(CMR) Shantelle Young (23) and Tayvis Walters (22) were officially appointed this morning as National CARICOM Youth Ambassadors – after a pinning ceremony this morning at 11:00 am with Julianna O'Connor-Connolly and her Chief Officer.
The two young people will be representing Cayman for the next two years at CARICOM events and collaborate with other jurisdictions on issues affecting young people in the Caribbean region. As part of their appointment they will receive training as well.
Walters is an IT specialist with IT consulting firm MCS Cayman Islands and Young works as a corporate administrative assistant at Dart. Walters shared that his love for education and IT will be his focal point noting that:
“Being in the technology field, I hope to reach out to the youth to provide basic computer training services,” Not all youth are able to use a computer as well as we are as professionals, so providing basic coursing – typing, website design, software development – for the youth.”
As for her part, Young aid she wants to promote youth empowerment and mental health awareness.
Youth Services acting head James Myles highlighted the opportunities that they will have as ambassadors:
“This ambassadorship is almost like another rite of passage for our young people,”
Myles said he and now-Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers were youth ambassadors to the Commonwealth in 1999. They went to South Africa, where the focus was on developing national youth policies throughout the Commonwealth. A year later, the Department of Youth and Sports was formed – as called for in Cayman’s own national youth policy, according to Myles.
The CARICOM youth ambassadors programme was formed in 2002. Previous youth ambassadors include Christopher Goddard and Tricia Cacho from 2002-2004, Mason Chisholm and Nicosia Lawson from 2005-2007, Carla Martin from 2008-2012, James Geary and Takiyah Smith from 2012-2017, and Andrel Harris and Camille Angel from 2017-2019.
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