Give youth a chance, PM Kamla urges Royal Commonwealth Society

"Give Youths a Chance" was the general theme of an address given in London Thursday night by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to a venerable Commonwealth organisation.

Persad-Bissessar told the 142-year-old Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) that her government is committed to providing opportunities and amenities to youths.

She pointed to the recent establishment of a Children’s Life Fund and the granting of free laptop computers to new secondary school students.

“Financial deprivation should never be the cause of suffering of children,” the Prime Minister said at a gala dinner attended by leading Commonwealth and British public and private sector leaders.

“The less fortunate must have the same opportunities as the more fortunate,” she stressed. Persad-Bissessar noted that roughly half of the Commonwealth’s population is aged under 24.

“Youth issues in development are more relevant to the Commonwealth than to many others,” she said.

She said that in the Caribbean, “we value our youths and while we may not have the abundance of resources of more developed countries to support youth development, we have shining example of youth excellence.”

Among others, she listed sporting heroes Dwight Yorke, Brian Lara, Stephen Ames, Giselle Salandy and Hasley Crawford.

She said the RCS has an on-going role in promoting values-based living. She noted: “Only last week in my own country, the Ministry of Education and UNESCO held a workshop aimed at teaching religion in schools.”

She added: “We recognise the importance of instilling values at a young age and, in addition, the importance of children and adults appreciating the religious ideals, culture and traditions of each other.

“In this way, we celebrate and benefit from diversity, promote harmony through understanding and mutual respect through knowledge and appreciation.”

The function was one of several in which Persad-Bissessar has participated as chair-in-office of the Commonwealth during a hectic visit to the British capital.

-Ken Ali reporting from London