Before I begin this edition of Celebration of Youth, I must apologize to my readers. The past three editions of The Anguillian were devoid of this column as I was on vacation and I did not inform my audience of my absence from Anguilla. I did, however, fully plan on having three articles written and submitted before my departure but the subjects of those articles failed to return my e-mails and phone calls. Nevertheless, I am now home and this column will resume its weekly appointment with The Anguillian.

I boarded the American Eagle flight at Wallblake Airport on September 27 at 7:30 a.m. to begin a month long journey that would take me to several countries. My first stop was Costa Rica for 10 days and then a trip to the USA to visit my family in North Carolina. Later, I was off to London, England, for two and a half weeks with a trip to Valladolid, Spain, during that time. My month long vacation was exciting and full of interesting adventures, yet my escapades around the globe do not fit within the frame of this column. However, when one travels to foreign places, it is quite obvious how different cultures can be. I was able to witness life in the third world while in Alajuela, Costa Rica. I saw the United States in its grandeur as the leader of the free world and the founder and frontrunner in capitalism and globalization. London is a Mecca of mass transportation, technology, business, and has close ties with America. Valladolid, Spain, is rich in history as it was the former capital of Spain until King Phillip II moved it to Madrid in the late 1500’s and, although it is not as rich as the USA and England, Spain is a fantastic country.

All of the aforementioned countries deal with, on a daily basis, the notion of youth development as it is vital to the enhancement and enrichment of their respective countries. Youth development is paramount in terms of a country being able to move forward economically, socially, politically and intellectually. It goes without saying that the USA, England and Spain are far more advanced countries than Costa Rica and Anguilla. Yet, people must ask themselves, before developing an inferiority complex to richer nations and cultures, what makes them so much more advanced? Investing in education of youth is the key to becoming a powerful nation. During my travels I lived in prevailing nations thriving in every way imaginable because there are great schools with extremely qualified teachers. Children also have options outside of schools to grow in other areas. In Costa Rica and Anguilla, children also have many options and there are great schools with great teachers. However, the absence of resources is the problem in developing nations. Schools are not able to create an environment conducive to learning. Sports facilities are sub standard or in many cases not usable.

In the area of sports, Anguilla is making a positive step towards providing better facilities and programs for the children. New facilities are being constructed in the areas of tennis and football. The Social Security Bboard has been funding and preparing to resurface basketball courts around the island as well as tennis courts. Louis Price is building and developing a recreational centre which will give way to many different sports and activities under one roof. Things are moving forward in Anguilla, yet I continue to encourage and challenge the Government and local and international businesses to continue supporting youth initiatives now more than ever. It is obvious that there is a great deal of momentum and concentration on the youth. Let’s not lose it!

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