9TH COMMONWEALTH YOUTH PARLIAMENT
MY EXPERIENCE AT THE 9TH COMMONWEALTH YOUTH PARLIAMENT: THE JAMAICA YOUTH PARTICIPANT’S PERSPECTIVE Jevon Khalfani Reid, National Youth Parliamentarian from Jamaica The Commonwealth Youth Parliament represents a sustained effort by the CPA at youth involvement. This is commendable as the world over, there has been a recent wave of interest in youth political participation, which signals a crucial new opening for debates and proposals to enhance the inclusion of youth and our perspectives in the political process. Critical to this point is the astonishing fact that the Commonwealth is a youthful organisation with 60% of the population being youth under 30 years old. A more in depth look at youth involvement reveals that only about 1.7% of Parliamentarians around the world are in their 20s and 11.9% are in their 30s. Over 50 Commonwealth youth delegates aged 18 to 29 convened from 24 February to 1 March 2018 for the 9th Commonwealth Youth Parliament (9th CYP) hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the States Assembly in St Helier, Jersey. Participants were provided with the experience of participatory democracy as we acted as government, opposition and independents and debated propositions in the Legislative Assembly of ‘Commonwealthland’ and voted
on amendments before voting to make same proposition into a Bill. The exercise has further steeped my interest in public affairs and will manifest itself in me being a more active Jamaican citizen. Based on the interaction with Parliamentarians at the CYP, it is evident that they have benefited immensely and are more empowered to step beyond the confines of their local youth groups and engage in more youth-led advocacy at the level of civil society. This I believe will contribute further to democratization and developing a more positive image of youth and politics. The experience was made unique and remarkable, as the Commonwealth Youth Parliamentarians also had the opportunity to interact with young Members of Parliament or Members of a Legislative Assembly in their own country. It was a huge pleasure to engage with them on different levels; whether it was finding out about their political philosophies or ways to manipulate or expedite the procedures of the assembly/ parliamentary sitting to posit views in a way to get favorable outcomes which will enhance service to constituents. Most importantly, I enjoyed learning of their ascension and how they managed to bolster the support and ultimately win the vote of confidence of party vanguards.
138 | The Parliamentarian | 2018: Issue Two
Above: Jamaica Youth Parliamentarian, Jevon Khalfani Reid (third from left) at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Jersey together with (left to right) Hon. Temard Butterfield, MHA (Turks and Caicos); Hon. Jermain Figueira, MP (Guyana); and Hon. John Paul Mwirigi, MP (Kenya) - who acted as mentors to youth participants. While the Commonwealth continues to grow and invest in its youth, it is clear that so long as there is increased youth involvement; its future remains promising. This experience has provided me with many insights to share with the National Youth Parliament of Jamaica of which I am a member. Some of these include: • Advocating for the adoption of a youth quota which will serve to promote the inclusion of young people in national politics (at the party level or in parliament). • Raising an awareness of the need for youth involvement in politics and assuring youth that there are methods and means of resolving our challenges through less-traditional political venues. (e.g. Democracy for Millennials) • Suggest that the same structure of operation which includes: debates, question time and voting on
amendments be applied in the execution of the Jamaica National Youth Parliament. I believe that this will give the Parliament autonomy as a group which debates youth related issues and makes solutions which the youth ministry will consider in service to the nation’s youth. I humbly seize the opportunity to thank the Branch of the CPA in Jamaica for recognizing how important this event is and for choosing me as their delegate. I consider myself privileged to have been selected and would enthusiastically promote this opportunity to others in the years to come. “This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.” - Robert Kennedy.