New local youth show focuses on bullying, statutory rape

The second episode of ‘Youth Unfiltered’ – a brand new show by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security featuring a group of diverse young people discussing many social issues – was recently launched on television and social media.

It is a youth-focused show that is completely directed by young influencers and assisted by a competent team of the Ministry; even by subject minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud herself who adds her personal touch and flair to the programme.

The intention is for a new episode to be released each month with young influencers from all across the country discussing timely topics on the Ministry’s platforms to help ignite healthy discussions among youths across the country; heightening awareness of their challenges and proposing solutions, as well as offering profiles of young people who have surmounted hurdles and succeeded.

“My first thought was that every ministry should emulate this,” Young Influencer Aliyah Hassan has said. She is among the almost two dozen influencers countrywide who volunteers her time towards the programme. She especially appreciates Minister Persaud’s input and is very impressed at how she has dedicated a lot of time to it.

Hassan is also grateful to the ways in which Dr. Persaud has contributed to the personal development of the young influencers by arranging for several training sessions to help them put out a perfect show and learn about social ills and the ministry’s programs. “We saw her dedication to helping us to develop ourselves and not just to work on the programme. I’m sure she will give that same dedication and focus to young influencers as we continue on,” Hassan expressed.

Other young influencer Jeremiah Kalekyezi feels that the show is “definitely something fresh,” as there is hardly any other show that relates specifically to youths and the issues surrounding them. “Minister Vindhya has been working with us very closely to ensure the show stays targeted to our young population, even directing some of our shoots personally. She is a fun person to work with and someone I think many can look up to,” he expressed.

The young influencers would choose a topic among themselves with everyone pouring in fresh thoughts and ideas. The programme has a talent segment, one for trends among youths, and an unfiltered segment in which the youths speak their mind without a scripted conversation in place.

The most recent episode speaks to bullying and also features a short overview of statutory rape.

“As young influencers, we try to cover these topics as ‘youth like’ as possible, like down-to-earth and casual. It’s meant to be a safe space for youths to listen and share their perspectives while reaching out to the public and promoting services that the ministry offers,” other youth influencer Savitri Ramlochan, based in Berbice, commented.

“Personally for me, I think that we have achieved this goal of being as unfiltered as possible because it’s all coming from the voice of youths and that is not scripted. The minister gives us full control of our views and expressions,” Ramlochan further commented.

Youth Unfiltered is a 30-minute programme that usually airs on the ministry’s Facebook page, on E- Networks Channel One and on the National Communications Network (NCN). (Ministry of Human Services and Social Security Release)