SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - On Friday, the Democratic Party (DP) kicked off its commitment to the United Nations International Youth Day which is globally observed on August 12th.

Dwayne Griffith, the former president of the Sint Maarten Youth Parliament had the honor of being the first one to write down his wishes for Sint Maarten’s future. The DP is aiming at collecting large amounts of youth wishes as input for safeguarding their future, putting together a true Sint Maarten youngsters “Wish List”.

From his function as a youth advocate for Sint Maarten, Dwayne remains politically neutral, but was happy to provide a proper kickoff to DP’s commitment to youth. As a key wish for the future, he started off with submitting “Diversification of Sint Maarten’s key economic pillar", adding several more wishes which he sees as critical.

This year’s World Youth Day's theme is “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production”. The day focuses on the leading role of young people in ensuring poverty eradication and achieving sustainable development through sustainable consumption and production in order to safeguard the needs of future generations.. Showing their commitment, the DP candidates were present to watch the first “wish list for the future” being created. DP leader, Sarah Wescot-Williams was pleased with this, yet another "First" by the DP. She quoted from the party's vision document, "We endorse international laws in the area of care, education, participation, protection and rehabilitation for the youth. Furthermore, we do so inclusively. Our focus must be on the future generations of this country and for this, sustainability is key. Sustainable programs and a common vision will provide our youth with the assurance that each one of them matters".

Dwayne was invited by Jorien Wuite,  the number three candidate on the DP Slate. Through her experience from working as the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, & Labor (VSA) and now the current Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS), , she has witnessed the challenges for Sint Maarten youth from different angles. “I invited Dwayne, for he is a true example of youngsters' relentless ambition on St. Maarten..Unfortunately, due to his personal situation Dwayne is unable to gain access to St. Maarten's study financing program, However, through a paper he has written, Dwayne has been granted the opportunity to receive a scholarship from the United States, enabling him now to enroll in yet another trimester to continue his learning in a very relevant area of Transformative Entrepreneurship. As president of Sint Maarten Youth Parliament, he serves as a true Ambassador for the country and the DP believes that St. Maarten must embrace our talented youth that continue to shine on a regional and international platform."

International Youth Day is only a few days away from the start of the new school year. From the entire DP family, "we would like to wish each student much success for the coming school year. To the teachers, we wish you much strength and thank you for your commitment toward educating our youth.

Parents we encourage you to continue to remain active in the learning process of your children." The Democratic Party will work with our younger generation on their Sint Maarten Youth Wish List for the Future.

DP will remain dedicated to facilitating opportunities for our youth in the labor market, focus on expanding our sports sector and the creative industries, and ensure proper waste management and consumption of resources to safeguard and preserve our natural heritage for our future generations.