Members of the Anguilla Youth Parliament (AYP) were officially sworn into Office, on Tuesday, 19th March 2019 at the House of Assembly.
The Anguilla Youth Parliament will in collaboration with appropriate Constitutional bodies, including the Anguilla House of Assembly provide a forum to articulate the collective aspirations of young people and their perspectives on matters of national, regional and international importance. The AYP will also accentuate the active involvement of young people in national decision-making processes.
The Ceremony
During the ceremony, the Honourable Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks reminded and reiterated to the young parliamentarians that it was not a play parliament. He said, “We consider the Youth Parliament, which has the responsibility like the Government and the House of Assembly as a parliament, to be an important contributor to the dialogue of sustainability because you are the generation that will benefit from that. But that does not mean that these are the only issues you should interest yourself with. We look forward to you shaping those skills, coming up with those ideas that are important to influencing decisions that Government might take from time to time and influencing people who will have to contribute towards supporting those decisions.”
Mr. Banks pointed out that many of the young people are highly qualified for meaningful participation, advocacy and truth-searching because of their grasp on technology and because they may have more exposure to education than some persons around them.
He shared three points with youth parliamentarians. Firstly, the importance of seeking the facts and making sure that truth is part of the discussion. Secondly, the importance of respecting other view points and not taking conflict personally and finally to not take themselves too seriously as the goal is to contribute to the overall development of Anguilla. He looked forward to a good relationship with the new parliament.
Honorable Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmavon Webster quoted past President Barack Obama at the close of her remarks saying ‘Change will never come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” She welcomed the parliamentarians and looked forward to working with them as equal partners in the decision-making process of our beloved Anguilla.
Nordisia Lake was sworn in first as Speaker of the House. She shared “I see the youth parliament as an avenue for your people to develop, discuss and challenge issues and concerns affecting the youth and propose solutions to the Government for such. The Youth Parliament empowers young people to use their passion to foster change and it is something I hope to do as a young parliamentarian.”
All members of the Youth Parliament gave brief remarks affirming their commitment to ensuring the youth voice was heard.
Members of the Youth Parliament 2019-2012
The members of the Anguilla Youth Parliament will serve for a period of two years (2019 – 2021). The AYP consist of the following members.
District 1 – Jibri Lewis (Leader of Opposition)
District 2 – Tyeisha Emmanuel (Ministry of Home Affairs)4
District 3 – Jessica Hodge (Minister of Health and Social Development)
District 4 – Kyrleson Lewis-Klaren (Chief Minister, Finance, Tourism Trade Commerce)
District 5 – Mya Lake (Ministerial Assistant to Home Affairs)
District 6 – Klein Harrigan (Ministry of Infrastructure, Communication, Utilities and Housing)
District 7 – Levonda Delaney (Parliamentary Secretary to Tourism, Sports, Youth and Culture)
1st Nominated Member – Fidel Lim-Brooks
2nd Nominated Member and Deputy Speaker – (Rhonica Connor)
Attorney General – Jenine Phillip
Deputy Governor – (Alysha Carty)
PRO/Back Bencher – (Edwin Sutton)
Clerk – (Sage Connor)
Congratulations from DYC and My Anguilla Experience
The Department of Youth and Culture and the team at My Anguilla Experience extends congratulations to the newly elected parliament. For more information about the Youth Council or the Department of Youth and Culture (DYC), please email [email protected].
