"Grab hold of the knowledge that is available to you today and share it in your circles."
This is the message from Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, to young Barbadians participating in a wellness workshop, hosted by Loving Arms Organisation, at the Dalkeith Methodist Church.
Addressing yesterday’s opening ceremony of the five-day seminar, Dr. Byer Suckoo said there were "other young people who need to know" and urged them to "take it back to your community and share it".
She underlined the fact that there were positive young people out there who were already making a difference; as well as those who wanted to make a difference but did not know how to go about doing it. Noting that this was the reason that organisations such as Loving Arms were having these workshops, the minister praised the venture, and exhorted groupings across Barbados to continue these kinds of activities.
Dr. Byer Suckoo declared that there could be "no national development without youth development", and lamented the fact that many young people received little or no preparation for the world of work. She expressed the hope that this type of training would be able to curb this problem, since such programmes provided guidance for the youth, a tool which she believes is important for their development.
What she wanted to see coming out of these workshops, added Dr. Byer Suckoo, was that "young people are prepared to create their own opportunities", and are able to "leave with a vision of what they can contribute to society".(