“Never underestimate your ability to create your dream”

May 28, 2017 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

Many decades ago, among several festivals and observances on the national calendar was National Youth Week. It was a time to inspire our youth, celebrate their achievements and literally lay the pathways for them to walk towards

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes

successful careers in technical/vocational fields, the Arts, Law, Teaching, nursing and midwifery, and so much more.
In fact, a long time ago, about 20 years or so, Guyana’s registered nurses and midwives, our teachers, carpenters, masons, mechanics and engineers (the skill list is long) were so highly sought after by many countries all over the world, that some began to call Guyana “The Professional Holding Bay”. We lost so much of our productive workforce – people who had received top shelf training here in this country – that the term ‘brain drain’ became a precursor to pain.
So, Youth Week was recently back on the national calendar. The AFC will stand at the forefront of any programme that prepares our young people for the world they will encounter, and it is our responsibility to pave that pathway for them. In this Guyana’s 51st year as an independent nation, it was no coincidence that Youth Week activities were placed smack at the centre of Independence observances. In fact, youths took centre stage over the past week, and happily participated in their Youth and Health Expo – the first time they ever heard of it.
Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, with her exuberance for youth development, delivered remarks at the opening of the Expo at D’Urban Park.
Here is an abridgement of her remarks:-
“Youth Fair and Exposition and Healthy Air, Good Morning. It is wonderful indeed to be here with you. Shout out to all you beautiful young people … Guyana needs each and every one of you.
Today is another glorious day to give thanks ’cause it’s my birthday. What a beautiful way to start it … with you.
When I was growing up, a day off from school was a celebration. It still is, I see, but I look back on similar events and opportunities like Career Fairs and other youth-centric activities during Youth Week, and I remember it was events like these that made me start to think, “What do I want to do with my life?” “What do I like to do?” How can I turn what I like to do into a career, an opportunity to earn money, to further my education to University maybe, or to a technical school to learn a skill, to help look after my family, or best of all, to start my own business? This was it; this was what sent me along the path I took.
Let’s look at where we are. Today you could have been a child waking up in Syria to begin a new search for food amongst the rubble that used to be your neighbourhood, your home … or you could have been in Manchester at that Ariana Grande concert and may now be facing the loss of a family member or close friends.
Why am I reminding you of these unpalatable things on this glorious day? It’s because you woke up this morning alive and well in this beautiful country called Guyana with endless opportunities spread around your feet in this resource-full nation. However you look at it, it will all come down to YOU. Only you could take advantage of the opportunities you have. So my questions for you are, “Are you taking advantage of the opportunities to learn new things, develop new skills?” “Are you preparing to be the best that you could possibly be, whatever that is?”
I want to remind you all that we are living in exciting times. When I was in school we had no Google to do our research. I had to join the library and sit in a quiet room and search though hundreds of pages, writing notes, trying hard not to fall asleep. Today you can click-click on your phone and have a world of every kind of information right there. The question is: are you putting it to good use?
So here we are, a long way from slates and slate pencils (actually you’re too young to know anything about that). In the last decade we moved from desktop computer with a mouse, to touch-screen iPads, Notebooks and smart phones; from face-to-face interaction to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Now the world opens up a slew of opportunities that are available to you. You see, today’s technologies allow you the same advantages, the same resources as any student your age in New York, Sweden, Kenya, in Trinidad or Barbados.
You now have the tools to create your own future, your own business right here in Guyana, and to sell your products to any market anywhere in the world. Guyanese farmers are now selling fruits and vegetables everyday to hotels in the Caribbean. They are exporting fish and shrimp to Miami (actually a few days ago I saw a box of shrimp labeled: “Wild-caught from Guyana” in a Florida market).
A friend of mine living and farming in the Pomeroon, is bottling and packaging over 3,000 bottles of fresh Guyanese coconut water per day and exporting it, and her market is asking for more but she is unable deliver. She has an option of pooling resources with other coconut farmers along the river to meet that growing demand from Aruba, Trinidad, St. Maarten and other countries and cruise ships.
Then there’s that young lady in the Essequibo making good money exporting tamarind balls. She has a Facebook page and that’s where the orders come in. These are the opportunities I’m talking about.
I want you to remind you of all the gifts that have been given to you, and to ask, “What will you do with them?” I’m talking about independence of thought; the importance of “old fashioned” concepts like Honesty, Integrity, Respect, Discipline and Care for those who have less than you. These important values you have received freely.
American Jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes once said many moons ago, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies inside us”. So, please, never doubt your ability to shape your own lives and to be the best that you could be. You will be confident, strong and self-assured, but always remember, “To whom much is given, much is expected”. To achieve you have to reach way beyond the conditions around you.
So I say your attitude most definitely determines your altitude! Your character will determine how many good persons extend a hand to guide you. The famous Nelson Mandela once said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”
I cannot close without urging you all to learn everything you could about Information Communication Technologies. This field already has doors open for you in the world of work. If you’re technically inclined, learn how to fix and assemble laptops, iPads and cell phones. Study computer engineering and the world will be your oyster. If you’re a creator you will find a lot of work in the computer software industry – in programming, developing apps or creating children’s learning tools and games … and you will have the means to establish your own businesses.
Find what you love to do; never underestimate your ability to achieve your dreams; maintain strength of character, honesty, integrity and perseverance. As you continue to grow and learn I wish you great success. May your own dreams be your only boundaries.