Empowering youths to be leaders

The Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), a non-profit, civil society, charitable body, focuses its resources on empowering young people and their communities to develop programmes and or actions to address socio-economic and environmental issues.
The CYEN programme aims at addressing issues like poverty alleviation and youth employment, health and HIV/AIDS, climatic changes and global warming, impact of natural disasters/hazards, improvement in potable water, conservation and waste management and other natural resource management issues.

Viewing youth as an important and critical development resource, CYEN is dedicated to developing strategies to engage and facilitate youth participation in the development process. It provides a youth environment and development network in the region responsible for creating an appropriate space for young people to participate in the design, development, implementation and promotion of new, progressive, equitable, innovative and sustainable environmental, economic and social development policies and programmes across the wider Caribbean.
CYEN is an associate member of the International Students Movement of the United Nations (ISMUN), and is officially recognised by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD) as a member of RIOD. The network is a member organisation of the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) and an affiliate partner of the Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA). Beyond this, CYEN has a consultative relationship with the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), and is a lead agency in the execution of the annual International Coastal Cleanup that is coordinated by Ocean Conservancy.
CYEN Guyana Public Relations Officer, Ruqayyah Boyer, speaking with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine stated that the organisation has had enormous influence in the lives of young Guyanese. She pointed out that it has been formed locally, geared at empowering youths and their communities and to develop programmes and actions to address socio-economic and environmental issues.

Boyer noted that CYEN views youth as an important and critical development resource; and that the organisation is dedicated to developing strategies to engage and facilitate participation of youth in the development process.
The PRO said the organisation partners with more than twenty-nine organisations, and with more than three hundred individual members across eighteen Caribbean territories, inclusive of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St, Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago. Affiliate diaspora members reside in Bermuda, Britain, Canada and the USA.
Boyer also mentioned that since its establishment in 1992, the network has coordinated or participated in a number of activities and projects at the national, regional and international levels.
Significantly, the network has frequently sourced and financed short-term training scholarships for youths to attend leadership and other training courses. Beyond this, the network has been actively involved in advocacy, environmental education, and public awareness programmes. CYEN frequently represents the position of Caribbean youth at regional and international meetings.
“For the year 2013, the entity has hosted a career day exhibition at the University of Guyana; re-launched CYEN Guyana at the University of Guyana in March; conducted the first virtual TUNZA youth consultation on water cooperation; and in March month spearheaded the ‘Action Learning Network’ (ALN) hosted by the Volunteerism Support Platform. There was a ceremonial tree-planting exercise conducted in the Botanical Garden to commemorate International Day of Forests. CYEN celebrated Earth Hour under the theme ‘Our Earth, Our Future’ with a video production,” Boyer outlined.
Boyer added that in April, CYEN conducted a workshop on intellectual property rights and environmental creations in Guyana at the Education Lecture Theatre (ELT) of the University of Guyana and was also engaged in bird-watching activities in recognition of International Migratory Species Day.
When asked her reasons for joining the network, the reigning Miss Guyana World 2013 stated, “Due to my social interests in the environment and also apart from the issue of gender based violence (human rights), I’ve always believed that as ambassador we should be concerned about the way our environment is being threatened and issues relating to global warming. As such, I decided to enrol in this endeavour and to do my part in my capacity as Miss Universe/World Guyana to effect change wherever I see it necessary in this realm. I think that as role models we should lead by example.”
CYEN Guyana future projects, according to Boyer, will include workshops on leadership and organisational skills, importance of volunteerism, and travel collaboration and exchange with CYEN Team Suriname.
For more information on the organisation visit Caribbean Youth Environment Network – Guyana on Facebook.