The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is charting bold new territory in youth engagement with transformative strategies to empower the next generation of Caribbean leaders. During a visit to the CARIFESTA XV Youth Village on Monday 25 August, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett reaffirmed the Community’s commitment to placing young voices at the heart of regional development.
With the theme “Caribbean Roots. Global Excellence. Future-Ready Youth,” the Youth Village, spearheaded by Barbadian youth leader Ashley Lashley, is a hub for dialogue, innovation, and youth-led action. From spirited panels to collaborative workshops, the Village is a celebration of youth potential and a recognition of the importance of youth inclusion.
During her conversation with a group of youth leaders participating in the Youth Village, Dr Barnett emphasised the importance of expanding outreach and creating meaningful spaces for youth to shape the future of the Community. She stated that youth currently engage the Leaders in a formal way, but the format is going to be revised. “In 2022, [CARICOM Heads of Government] had a conversation about that process and agreed that we needed to broaden the interrelationship between young people and the Community.”
“It cannot be centred only on that 10 to 15 minute conversation once a year between the youth ambassadors and the Heads of Government. So we’ve been working through our Youth Desk to see how we can more effectively establish a process for communication, for meeting young people.”
She added, “There’s a lot of interest, a lot of outreach happening to see how we can ensure the conversation with young people becomes broader, more inclusive, rather than centred only on that activity.”
The Secretary-General explained that the Secretariat has been consistently capturing contact information from organised groups focused on young people so that their ideas and input can be included in conversations about the Community.
“One of the areas in which we’re seeing more and more young people not only interested, but becoming organised is the area of youth and environment,” stated the Secretary-General. “[Additional areas include] youth and climate change, youth and sustainable development and there are different groups, different organisational groups across the Region that have had good conversation, good participation. For example, the COP (United Nations Climate Change Conference) meetings and the climate change negotiations. So it’s really about conversation.”
Some of the groundbreaking initiatives the CARICOM Secretariat is currently implementing to support youth include
- The CARICOM Young Professionals Programme: cultivating leadership and career development across sectors.
- The CARICOM Youth Mental Health First Aid Programme: promoting wellness and resilience among Caribbean youth.
Dr Barnett underscored that as CARICOM continues to evolve, its vision is clear: a Region where young people are not just the future, they are the present, shaping policy, driving innovation, and building a stronger, more united Caribbean.
She shares further insight on CARICOM’s approaches for youth involvement below.
