Minister of Youth and Community Empowerment, Adrian Forde. (FP)
Last Saturday, 61 youth of varying backgrounds and abilities graduated from the 2017 September intake of the Barbados Youth Service programme.
In delivering the feature address, Minister of Youth and Community Empowerment, Adrian Forde, commended the young men and women for seeing the programme through to the end. He stated that it is a priority of his Ministry to ensure that the programme caters to the needs of young people.
“The Barbados Youth Service is a unique programme and it has been my observation that the efforts to reach all of you are great. The acceptance that our young people need that extra helping hand to guide them through the torrents of life is the bedrock for which the Barbados Youth Service stands.”
Minister Forde shared that he had a strong desire to see young persons succeed. “I am not sure if those of you seated before me are aware of my passion for young people and helping them to actualize their full potential, if not, let me reiterate it. It is this passion that makes me feel especially proud of your continued selfless giving through your various community service efforts.”
The Youth Minister also reaffirmed his Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that this programme continued to ‘be a force to be reckoned with’ as one of the leading youth development programmes in the region. He pledged that no effort would be spared in providing opportunities for the present and future intakes.
“Let me reiterate Government’s policy as it relates to empowering young people by providing the best quality of life our country can give them…. My Ministry, through its various programmatic channels continues to provide opportunities for all young people irrespective of their social economic status, to achieve their dreams and aspirations…” he said.