COUVA South MP Rudranath Indarsingh and Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC) chairman Ryan Rampersad praised the performance of 26 secondary school students in the inaugural Couva South Youth Parliament on Monday.
They made their comments after the event which took place at the Chinmaya Mission Ashram in Couva.
The students came from Holy Faith Convent, Couva; Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School; Carapichaima West Secondary School; Waterloo Secondary School; and Chinmaya Vidyalaya.
Unlike the national youth parliament, the participants represented 26 constituencies instead of 41. The constituencies were named after different communities that fall within the Couva South constituency.
They debated and passed a motion on the elimination of violence in the workplace.
Indarsingh said one of the aims of the event was to better educate young people in the constituency about the parliamentary process.
He added that he partnered with the CTTRC and the Couva/Pt Lisas Chamber of Commerce to hold the event.
Indarsingh observed that many young people said they did not know what was happening in Parliament or how it worked.
He believed there was no better way to educate young people about both issues than to have them simulate the roles of parliamentarians.
[caption id="attachment_1046245" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Couva South Youth Parliament holds its first sitting at the Chinmaya Mission Ashram, Calcutta Road No 1, Couva, on Monday. - Lincoln Holder[/caption]
"I don't know where it will lead, but if indeed we create one or two parliamentarians out of the process in the future, I would be very satisfied with the process."
Rampersad said, "This initiative has come about at a time when verbal communication is at an all-time low amongst many of our youths who are consumed by technology thereby limiting the development of their interpersonal skills."
He added," This initiative has provided a platform to develop a range of skills that we need our future leaders to possess."
A concept paper circulated by the Couva South constituency office said one of the objectives of the youth parliament was to foster a greater sense of national and civic responsibility in the minds of students in the constituency.
The paper also said it was hoped the event would become an annual one that was hosted by different schools in Couva South.
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