As Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean work towards seeking reparations and reparatory justice for the trans-Atlantic slave trade, there is an appeal for young people to play an active role in the discussions and to have their proposals and ideas on the subject go beyond mere words.This was the view shared by the panellists when the National Task Force on reparations held the third in its series of discussions on the topic recently, this time bringing in two representatives from the Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC), Shamar Wedderburn and Ashleigh Onfroy, both of whom hail from Jamaica.Wedderburn, who is presently the Vice Chairman Elect of the organisation, said he first got involved in the youth organisation just before the Covid- 19 pandemic hit the region at the start of 2020. “I was introduced to CRYC about three months before Covid-19 came, and I must say that the pandemic brought to the fore just how bad things have been all along, in terms of economic issues, domestic violence, mental health and psychological issues people were facing. But it also showed us that despite the difficult situation, we can still thrive so it motivated me to get other young people up and help them achieve their goals.”
