“Today, as we mark International Youth Day 2025, we do so not as bystanders to history, but as builders of the future we deserve.” – Ms. Shakiah Lewis, Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors
In a message to mark International Youth Day today, Ms. Shakiah Lewis, Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Corps, said young people are ready to contribute to their development.
“We are not just asking to be heard; we are using our voices to educate, agitate, and activate”, Ms. Lewis said, adding that youth are celebrating the day not as bystanders, but as builders of the future they deserve.
Please read her message below:
“Happy International Youth Day 2025!
Today, as we gather under the powerful theme ‘Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond’, I am filled with both pride and purpose. With vigour and vision, I am elated to not only stand as a representative of the Region’s youth but as a torchbearer of hope, innovation, and transformative leadership.
We often hear about the Sustainable Development Goals—these 17 ambitious targets for a better world. Yet, to achieve them, young people must be placed at the forefront of policy and programme development and implementation. We must recognise that the power to achieve these goals lies in our shared contributions and commitments. As we strive for a world that embraces inclusion, equality, and healthy living, we cannot overlook or diminish the invaluable role and contributions of our youth.
The SDGs are not distant ideals—they are daily realities. As CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, we have endeavoured to take up the mantle to play our part. As such, our purposeful and dynamic journey toward achieving the SDGs has also led to the involvement of our CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, who have taken to the international stage to speak on the demand for unity and partnerships. Their words reinforce the call for something radically different.
Similarly, as we seek to further contribute to the achievement of SDGs 11 and 13, we work not only for the present but also for the future. With this, some of our CARICOM Youth Ambassadors are actively involved in raising awareness and understanding among other youth about the impact of climate change on human lives. They have also implemented projects aimed at climate adaptation and mitigation. For example, CYAs from Antigua and Barbuda have actively engaged in mitigating biodiversity loss and improving coastal resilience through their country’s Wetland Assessment and Management Project.
Other CYAs have participated in regional symposiums, forums, conferences, and summits to make our voices heard and echo the voices of those who are affected. Today, we stand as exemplars for our fellow youth, advocating for climate justice, social inclusion, greater opportunities, and, most of all, an equal place at the table. I reiterate that young people are not waiting to be invited to the table; instead, we stand to contribute to our own development. We are not just asking to be heard; we are using our voices to educate, agitate, and activate.
The CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme has long stood as a cornerstone of youth empowerment and regional development. In 2010, at the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community’s meeting in Paramaribo, Suriname, they affirmed the Declaration of Paramaribo on the future of youth in the Caribbean. Therein, it declared that they are committed to recognising and providing incentives for outstanding youth talent, volunteerism and activism. They further endorsed their full support, recognised and clearly articulated the role of the youth in Caribbean development.. Through these momentous declarations, youth ambassadors and youth from around the Region will continue working together, sitting at the same tables, and using their voices to clear a path for future generations to come. This is the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Corps, the youth of the now, and this is US!
Today, as we mark International Youth Day 2025, we do so not as bystanders to history, but as builders of the future we deserve. The 2025–2026 CARICOM Youth Ambassador corps is on the ground—listening, mobilising, and acting. We are fighting for climate justice in our vulnerable island states, creating spaces where every young voice is heard in decision-making, igniting innovation through digital skills, and protecting the culture that makes us uniquely Caribbean. Our programmes are not just policies on paper—they are mentorship sessions in classrooms, clean-up drives on beaches, youth dialogues in community halls, and bold advocacy in national forums such as the Heads of Government meetings. We believe that Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond is more than a theme—it is our way of life. From our islands to the world, we are the pulse of change, the tide of progress, and the proof that Caribbean youth will lead the charge for the SDGs… and beyond.“
