The Parliament Office officially launched its Youth Parliament which is expected to see the participation of 40 students from both private and public secondary schools across nine administrative regions.
According to a GINA/DPI report, the Youth Parliament will be held from August 6-12 under the theme “Our Generation, Our Voice to Inspire, Encourage, Impact”. The week of activities will commence on with a training seminar for the participants.
The students, majority being girls, will receive training before the August 10 sitting. The students will receive presentations from Members of Parliament (MP) and be taken on tours around the city during their stay in Georgetown for the week.
Jocette Bacchus, the Clerk of Committees, said the objective of the Youth Parliament is to ensure young people are involved in parliamentary democracy, understand the principles that underpin democracy while developing elocution skills.
The students will be debating motions on topical matters such as the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy, suicide prevention, capping of CSEC subjects and oil the oil and gas industry during the sitting.
Youth Parliament began in 2015 when Raphael Trotman served as Speaker. While the event was usually hosted in observation of Commonwealth Day, this August sitting is expected to be added to parliament’s annual calendar of activities.
