SNYA members urged to be innovative to ensure continuity of programme in new normal |16 July 2021
CEO Belmont and some office bearers
Members of the Seychelles National Youth Assembly are being urged to take ownership of the youth programme, to be innovative and to come up with new initiatives to ensure continuity of the programme in the new normal.
The 17th cohort of the Seychelles National Youth Assembly (SNYA) inducted in June last year, met for the first time this year in a virtual meeting on July 10.
The long-awaited meeting saw the active involvement of 27 of the 35 members. Inner island representatives were also in attendance.
Addressing the youth representatives during the meeting, SNYC chief executive Penny Belmont informed them that their mandate as the 17th cohort will be extended as most sittings and other scheduled activities were cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
Ms Belmont called on the members to reflect on their responsibilities and what they want to achieve as young leaders. She also urged them to display positive values and behaviour at all times.
Marcus Mederic, an inspirational guest speaker, encouraged the young representatives even further and made a presentation centred on leadership. He stated that the members should see the opportunity to form part of the SNYA as a privilege.
Mr Mederic drew his inspiration from several leaders namely Mohamed Ali, Nelson Mandela and John F. Kennedy.
The SNYA members were encouraged to prepare their personal toolkit, invest in it for self-transformation and to adopt new approaches on the way they do things.
The young assembly members were also asked to reflect on which of three groups they want to belong to ‒ people who make things happen, people who watch things happen or people who wonder what happened.
Simon Barra, director of SNYC’s youth engagement section, provided details on new operational modalities and functions of the section. Effective this year, the section’s new mandate is to act as a facilitator, rather than the one responsible to carry out programmes and activities at district level. Its mission is to engage the youth and promote participation based on their interest.
The section will be also providing support towards the development of youth groups at district level.
Mr Barra said the youth engagement section will be working in close collaboration with the SNYA so as to ensure development of youth groups at community level. He emphasised that all youths can count on the support and commitment of the SNYC. He also called on them to come together to make a difference in the country.
Contributed by the SNYC
