18th cohort of Youth Assembly inaugurated   |24 April 2023

The young honourables taking their oath

Seven sittings planned during the one-year mandate

By Patsy Canaya

The Seychelles National Youth Assembly has resumed its work after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19.

The assembly’ 18th cohort was inaugurated on Saturday in a ceremony at the Eden Bleu Hotel, and took their Oath of Allegiance in the presence of Vice-President Ahmed Afif, National Assembly Speaker Roger Mancienne and First Lady Linda Ramkalawan, their parents, as well as youth representatives and other dignitaries.

The 24-member team is led by 14-year-old Said Lesperance from Praslin secondary as speaker.

In his address, Said started by quoting the first four lines from the Preamble of Seychelles’ Constitution to highlight the important task ahead of them and welcomed his colleagues whom he described as “unique and dynamic members” – unique for being unanimously elected by students from their respective institution, instead of nominated like previous cohorts.

A confident and proud Said added that the team was a special one because the members were coming together in the aftermath of Covid-19, which has left the world and Seychelles with “endless lessons to be learnt”, and the youths had not been spared from the pandemic.

Stressing on the various global challenges in a fast-developing world and the fragility of Seychelles, he urged the Seychelles National Youth Assembly to “keep your ears to the ground and your eyes peeled”.

“Listen attentively to the voice of the youths in your respective school, institution, and community. Be observant and informed of pressing issues arising in your immediate surrounding environment, bring them around the table for discussion. File significant motions that will have a positive impact on the youth community and inspire policy makers to adjust the existing policies if the needs arise.”

When speaking to the local media, Said stated because he was wearing two hats – as speaker and the elected member for Praslin secondary – he will share the sessions with his vice-chairperson, so that he can have time to put forth the issues from his school.

“On Praslin we have a lot of issues and one is the expenses borne by some parents, when we have to go on field trips. Mahé students have it cheap, but we find ourselves forking it out of our pockets, and since those trips are costly, some parents cannot afford it, meaning students miss out,” he explained.

For Greasy Esparon, who was elected by 91 of her peers among five candidates, she opted to submit her candidacy because she felt she was the ideal, exemplary person who would be able to voice out the various concerns from the school as well as externally, and ensure a speedy solution to all the issues. Greasy said she would consult her colleagues at the school to ensure they carry the strongest motions forward to the assembly.

“Presently, bullying is an issue and we do not have sporting facilities for physical education meaning students have to leave the school premises to use facilities outside, which is not feasible for us. Not only  it is not safe but students are not at ease to be working out in public,” she stated.

The elected member for the Seychelles Institute of Arts and Design (SIAD), Steffie Zoe, said as a new member of the youth assembly she would be pushing for the construction of their new school.

“We are yet to discuss other issues but right now our priority and what the students want is for us to have our own school, so this will be on top of my agenda,” she said.

When addressing the new honourables, the chief executive of the Seychelles National Youth Council, Albert Duncan, said that young people are considered the heart and body of Seychelles and could not therefore be sidelined in key decision-making processes. 

“With the first elected Youth Assembly we make a commitment that your voice will be heard in all matters concerning youth,” he said, appealing to them to identify the country’s most pressing needs and come up with innovative ways to address them.

He also urged them to seize this opportunity to bond and network. “Take your time to sit down and bond with someone you normally wouldn’t interact with. Make the most of these personal encounters and then you will find that 20 years from now, these are lessons that will have shaped you, friendships that will build you and networks that may one day help further your academic and professional career,” added Mr Duncan.

Citing the democratic process in the way the young honourables were elected to raise the assembly’s standard, and thanking the young candidates who put themselves “in the limelight and lobby for what they believe in”, Mr Duncan continued by calling on government, NGOs and other stakeholders to continuously support the youths. 

“Only through meaningful involvement and participation can young people exercise their full citizenship. And only through meaningful dialogue across generations can we all contribute to finding solutions to

the challenges we face,” he said.

He concluded by wishing them ‘#pozitivetetoulezour’, in line with SNYC’s 25th year anniversary slogan, which he said was appropriate for their journey.

Vice President Afif also had some words of encouragement for the young honourables, saying he was proud to see the young people who are so brave and ready to speak on behalf of their peers.

The assembly’s coordinator, Janetta Ali, said the first sitting will start in May, soon after a training and during their one-year mandate, the new honourables will have seven sittings, which will take place every six weeks. 

Mrs Ali explained that this time around they will have a new system to ensure the motions passed are dealt with swiftly.

“A lot of motions approved by the youth assembly have been implemented in the past but we expect that this year, with a cohort that has been elected, things will be better and faster because we are working on a system where the motions passed will be taken before cabinet for speedy feedback. In the past they were being sent directly to the ministries concerned,” said Mrs Ali.

At Saturday’s ceremony, each of the honourables was presented with a badge that will give them access to the facilities within the youth service bureau and other institutions, to facilitate their work in the Youth Assembly.

Patsy Canaya

Photos by Joena Meme