Her Excellency the Governor Helen Kilpatrick hosted the 2014 Youth Assembly presentation event at Government House on Thursday, 26 June, 2014. It was attended by Minister responsible for Youth, Hon. Osbourne Bodden, his Chief Officer and other senior staff, as well as employees of the Youth Services Unit, Youth Assembly participants, parents and principals.

“I’m happy to lead the effort to amplify the voice of the youth of the Cayman Islands,” said Youth Assembly President Yohann Fitzgerald, in his remarks at the event. There, Mr. Fitzgerald formally handed to Government two reports concerning issues facing young people: marijuana and alcohol misuse; and transportation needs.

The Youth Assembly, a recommendation of the CI National Youth Policy, has functioned for several years as the national representative body for the young people of Cayman Islands. It seeks to provide them with an avenue to articulate their concerns and opinions on matters affecting their communities and society.

On the subject of drugs, Youth Assembly member Miss Kaitlan DaCosta said, “We need to be helped and guided, so we can make the Cayman Islands a better place. I hope government actually looks at it and tries to make a change, especially in the high schools.”

The report highlights the negative effects caused by parents and older siblings who consume alcohol and marijuana at home, the benefits of physical activity as a deterrent, and the need for scrutiny of liquor-licenced premises.

Speaking on the inability of many young people to obtain transportation, especially to extracurricular activities, Miss Alikie Kandler said: “This really hampers youth development… the subject may seem unusual, and it was not on our original list of 30 topics, but we saw this as an important area on which to do an assessment.”

The Youth Assembly teens surveyed 300 local high school and college students – including those on Cayman Brac – with 45-percent reporting that a lack of transportation prevents them from participating in programmes.

Accepting the documents, Minister Bodden said, “It was very good to hear of your work, and it is good to now take delivery of these papers. I look forward to evaluating and working with my staff and the relevant agencies to resolve these issues.”

He noted, “We do listen, and we do make efforts to stem the tide of negative developments in our Islands. The National Drug Council’s school surveys continue to show unacceptable levels of ganja and alcohol use, and some of the stories are quite troubling…” adding, “the legalisation of marijuana is not in government’s agenda.”

Commending parents and mentors, Mr. Bodden noted that their support is very important in facilitating the Youth Assembly initiatives. Referring to a Youth Assembly paper on bullying presented last year, the Minister noted that there will be a week-long anti-bullying clinic in a few months’ time.

For all seven years of its existence, the Youth Assembly has each year conducted research and presented two reports on varied topics.

Thanking all involved, Governor Kilpatrick said, “I’ve enjoyed reading the reports from this group, and am also pleased by the support of parents and sponsors. We’re all really proud of what you’re doing.”

Photo credits: Photos by Information Officer Lennon Christian

1 Youth Assembly participants and officials at Government House.

2 Youth Flex attendees (L-R) Loshana Lopez, Jacob Scott and Tamiyah Ebanks.

3 Minister Osbourne Bodden is greeted by HE the Governor Helen Kilpatrick, Youth Services Unit rep James Myles and Youth Assembly member Jahmar Dawkins.

4 Governor Helen Kilpatrick speaks with youths and parents.

5 Minister Bodden accepts the reports from Ethan Watler and Valerie Tse-hing.