Constitution Day viewed by our young readers |17 June 2022
Aden Grandcourt, 16 years old
This year’s theme for Constitution Day is ‘Fundamental Rights and Responsibilities’. We asked our readers what are their thoughts about Constitution Day: What is Constitution Day for you? As a youth, do you feel like you know the importance of your Constitution? What is your wish for Constitution Day?
Chloé Charles, 18 years old
“For me, Constitution is a country’s rule book. It sets out the principles by which the state is governed. Constitution Day is a celebration of what makes us a civil and structured society. As a youth, I do not know the importance of the Constitution but I wish I did. My wish is for there to be more importance placed on educating children about the Constitution, especially in private schools, where more focus is placed on European curricula.”
Aden Grandcourt, 16 years old
“Constitution Day is a day to celebrate the true beginning of Seychelles as an independent republic free from colonial rule as well as a day to commemorate the journey it took for the nation to become independent and the many sacrifices made in the process.
Personally, I understand the importance of the constitution in the sense that it allowed Seychelles to become an independent nation with its own rules about how to govern itself. However, I wish that schools could stress on its importance, such as the rights the Constitution guarantees for all Seychellois citizens which I feel are not widely known by the public.”
Kaëla Eden, Radio presenter and digital artist
“I guess Constitution Day is a day to understand Seychelles, its values, its laws and who we are as a people. It defines us. The Constitution is about our rights. I’m 26 years old and I don’t even know our Constitution, let alone the importance of it. My wish is to see education around the Constitution and to raise more awareness on its significance in our daily lives because people in Seychelles don’t know what it is and probably don’t abide by it at times and it’s been abused.”
Bion Maria, 17 years old
“For me, Constitution Day is a day to celebrate as well as reflect on the nation’s previous political states. It’s a time to remember the changes Seychelles has introduced to reach our current level of development. As a youth, I am not very familiar with our Constitution but I think I understand that without it, several crises would arise. There would be no structure to our society. My wish is that more emphasis is placed on educating the youth about its importance however possible, e.g. organising talks/presentations at schools or elsewhere so that all members of the public have access to them.”
Amanie Arnephy, 17 years old
“Personally, I believe Constitution Day is a day of choice whereby the people of Seychelles were finally given the opportunity to influence the decisions made for our country and the direction we, as the people, wish our country to go in. As a youth, I believe the importance of Constitution Day is not as well known to me as it could be. I believe that educating us youth about the significance of the Constitution and the influence it has on developing our country could aid our acknowledgement and appreciation for it. That is my wish for Constitution Day.”
Leah Malbrook, 16 years old
“For me, Constitution Day means the day our Constitution was created. I don’t know the importance of our Constitution, but I do wish I did, especially as a youth, because we are the future. The next generation should know the basics of the law and the way things work in general in their country. My wish is to raise awareness about our Constitution through the media and in schools, as it is definitely lacking.”
Compiled by Alicia Bonnelame
