CATEGORY:YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ----------------------------------- By Trevor Thwaites Inside Grenada correspondent Sunday January 14,2007 “WE WILL WORK with our youth and not against them. We will provide them with hope and opportunity, not desolation and despair.” This is among the New Year’s resolution of the Department of Youth in the Prime Minister’s Ministry. Youth Minister, Senator Emmalin Pierre, made the announcement last week during a national Television and Radio address. The minister is highly motivated from an encouraging 2006, which she said saw many positive developments. She noted that the Department will lead the way and call on members of the society to strive to become positive role models for the youngsters. Senator Pierre said that 2007 will see the further expansion of the programmes in the Department of Youth Development and called all of the stakeholders, expecially the family, church, school and community to contribute to youth development. She was high in praise for stakeholders who worked with the department during the year. It is a burning desire of the minister that young people will be empowered so that they can realize their fullest potential as individuals and as members of the society. “My dream is that the young people of the country will be able to actively participate in the process of nation building. It is my dream that they will realize that they are filled with energies that can positively transform the country”, the minister said. Reflecting on 2006, Senator Pierre indicated that a number of positive and holistic programmes were implemented as part of the government’s plans for the sustainable development of the country. They listed a Parenting Programme, the Imani Programme, the Grenada Youth Enterprise Initiative and Youth Pulse venture among the activities that were very fruitful. She said that over 250 young mothers were involved in the Parenting Programme, which provided them with an opportunity for self improvement in 13 centres across the country. The minister said that the Imani Programme has provided and will continue to provide hope for thousands of young people. “They will continue to receive an opportunity to acquire experience, skills and work etiquette.” Over 200 young men and women have been trained under the Grenada Youth Enterprise Programme in the area of Small Business Development, many of which have established small businesses in the areas of craft, hairdressing, graphic design and agriculture etc. The Minister said that under the Youth Pulse Programme, she and her staff has been visiting schools and communities and engaging the youth in discussions. “The quality of these discussions and the positive ideas shared by the nation’s young people and the support they give continues to provide me with hope for the future of our beloved nation.”