leela_ramdeen@hotmail.com

www.rcsocialjusticett.org

Youth at the table

“It is important that everyone of the governed has a voice in the government, because it can hardly be expected that those who have no voice will not be unjustly postponed to those who have.”

—John Stuart Mill

Last week I participated in the public participation phase of the communications campaign of the Vision 2020 Planning Committee. I wish to commend those students who were present for their excellent input in the discussions.

In many countries there is a growing disconnect between citizens—particularly youth—and government. We must do more to create a society in which young people are full citizens, empowered to contribute ideas and make decisions. If we do not wish them to remain disengaged, we need to build a national movement for youth participation.

Young people, please take your place at the table. Wherever decisions are made that affect you or your communities, you must be there, ready to contribute to the discussion and take part in the decision-making process. Let your voices be heard. We can strengthen democracy and governance by involving our young people in government and public life.

We must develop an inclusive, collaborative, and effective relationship with youths built on trust between all citizens and government.

In September 2002, 19-year-old Anna Luhrmann became the youngest Member of Parliament in Germany—and in the whole of Europe. She said: “I didn’t just want to grumble, I really wanted to do something.”

Through dialogue, civic engagement, and collaborative decision-making we can strengthen our democratic problem-solving capacity, and in turn better address the problems we face as a nation. The challenge for us is to involve youths in this process in a meaningful way.

How can we build the leadership capacity of youth and the capacity of the youth-serving institutions, eg educational institutions, to integrate and sustain youth leadership? How can we promote civic involvement and ways in which youth can become involved in their communities?

Young people are often not fully utilised or appreciated for all that they can provide. CCSJ’s project in Gonzales, under the direction of Fr Jason Gordon, highlights positive features of youth participation. Fr Jason organised a football competition in Gonzales on January 2, bringing together youths from upper and lower Gonzales.

The following is an extract from Fr Jason’s progress report (see our Web site for full account):

“The success of this event led to a basketball competition with a musical event on January 30. Gonzales was on a high! Maximus Dan came to perform—calling the youths to ‘order.’ The event was organised by Keiron, a 22-year-old DJ who had a permanent job in a radio station.

“Keiron’s crew, young and courageous, organised a major event bringing well known artists into the community. They earned the respect of the community. The despair and apathy that was there two months earlier had turned into optimism. It was possible. The community could change! We did not have to live this way!

“The impact of these two events is not quantifiable. It is not the fact of the events, but rather the new possibilities that opened in the imagination of the community. An old myth of self hatred and futility was giving way to optimism. It was a fragile but important beginning. The learnt dependency that was etched into the fabric of the community over many years of wilful neglect, or mindless inappropriate expenditure, was being questioned. We can do something.”

The community called for another event. Another football match was planned for February 27. Unfortunately, this event was unsuccessful. It was followed by a village meeting on March 6 at the playing field. Fifty-four people attended—four women and 50 men. At least 45 of the men were between 19 and 35 years old. Fr Jason writes:

“It was a monumental success. The energy of that evening will remain with me for a while. We fumbled for a beginning, then someone asked about the work we were doing in the community. We voted and it was agreed that we would start with the work that was in progress. There is a simple dynamic to move a community forward—get participation, make it real and make it revolve around the real issues of the community. Most of all make sure you deliver on what ever you promise.

“We asked the community to list their main concerns. Answers were recorded on a flip chart. Twelve were listed. We grouped these in hierarchical order: crime; indiscipline of youth and lack of community integration; unemployment; disposal of garbage; reconstruction of roads and infrastructure; community centre; inadequate social activity; water.

“The stark reality of a visible list, the participation in a process that was giving voice to the community without the usual litany of woes that goes nowhere, the possibility of listing priorities for the first time all worked to gel the group into a community with a purpose and a mission.

“We took item by item and asked for solutions. We began with crime, indiscipline of the youth and lack of community integration. I shared the solution that came out of our brainstorming session of the whole community on January 22, ie to hire a social worker to work with youths—to promote community integration and socialisation of youths. They discussed the solution and voted unanimously that this was a good way forward...

“With projects like garbage disposal, sporting activity in the community, lights, roads and infrastructure, we asked for volunteers to work with the city corporation. Volunteers emerged—three/four to a team. Teams selected a leader and the group approved. After consultation with the community they will formulate a plan to present to the city corporation. Civil participation in governance has emerged.

“The men and women who took leadership roles transformed two generations of learned dependency into leadership and hope. It is early still, but the experiment in social transformation is well underway. We will have many failures. But failure is not our worst enemy. The real enemies are despair, paralysis, and dependency.

“A cause of decay in our nation is rooted here. The village structure has collapsed. It either became irrelevant to the emerging needs or it simply did not have the power to deliver on promises. The collapse of village leadership structure has left a vacuum which gangs have filled. The generational difference between the youth who turned out on March 6 and the village council is a gulf too difficult to cross.

“Because the youth found no credible leadership, they voted with their guns and opted for a different structure of authority and leadership; a different structure of participation. We the elders have failed them. We must apologise and offer leadership that involves their dreams and aspirations; leadership that is humble service pointing to development. Village by village if we can find credible leadership to facilitate participation and development, the whole society of T&T will be different in ten years.”

Pray for T&T during Holy Week.

Leela Ramdeen is Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice