Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 15, 2019 (SKNIS): The 2019 National Consultation on YOUth Forum, which was held at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel on Thursday, February 14, 2019, provided hundreds of young persons, as well as adults with several recommendations needed to enhance youth development.
In addressing the over 200 young persons in attendance, Senator the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, reflected on a visit to a wellness centre in Canada, noting that the value of ‘teach your young to be proud citizens so that they can lead our nation’ stood out most.
“If we are to teach our young to be proud citizens, we must lead by example. With that said, I would like to know how many of you are moved to just stop and stand at attention when you hear our national anthem playing?” asked Senator Byron-Nisbett. “The simple act of standing at attention shows your pride for country. The simple act of standing at attention shows you are proud to be a citizen, and as simple as it may sound, this act demonstrates pride, and it demonstrates that you are a proud citizen.”
She said adults need to set the example for young people and that likely will resonate and begin to further cultivate a sense of pride within them.
The act of keeping St. Kitts and Nevis clean was another recommendation put forward by Senator Byron-Nisbett, who noted that too often persons get comfortable with littering.
“If we stop and consider that this small piece of liter has a profound effect on our environment that may not affect us today but affects our children and our children’s children. What if we begin to think about the generations to come and the type of environment we would want to see for our future generations,” she said, adding that “thinking beyond our today is the sure way of developing pride in our country and even pride in self, which in turn can make you a proud citizen.”
Developing a sense of community was described as extremely important as “the simple act of community togetherness raises leaders and individuals with strong morals and values.” The senator said that these recommendations represent going back to basics.
“I decided to look at these simple things as going back to basics because these simple things are often overlooked. Let’s begin to truly feel proud once again. Let us begin to make these simple things part of our daily lives. Let us, by doing these simple things, be able to teach our young to be proud citizens so that they can lead our nation,” said Senator Byron-Nisbett.
