The struggle of being a youth in St Vincent and the Grenadines

EDITOR: It’s not as easy as some may make it out to be a young person in Vincy. The extreme difficulty we face as young adults or teens; the struggles we face to support ourselves financially and economically, to sustain ourselves in a country where we barely have opportunities to express ourselves, or get a good job, is a mental strain. This can result in mental break-downs if we are not strong, hence the reasons why, I believe, we see such a high crime rate today, particularly between young people. It’s even more difficult when the people that run the country paint a beautiful portrait of how things are and it’s completely the opposite: It’s ironic isn’t it? Sometimes I sit and wonder if they are being sarcastic when they tell us that they are for the youths, while there are hundreds of young persons that are qualified and can’t get jobs, or those who have jobs are being underpaid. In my personal experience it took me two years at most after leaving school to find a job.

This was a very frustrating period of my life. I had to do what I could in order to sustain myself through this period (I am not proud of a lot of things I had to do). There are hundreds of young persons in this country who will share these very same experience and sentiments.

The political scorn and prejudice is also a huge problem we face. Currently, depending on how it appears (even if it’s true or not), who you or your parents or even your grandparents supported politically will impact on your future of being employed, etc. It is one of the main reason why I must say that this is one of the main reasons why Vincy is so divided. This has an impact on us youths, as our parents may push us to support a particular party in order to to get a job, scholarships or just to survive and put food in our mouths. This makes us develop hate, anger and spite in a country where the political atmosphere is dark and gloomy. And without any real path to grow we turn to violence and other antisocial behaviour.

We don’t know who or what to believe anymore, empty promises bring lack of trust, one of the main reasons why me and many others in my age group don’t listen to the so-called leaders and what they have to say. It’s like a broken tape recorder stuck on one verse. The agony of being left for last is unbearable. We must sit and think about what and who we can become and do not ponder about what’s being done to us. As youths we must focus on staying away from illegal activities, these situations tend to turn us down a dark mental path.

The strive, the hardship. I’m not as qualified as many young people and there are many just like me who are not fully qualified as well, but we all deserve an equal chance at survival. The lack of opportunities continues to be an ongoing issue. There isn’t enough being done by the government so the unqualified can make a dollar, there also isn’t even enough work for the qualified. There is a lack of facilities to express our talent. In my honest and humble opinion our beloved country needs a change in governance and spiritual awakening as well.

Danzine