00:00With Budget Day just three days away, Parliament hosted a special panel discussion to hear directly from the youth.
00:08The session, hosted by Independent Senator and Economist Dr. Marlene Atz, highlighted the importance of involving young people in shaping the country's future.
00:18We're speaking about wanting to really establish and upskill young people to be law-abiding citizens and contribute to that thing called national development.
00:28And so it starts from as early as in the classroom or even before.
00:33And so engaging us at a point where we can formulate somewhat of an opinion, I think is definitely important when it comes to what the future can look like, given that we would be the drivers then.
00:46Yet, youth advocates say current budget documents and reports aren't designed with young people in mind.
00:53For youths who aren't really versed in how to read it, they may not understand it.
00:57So sometimes you may see the infographics summarizing, but sometimes that isn't sufficient enough.
01:02So if we have things to put in place to actually explain to the young people so they can get some kind of interest, because, I mean, as a national budget, it affects the nation.
01:12And your youth, they are the future of this nation.
01:14They should be able to understand what is being imposed on us.
01:17The panelists voiced their own priorities for the nation.
01:21Many urged expansion of the on-the-job training program to three years, noting most entry-level jobs require such experience.
01:31For Jada Charles of Tobago, tourism should be a top priority.
01:35If we get that investment in the budget to boost our tourism, I feel like that would definitely help Tobago P and, you know, additionally boost our GDP.
01:45But we could see percentages go up if we have an influx of persons.
01:49We have a new airport.
01:51$400 million went into the development of that airport.
01:55So if it is we are able to get bigger flights, the airport is approximated to host around 3 million passengers yearly.
02:03So if we can get that airport up and running, we see more tourists coming to the island, coming to the country, and that would be a definite boost outside of the oil and gas sector.
02:12Youth advocates also want the government to focus on emerging industries that matter to young people.
02:19The automated automation industry, we now have a ministry of AI.
02:24Yeah, yeah.
02:25Formerly, during the pandemic especially, we had a ministry of digitization.
02:29That's right.
02:30We need to continue in those aspects.
02:32So kind of like what Chris said, we shouldn't, even with the change in administration, we shouldn't just throw away everything.
02:38But AI is also an important facet that we need to employ, especially in fields like agriculture and just moving away from the more traditional way we do things.
02:49They also raise issues affecting young women.
02:52Menstrual products, whether it be liners, tampons, pads, they are quite expensive.
02:57And this is something a female has to deal with on a monthly basis.
03:00So it's not to say that, oh, it's just a by-day way we have to purchase.
03:04This is a necessity for us in our everyday lives.
03:07So that should be taken into account, especially with taxes placed on it.
03:11They don't even distribute it in schools, which I think should be a necessity as well.
03:14Okay.
03:15Where do you get these things from?
03:17Finally, the youth called for a formal structure to ensure they remain part of decision making.
03:23We have many great youth organizations throughout the country.
03:28And sometimes what we find happening is that these organizations are sometimes competing with each other and doing bits and pieces in their little spaces.
03:36So I think having a National Youth Council that we can say, okay, this is the National Youth Council.
03:43And you get persons, the young people, grassroots level, to come and serve on these councils.
03:48So you use these councils as a buffer between young people, being the voices of young people, to advise the government of the day.
03:55Budget day is next Monday, October 13th.
03:59Urvashi Tomori, Rupnerain, TV6 News.
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