Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 01, 2021 (SKNIS): Minister responsible for Youth, the Honourable Jonel Powell, saluted the contributions of young people within St. Kitts and Nevis and highlighted their promise in the years to come at the start of November’s commemoration of Youth Month.
The sentiments were expressed in a national address on Monday, November 01, 2021. Minister Powell began by noting that the dreams of the youth can be achieved through hard work, dedication, planning, education and words of wisdom. This is reflected in this year’s theme “Youth! The Future and the Now. Youth Month 2021.”
“Young people are indeed the future. They are the future teachers; the future tradesmen and women; the future business leaders; the leaders of our land of beauty,” Minister Powell stated. “However, while they are indeed the future, it is also quite evident that they are the here and now. They constitute the majority of our workforce. They are our police, our social workers, our farmers, our bus drivers, our bakers, our chefs, our volunteers, our athletes, our cultural practitioners.”
Becoming a productive member of the workforce is important in allowing young people to pursue their dreams. However, the Minister of Youth also encouraged entrepreneurship as a viable alternative that provides an opportunity for persons to support themselves and their families.
“The self-employed landscape has become pregnant with youth entrepreneurs in all facets of business,” Honourable Powell indicated. “There is Sasha the Artist by Sasha Herbert, ProVideo Productions by Alexis St. Juste, Jay Black Photography by Jonathan Brown, Ojedi Organics by Keandre Maynard, Olive Press Bakery by Jacilda Rawlins, Mani Dotate Collection by Mikaya Collins and Rely Connect Services by Tawanna Wigley. These represent only a tiny fraction of the ingenuity and creativity of our young people.”
The Department of Youth Empowerment has a structured entrepreneurship programme that exposes young people to business training and the practical experience of running a micro-business for a day. The department also recently partnered with the youth-owned Food for Creative Souls business to facilitate media training for members of the Volunteer Corps.
Minister Powell said that the department would continue to cultivate and nurture the entrepreneurial passion that lies within the nation’s youth.
