NEW YORK - Irwine Clare, head of the New York-based Caribbean Immigrant Services (CIS), has urged Caribbean nationals in the United States to seek citizenship of the country. Clare, addressing last weekend's Caribbean-American Organisation of Youth Development's fundraiser in the Bronx, said that as resources become more scarce, only those with a vote would have a voice in how the limited resources were allocated. "Today is the day to go out and become a citizen, not for yourself but for your children and the protection of what you are working for here in this country. If you are sitting here with a green card and think all is well, it's not well because every day the benefits of a green card holder become less and less," he said. Meanwhile, Clare praised the Caribbean-American Organisation of Youth Development for its assistance to the region in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, noting that it had played a critical role in the relief efforts only a few months after its formation. He also encouraged the directors to get the youth involved in the programmes of the organisation. The Caribbean-American Organisation for Youth Development was founded in April 2004 by a group of Jamaicans who said they had a concern for the future and well-being of Jamaica. According to president Horace Burchell, the immediate aim of the organisation was to assist those persons in Jamaica and the Caribbean region whose lives were adversely affected by hurricanes this year. He said the organisation would encourage constructive discussions towards community development through regular workshops and cultural exchange programmes for youth leaders within and outside its membership. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com