BASSETERRE, St Kitts — St Kitts and Nevis Youth Ambassador Sonia Boddie has been selected by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to serve as a member of its Youth Development Action Plan Technical Working Group, which has been tasked with advancing the implementation of the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP) and the CARICOM Youth Development Goals (CYDGs).
The CYDAP underscores the importance of addressing youth needs and interests, to achieve economic resilience and integration. Its overall purpose is to improve access and improve opportunities available to young people at school, in the community and as active participants in economic development at national and regional levels.
The CYDAP is anchored in the CYDGs, which outline six main policy areas and actions, to achieve minimum acceptable standards in wellbeing, empowerment and continuous engagement for young people between the ages of 10 to 29. The CYDGs are as follows:
(i) Education and economic empowerment -enhance the quality of life and livelihood opportunities for all adolescents and youth;
(ii) Protection, safety and security – enable the creation of protective environments to foster resilience and ensure adolescent and youth safety and security;
(iii) Health and wellbeing – improve the health and holistic wellbeing of adolescents and youth;
(iv) Culture, identity and citizenship -enhance the development and appreciation of Caribbean culture and identity and commitment to regional integration;
(v) Policy and institutional framework -create the policy and institutional environment and mechanisms to support effective national and regional implementation of the CYDAP;
(vi) Leadership, participation and governance- ensure and enhance youth participation at all levels of decision making, program implementation and oversight.
Boddie recently returned from Guyana where she participated in a two-day inaugural meeting of the Technical Working Group on December 2 and 3.
She noted, “I was grateful to have had the opportunity to work with some very learned professionals from across the CARICOM, including directors of youth, representatives from UWI, UNICEF and senior officials from the CARICOM Secretariat, and to lend my ideas as to how we can best shape the future for the youth of CARICOM, through the implementation of the CYDAP.”
She added, “Being a member of a Technical Working Group requires a lot of critical thinking and analysis, and hard work, so the experience has tremendously helped me to grow both personally and professionally, and I look forward to my continued work with the group, as we strive to improve and enhance the lives of CARICOM’s youth.”