Tuesday, March 5, 2019
It is with great pride and pleasure that The Office of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly announce that Montserrat once again has a functioning Youth Parliament.
"It's been a long time," says the Hon. Shirley Osborne, Speaker of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly.
"Madam Clerk Baker and I are very happy that we have finally got enough of Montserrat's young people to stay in one place long enough to form a Montserrat Youth Parliament."
"Three years ago," continues Speaker Osborne, "we held our first gathering of young people and we have met several times over the years, but our youth so frequently leave - and never return - that we have had a really hard time holding things together although we've done things like send young people to international Youth Parliaments over the years to help generate interest."
"Ashneil Jeffers represented Montserrat at the last Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Youth Parliament and has remained in Montserrat, for which we are grateful. He has been very active over the last couple of years, and we are inspired by his commitment. We have also had the support most recently of Lyston Skerritt the Youth and Sports Coordinator whose deep reach with the young people was also instrumental in helping us pull this current group together."
The President of the Nevis Island Assembly, the Hon Farrell Smithen and Madam Clerk Williams spent the last weekend in Montserrat training and giving their support to our young people and for that the MLA is eternally grateful.
Nevis Youth Parliament, led by President Smithen for several years, has acquired a well-deserved reputation for being the strongest, best-organised and most successful Youth Parliament in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Americas Region (CAAR) of the CPA.
"I called President Smithen for help, because I've known him for a bit and I know his abilities" says Madam Speaker Osborne, "and he said yes right away and he and his Clerk gave of their expertise unstintingly. We are ready now to re-enter the CAAR Youth Parliament, and I expect our young people to participate in the annual regional Youth Parliament later this year in Trinidad and Tobago."
