Promote sport as an economic vehicle – Caricom youth ambassador

Dean of Caricom Youth Ambassador Corps, Kerry Frank said that the time has come for the Caribbean region to benefit in economic terms from the promotion of sport.

Frank stated that many youth have excelled in various athletics including track and field and cricket, naming Veronica Campbell-Brown and Usain Bolt as forces to be reckoned with, providing much-needed recognition for the Caribbean region.

“It is time we move to benefit more in economic terms from these successes and develop the human capital to face the modern challenges of our world.” However, Frank noted that global challenges are severely hampering the prospects of future generations and work plans of regional governments.

Unemployment remains rife among youth throughout the community who hold out great expectations of policy leaders to find solutions to problems which they suffer but have played minimal role in creating in the first place.

“We all know the needs and desires of our youths; sustainable employment, training, improved access to education, a sense of security and access to quality health services are some of the basic desires. We don’t expect immediate solutions to all these things that affect us,” Frank said.

The youth ambassador noted that the region must be in a position to create a strategy that would guide the actions of Caricom as it relates to youth empowerment.

Frank said that youths also have a role to play in the formulation of policies which affect them. He noted that their involvement in forums such as Pan-American Partnership on HIV/AIDS (PANCAP), the Caribbean Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) and the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) has served to develop the capacity of youth representatives and allow the Caricom Youth Ambassador Corps to make valid input in a number of initiatives.

“The olive branch extended must not be limited to the aforementioned areas of the community but must look to include other areas that fall under the scope of the community. One such area I would suggest is that of representation at the conference of heads of government. Under the current arrangement, heads meet twice per year but never on those delegations do we see youth represented,” the head of the Youth Ambassador Corps said.

He called for more youth representatives on delegations at meetings of concern to young people. He pointed out that youth, culture and sport have one common denominator since youth have excelled in every area of sport, arts, and culture.

Frank stressed that in addition to sportsmen and women in the region, there is a long list of icons in the cultural and art fields who have also brought recognition to the Caribbean youth.

“We have proven as a region that we can compete with the best in the world and have gone much further at dominating specific fields,” Frank said. He stated that the region must improve in a meaningful and positive way since youth are the backbone of evolving, creative, cultural industries.

Frank remarked that youth remain an important partner in realising the potential of the sector and policies must be implemented to benefit the members of the largest constituency. The youth ambassador disclosed that the corps has been encouraged by the strong commitment made by the secretary general and Caribbean heads of states towards the development of youth and sport.

Recently, Culture, Youths and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said that youth must be treated as invaluable resources and important partners in national and regional development, while highlighting the importance of youth participation in society.

Minister Anthony called for a revitalised commitment to the Caricom Youth Ambassador Programme to ensure that it realises its fullest potential in developing a cadre of youth leaders, committed to regionalism.

The youth ambassadors are the community’s focal points for deepening the regional integration and development process through advocacy and peer education initiatives.

However, recently the sustainability of the programme has been severely threatened because of lack of financial resources. The youth and sport minister pointed out that the development of a regional sports tourism strategy is critical since it can aid in the income generating efforts of member countries. Minister Anthony also lauded the Surinamese government for proposing the establishment of a Regional Sports Academy.