A Government Minister is calling for seniors to mentor the nation’s youth in sports and in other areas of life.

Speaking at the Eighth National Senior Games, last weekend, Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, urged the seniors who were participating in the Games, as well as those observing, to mentor younger persons; since it would “facilitate the building of healthy communities and an active, productive nation…

“You are the indisputable evidence. Teach them about interpersonal relationships, about managing their budgets and households. Many of our seniors know how to manage a household on next to nothing; a skill that we probably need to learn again in today’s climate,” she remarked.

The Minister added: “Not necessarily in a lecture, but by sharing your own experiences, and show them the role that God and your faith have played in your life.  Let your life be an example to the younger ones; not only about how you live now, but the experiences you have had.”

Dr. Byer Suckoo noted that the seniors might be wary about adopting the mentorship idea, but stressed that many young people wanted to hear such information, since it would prove beneficial to them.

Minister Byer Suckoo also revealed that her Ministry, in recognising the wealth of knowledge and experiences of the ageing population, would be “leveraging
their collective experience” as it sought to establish a sports sector that would “not only be economically productive, but socially productive as well”.

emcclean@barbados.gov.bb

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