FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – During a graduation ceremony for Youth Leaders, graduates were told to not only prepare young people to be good employees, but also good employers and leaders. These words of encouragement were given by the guest speaker for the evening, Senator the Hon. J. Kwasi Thompson, Minister of State for Grand Bahama in the Office of the Prime Minister.

There are a number of projects about to happen on the island, he said, and one cannot wait until it happens to get prepared. “Now is the time to prepare the young people for these opportunities that lie ahead.”

The youth need to focus, he said, on planning and preparation and added that they should encourage young people to have a relationship with God, as it makes a difference.

Held at the Grand Lucayan Ballroom on Friday, March 22, the Youth Leaders Certification Programme was sponsored by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and hosted 82 graduates from Freeport and West Grand Bahama.  The group participated in the 15-week programme which was conducted on Tuesday evenings in Freeport, and Saturday mornings in Eight Mile Rock.

The programme has been designed to:

• Inform youth workers on national standards for youth work and also mandatory reporting.
• Provide formal training that provides an opportunity for training and National Certification.
• Ensure specific and measurable outputs that meet the strategic goals of the Ministry of Youth.
• Assist in bringing about a professionalization of the practice of youth development.
• Encourage people to take advantage of further studies in the practice.

By successfully completing this programme, these youth leaders became nationally certified to work with young people.