TCI’s Education Minister delivers keynote speech to Cayman youths

The Hon Rachel M. Taylor recently delivered the keynote address at a Youth Development Conference held on Saturday, January 28, 2023, in the Cayman Islands.

Hon Taylor who received an invitation from the Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium travelled to the island with the Director of Education, Mr Edgar Howell, a statement from the Ministry said.

The Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation, founded specifically to implement Asset-Building Programmes for Cayman youth.

The Consortium aims to ensure that young people have an awareness of their assets and a desire to succeed in all areas of life.

It believes that the proactive youth development approach of assisting all young people to develop their strengths and talents is the most effective way to prevent their involvement in risky behaviour.

The Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Social Services was amongst other dignitaries including the Governor of Cayman, His Excellency Mr Martyn Roper OBE, the Premier of the Cayman Islands, the Hon Wayne Panton, Minister of Sustainability and Climate Resilience and the Acting Minister of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage the Hon Isaac Rankine.

In order to stimulate and engage the minds of everyone in attendance at the conference, she delivered an emotionally charged address, intended to inspire the youth through life experience, stories, thoughts and ideas.

She challenged them to see clearly the opportunities around them and move forward into the future with confidence and action.

Taylor who shared her personal struggles with the youth said: “I want to share a small portion of my personal story as an entry point to addressing the theme for this conference.

“I grew up in a small community on an island with a population of not more than approximately 1000 people.

“At the time, I did not have access to an abundance of financial and other material resources, but I had a desire to be successful and this is where I focused my energies.

“Without any knowledge of the phrase “asset-based strategies”, there were people in my community who recognised the potential within me.

“As I think about it now, I must admit, the elders in my community did not focus their attention on what I did not have.

“Instead, they concentrated their resources and time, on providing me with opportunities to bring out of me, the possibilities they saw in me.”

She emphasised that it takes a village to raise a child.

The conference covered thematic areas including;

Defining Youth Success, Mapping Community Assets that support Youth Development, Measuring Youth Success, Planning the Project for youth success.

Hon Taylor thanked the Cayman Islands Premier, Hon Panton for the appreciation dinner which provided an opportunity to discuss similar challenges and highlighted some of the success stories from both countries. She also took the opportunity to visit a number of schools and sporting facilities as part of a partnership intended to strengthen education best practices between both countries.