CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Programme – CARICOM https://caricom.org Caribbean Community Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:39:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 CARICOM Secretariat, IMPACS webinar focuses on ‘Youth as Agents for Change in Crime Prevention’ https://caricom.org/caricom-secretariat-impacs-webinar-focuses-on-youth-as-agents-for-change-in-crime-prevention/ Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:08:20 +0000 https://caricom.org/?p=47286 ‘Youth as Agents for Change in Crime Prevention’ will be the focus of a webinar that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) will host on Tuesday, 19 August 2025.

The webinar is being held to mark International Youth Day, which was observed on 12 August under the theme ‘Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond’.

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CARICOM Youth Ambassadors mark International Youth Day as ‘builders of the future we deserve’ https://caricom.org/caricom-youth-ambassadors-mark-international-youth-day-as-builders-of-the-future-we-deserve/ Tue, 12 Aug 2025 19:13:08 +0000 https://caricom.org/?p=47227 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.

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‘Equip, empower, enable our young people to lead’ – CARICOM Secretary-General https://caricom.org/equip-empower-enable-our-young-people-to-lead-caricom-secretary-general/ Mon, 11 Aug 2025 20:22:13 +0000 https://caricom.org/?p=47223 CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett, has called for greater investment in youth development, and for young people to be equipped, empowered and enabled to lead and be architects of a more prosperous future.

“On this International Youth Day, CARICOM calls on governments, civil society, the private sector, and development partners to deepen their investment in youth development. From every corner of the Caribbean to the global stage, our young people are the driving force of transformation and the champions of progress. They are keen to participate to develop meaningful local, national and regional policies and plans, and to implement them.

“Let us equip, empower, and enable our young people to lead, and partner with them, not only as beneficiaries of development, but as architects of a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future,” Dr. Barnett said in a message on the occasion of International Youth Day 2025, which is observed on 12 August.

Please read the Secretary-General’s message below:

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) joins the global community in marking International Youth Day 2025 under the theme Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond. This observance reaffirms the Community’s commitment to positioning youth at the heart of regional integration and sustainable development.

The vision outlined in the Declaration of Paramaribo on the Future of Youth in the Caribbean Community continues to guide our efforts: “We recognise young people as assets to the Region, whose energy, creativity, and innovation are essential to our collective progress.” In line with this vision, CARICOM is advancing policies and programmes that enable youth to act as co-creators, innovators, and leaders in shaping the Region’s future.

The CARICOM Secretariat has taken strategic action to strengthen the youth development landscape, ensuring that participation is both meaningful and transformative. A milestone achievement in this effort is the creation of the Regional Youth Development Governance Structure, designed to enhance coordination, accountability, and collaboration among stakeholders, while providing a formal platform for youth to contribute to policy and programme implementation and monitoring at the highest levels.

These efforts are reinforced by the recent comprehensive report prepared by the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme (CYAP) Corps on the enhanced role of youth in regional development. The report called for a stronger, more intentional approach to youth engagement, affirming that “youth must be seen not only as beneficiaries of development, but as partners in design, decision-making, and delivery.”

With this in mind, CARICOM continues to integrate youth leadership across strategic areas of the Community’s development agenda, including – Climate Resilience – mobilising youth to shape adaptation strategies in vulnerable island states; Economic Empowerment – expanding entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and skills training to create new pathways for employment and competitiveness; Mental Health and Well-being – rolling out the Mental Health First Aid Programme to build resilience, reduce stigma, and strengthen peer support systems; Food Security and Agriculture – fostering youth-led agribusiness and innovation to secure sustainable food systems.

These initiatives reflect the CARICOM Secretariat’s strategic priority for youth participation, empowerment, and development, recognising that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without the full and active involvement of young people.

On this International Youth Day, CARICOM calls on governments, civil society, the private sector, and development partners to deepen their investment in youth development. From every corner of the Caribbean to the global stage, our young people are the driving force of transformation and the champions of progress. They are keen to participate, to develop meaningful local, national and regional policies and plans, and to implement them.

Let us equip, empower, and enable our young people to lead, and partner with them, not only as beneficiaries of development, but as architects of a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future.

Happy International Youth Day!

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Resolve differences to effectively drive regional integration—CYA-Jamaica https://caricom.org/resolve-differences-to-effectively-drive-regional-integration-cya-jamaica/ Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:42:59 +0000 https://caricom.org/?p=46566

“We remain upbeat about the future and continue to engage different processes to ensure that changes are implemented. After all, we are ‘the now,’ and we continue to be hopeful that we can collectively bridge the divide and solve any differences so we can effectively drive regional integration.” – Odane Brooks, CARICOM Youth Ambassador (Jamaica)

Young people comprise approximately 60% of the Region’s population, underscoring their critical role in shaping the Community’s development trajectory. They are at the forefront of the Region’s challenges as well as the solutions.

This critical perspective is at the heart of a message delivered by Jamaica’s CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Odane Brooks, in the lead-up to the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government.

“The CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme continues to be an integral part of that effort to integrate the voices of young people in regional development. We anticipate that this regional meeting will see the coming together of ideas to address sustainability challenges and more substantially, a resolve and commitment from our regional leaders to take the actions necessary to effectively address the challenges,” stated Odane.

He added, “We remain upbeat about the future and continue to engage different processes to ensure that changes are implemented. After all, we are ‘the now,’ and we continue to be hopeful that we can collectively bridge the divide and solve any differences so we can effectively drive regional integration.”

Please watch Odane’s message below.

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