(CMR)The Youth Services Unit (YSU) will hold its first-ever Youth Empowerment Symposium (YES) at the Marriott Hotel March 30- 31. The two-day event on ‘Economic & Social Empowerment’ will feature social media content creator Alyssa Chin and other well-known Caymanian panelists.
Free and open to the public, Day One, 5.30 pm – 8.00 pm, starts with a short reception, a keynote address, and an interactive panel discussion to close the night.
Day Two, 8.00 am – 3.30 pm, is a school delegates’ conference. Hosting up to 200 attendees, it will consist of morning tabletop panel discussions for Year 7-9 students and a similar afternoon session for Year 10-13 delegates.
The symposium is a concept the Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture & Heritage, the Hon. Bernie Bush, is adamant will provide a deserving platform for youth to converge and challenge.
“Our youth require a forum where they can feel empowered to talk about topics of national interest that directly affect their lives. Having advocated for this for many years due to my community's work with youth, I am very pleased that my Ministry is staging the first of what will become an annual event,” the Minister said.
“Youth are excluded from the conversation on matters that directly impact them. This symposium will go some way to creating an appropriate platform where we can address the exclusion of youth from the issues that matter to them and empowers them to speak about these issues.” Minister Bush added.
YES, 2023 will explore options to expand interpersonal/professional horizons. Some of the areas to be featured include:
● considering non-traditional career paths,
● accessing resource organizations,
● developing self-esteem and soft skills,
● entrepreneurship journeys, and
● exploring industries where Caymanian representation is limited.
The event for young adults (18 to 30 years old) and the high school students’ conference comprise the 2-day symposium and will encourage youth of all ages to explore topics of mutual interest such as financial literacy, economic empowerment, interpersonal skills, housing, and entrepreneurship.
According to the YSU, the symposium hopes to encourage youth to take an active interest and role in how the Cayman Islands is governed and what youth can do to shape the future. Young adults aged 18 years and over are encouraged especially to RSVP for the free evening event where Alyssa Chin will share her entrepreneurship story on Thursday, 30 March (5.30 pm – 8.00 pm) with other notable young Caymanian entrepreneurs.
RSVPs should be made by 25 March at: https://form.jotform.com/230714771283860.
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