“This initiative was developed to strengthen youth participation and empowerment in regional development, a CARICOM Strategic Plan priority. We worked diligently to build a meaningful, impactful Programme that goes beyond workshops and policy papers. This Programme is about people. It’s about you, young professionals with fresh ideas, strong voices, and a deep commitment to the Caribbean. We need to embed your perspectives into the heart of our integration process.”
Beverly Harry-Emmanuel, Adviser for Social Development at CARICOM Secretariat
The opinions of young people in the Region are crucial to advancing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), according to Ms. Beverly Harry-Emmanuel, Adviser for Social Development at the CARICOM Secretariat. She made this announcement on Monday, 2 June, at the Secretariat’s headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana, during the launch of the CARICOM Young Professionals Programme (CYPP).
The programme seeks to equip Caribbean young professionals with the skills to raise awareness among their peers and colleagues about the importance of young people’s involvement in the CSME. Over the next five days, they will engage in activities designed to enhance their knowledge of navigating CSME and be fully immersed in knowledge sharing with technical officers of the Secretariat on CSME implementation.
Ms Harry-Emmanuel explained that the CYPP is the product of careful planning and collaboration under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF): “Strengthening Framework for the CARICOM Integration and Cooperation Process” Programme.
She stated, “This initiative was developed to strengthen youth participation and empowerment in regional development, a CARICOM Strategic Plan priority. We worked diligently to build a meaningful, impactful Programme that goes beyond workshops and policy papers. This Programme is about people. It’s about you, young professionals with fresh ideas, strong voices, and a deep commitment to the Caribbean. We need to embed your perspectives into the heart of our integration process.”
Please read her complete remarks below.
It is such a pleasure to be a part of this official launch of the CARICOM Young Professional Programme (CYPP). I want to begin by offering congratulations. You were chosen not just because you are intelligent or capable, but because your respective countries believe in your potential to help shape the future of our region.
We invited every CARICOM Member State to nominate two outstanding candidates, and I’m happy to report that 13 of our 15 Member States responded with enthusiasm. The result is this exceptional group we have here today, a vibrant, diverse collection of young minds ready to take on some of the region’s most pressing challenges.
The CARICOM Young Professional Programme is the product of careful planning and collaboration under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Strengthening Framework for the CARICOM Integration and Cooperation Process Programme. This initiative was developed to strengthen youth participation and empowerment in regional development, a CARICOM Strategic Plan priority. We worked diligently to build a meaningful, impactful Programme that goes beyond workshops and policy papers. This Programme is about people. It’s about you, young professionals with fresh ideas, strong voices, and a deep commitment to the Caribbean. We need to embed your perspectives into the heart of our integration process.
Throughout this programme, you will deepen your understanding of the CSME, gain valuable skills in regional policy engagement, and work collaboratively on practical solutions to integration challenges. Importantly, the CARICOM Young Professional Programme also lays the foundation for the establishment of a CARICOM Young Professional Network, a space for continued collaboration, mentorship, and regional dialogue beyond the life of the programme. However, the impact of the curriculum will be exponentially enhanced through curious minds that are open to learning, flexible, exploring new ideas, asking questions, seeking new perspectives, paying attention even to those perspectives with which you disagree and being willing to shift gears.
Saying yes to being a part of this programme comes with high expectations. You are encouraged to continue to develop the attributes that would have brought you here this afternoon. Be resilient; the road to achievement is rarely smooth sailing. As you go through the curriculum remember that success does not come without determination, stay the course. We are counting on you to remain committed and focused. The success of this programme depends on your sustained effort.
Each of you must be highly regarded to have been nominated for this programme, an important consideration would have been your Integrity. Integrity is elemental to sustained professional growth. In fact, the success of this programme is dependent not only on your completion of the curriculum and the knowledge that you will gain about the CSME and its importance to regional integration, but on your success as advocates and champions of the regional integration movement. Your degree of success will depend on the level of trust you engender from those with whom you interact, and trust is heavily dependent on honesty, transparency and consistency in actions, doing what is right even when no one is watching, or no one else but you will know.
Young Professionals, I am sure that you are aware of the emerging global geopolitical revolutions, the increasingly precarious social and economic conditions and the catastrophic impact of climate change which all have disproportionally severe implications for the most vulnerable countries of the world, including the fragile, developing economies of our Caribbean region. These realities create greater and greater expectations and demands for real results at a faster pace. In such an environment, one of the most important yet elusive goals for professionals who are committed to making a difference is the achievement and maintenance of a healthy work/life balance, which is important for many reasons. Please remember that sustainable success comes from taking care of mental, emotional, and physical well-being. So, prioritize rest, set boundaries, and engage in activities that recharge you, so that your best selves turn up every day. Self-care is a good thing. Embrace it.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we launch this initiative, let us reaffirm our commitment to creating pathways for youth inclusion, leadership, and innovation. Together, we are building a movement, a new generation of regional champions who will help shape the future of CARICOM. Young Professionals, thank you for saying yes to this opportunity to be significant actors in the regional integration movement. Best wishes to each of you. Thank you.
