Youth Voices Take Call to Action to SIDS Youth Summit

Youth advocates in Trinidad and Tobago are keen to see more digital literacy and technological skills be incorporated into the education system to better equip young people to enter the modern workforce. The advocates shared their views during a Youth Dialogue convened as part of the first visit of DCO LAC Regional Director, Mr. Roberto Valent, to Trinidad and Tobago in May. Trinbagonian youths joined youngsters from the refugee and migrant community to share their views on education curriculum reform, better access to employment opportunities and support for adolescent mental health. They also identified coding and machine learning as essential skills which should be integrated into classroom learning.

 The dialogue, which took place on 21 May 2024, was co-hosted by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten and the Heroes Foundation, a youth-focused NGO that aligns its work with the Sustainable Development Goals. The exchange allowed youth delegates from Trinidad and Tobago to carry youth perspectives from home into the global conversation that took place at the SIDS Global Children and Youth Action Summit hosted by UNICEF from 24 - 26 May in Antigua and Barbuda.