Who’s going to channel their energy?

Is there a 30-year-old Member of Parliament?  In the run up to elections, the political parties touted their need to woo the younger voter and bring them on board in the political arena. Where are those young people today? By extension, where are the young people in our civic and philanthropic organisations? Where are they in our community groups?  Why do they sometimes take a turnstile approach to our NGOs?  Why are young people under represented in the administration of even sporting organisations? Some suggest that young people are just not interested.  Maybe so, but if we don’t effectively engage our youth in participating in all aspects of our society, the generation gap will widen and the crisis of succession will loom larger. With few exceptions, the leadership roles in the private and public sectors are occupied by the 55 to 60 plus category.  One exception comes to mind, Dr Rolph Balgobin, head of the UWI IOB. 

At a different level another exception is Sheldon Daniel, VP of Communications and External Relations at bpTT.  I publicly salute them for being selected to serve at senior levels of their respective organisations despite their age “handicap.” I also salute the respective organisations for having the courage to take this step. Both were unexpected moves which should give the “30/40 ish” professional some hope that he/she just might experience the corridors of power before transition lenses and the crown of snow.  In both instances these men are eminently qualified and provide resumes that can hardly be challenged internationally. A quick glance at the business landscape and you notice that several organisations have built sound companies but they fall short on building a legacy. Think of organisations that have disappeared from the landscape — department stores, professional services or repair shops.

Once the founder passes on there is a good chance that that organisation will disappear. In the natural scheme of life, we accept that things go through birth, maturity and decline.  This progression need not occur in organisational life especially if we engage in strategic planning to address succession. A consequence of such an exercise would be to clearly identify the organisation’s succession plan and fit persons into the positions.  It would also provide an opportunity to nurture and groom young professionals to take the place of current leaders.

A fleeting look at the field of Public Relations and Corporate Communications shows that within ten years the current, high profile, competent heads will have retired. It is not obvious to me that there is a layer of 30-ish young professionals trained and ready to take the helm for future success? My observation is that Trinidad is a very age-centric society stuck in the paradigm that only people of a certain age can make a contribution.  We are however at that critical period when there is an opportunity to engage the youth in order to propel this nation forward. However the movement to an improved state will not occur unless the energy of the youth is unleashed and allowed to flourish for the greater good.

UNCHANNELLED ENERGY   

Consider for a moment, the images captured in the media at various carnival activities. These images essentially tell the story of unchannelled energy being released.  I am not suggesting for one moment that we try to stop any of these activities, or that we prevent young people from expressing themselves in their own unique styles but that we maintain a greater focus on identifying a mechanism to incorporate the voice of youth in all developmental activities so the media also captures them as fine role models.

Engagement of young people can only result in a greater commitment to nation building.  Instead what I sometimes hear is parents encouraging their children to go abroad to study and not return to TT since the country has nothing to offer.  What an inaccuracy! This country has the potential to become a developed nation but it requires the active engagement of all of our nationals especially the young.  The challenge is to find a mechanism through which to engage their hearts and minds.

It is the nature of youth to rebel and change things to suit their world view.  The responsibility of my generation is to take the time to nurture youth and provide youth with the opportunity to contribute.  This could mean taking the risk of selecting a young, highly qualified 30-year-old over an experienced 50-year-old to occupy a position of leadership.  The inescapable reality is that if we regarded Youth as an important target audience in the run up to election, we have to regard them today as equal players with the capacity to participate in moving this country forward.  Let’s give youth a chance. 
 

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt