget proposals, writing, communications… the skills that are necessary for any job market,” he said.
He added that the model fosters independence and resourcefulness, recalling his own time as a parish ambassador in the early 2000s.
“It wasn’t a case where someone came and poured money into our project. We had to go into the community, build relationships with businesses and individuals, and mobilise our own funding. This national service puts young people in a position where they understand the importance of independence, finding financial resources, budgeting, and creating programmes that benefit their communities.”
Sargeant said the initiative, if implemented effectively, could ignite a new culture of service, civic pride and youth empowerment across Barbados.
(SB)
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