CARICOM Youth Ambassadors go Socially Conscious for Caribbean Youth Day

Tarun Butcher

Today is recognized within the region as Caribbean Youth Day. CARICOM Youth Ambassadors across the member states have embarked on socially conscious activities to motivate youths to become proactive and take on leadership roles within their respective societies. The activities are being celebrated under the theme Embracing Technology To Promote Innovative and Sustainably Conscious Caribbean Youths. CARICOM Youth Ambassador to Belize, Tarun Butcher, told the media today about the number of activities planned for Belizean youths.

Tarun Butcher, CARICOM Youth Ambassador to Belize

“It is a day set aside throughout the Caribbean to celebrate the innovation of youth. The CARICOM Youth Ambassadors have launched the profit planner under our theme, “Embracing Technology To Promote Innovative and Sustainably Conscious Caribbean Youths.” We realize that there is no doubt that technology and social media have become a driving force in young people’s lives and we are encouraging them to take advantage of it, and to do everything they can to use it as a tool, as a leverage, to do what they can with social media and technology to enhance their development and to develop for future generation. We have launched the profit planner which is a free online twenty-one-day course for young entrepreneurs—whether they have started a business, just looking for more information on how to start a business. Like I said it is free. For more information, they can go to www.theprofitplanner.com and they can sign up. They have from now to October fifteen when the actual courses begin. We are also reaching out to our young to get involved in their communities, to be proactive; go into the district offices and see what they can do to help formulate programs that will help with their development. We are also asking stakeholders in the communities to identify young people who they believe are dynamic and have developed and help development in their communities to go on to our website at the Department of Youth Services or to pick up a form and nominate these young people so that this year they can be awarded and recognized during national youth week which is November fifth through eighth, and can be rewarded at our national youth awards. I cannot conclude this interview without saluting the young Belizean hero, Special Constable, Daniel Conorquie, who died in the line of duty. I commend his bravery and his heroism and for me, he is a proven example that there is no age restriction to being a patriot.”

According to Butcher, 2014 Youth week is set for November fifth to the eighth under the theme “We Desire Leaders: Become the Change Belize Needs.”