By Tracey Khan-Drakes
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The ‘Vote Like A Boss’ campaign was officially launched on Saturday, March 21 with much excitement by a number of enthusiastic youths who turned out in support of the initiative which is aimed at pushing voters education.
The campaign was launched even in the face of opposition from the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C). The organization behind this initiative- the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) – is not only working to encourage youths to vote at the upcoming May 11, 2015 General and Regional elections but to remain involved in political processes beyond the elections.
Their aim is to ensure that youths are aware of the power of their vote and will let their voices be heard by holding politicians accountable for their actions.
The feedback from the various voters’ education campaign by the GNYC is catching on according to Chair of the organization, Tiffany Daniels. She said that youths are becoming increasingly excited about participating in this process.
“The overarching intention of the GNYC is to contribute to the cultivation of an environment where youth sentiments, views, aspirations and dreams can flourish, and can do so in the context of the Guyana dream of harnessing our true potential and creating a better society bonded by the principles of harmony, peace, justice, progress, creativity and innovation…as young people coming together for our nation, we are poised to make strategic and major contributions to the development of this country. If our energies are not utilized and we become disillusioned the longer we take to harness and channel the energies of youth positively, the more difficult it gets to change a nation’s course in the future,” Daniels said.
Meanwhile, Chief of Party, USAID LEAD, Glen Badbury urged youths to ensure their voices are heard and exercise their democratic right so that they can be a part of the decision making process of this country.
“If you do not vote you do not have the right to complain.” Additionally, Badbury said in other countries citizens have laid down their life to be a part of this process and urged Guyanese youths not to downplay this significant democratic right.
The USAID LEAD project is providing capacity building assistance to the GNYC to help the organization to fulfill its mandate.
This ‘Vote like Ah Boss’ campaign will now see the training of trainers session with the Guyana Elections Commission for its members and volunteers which will begin next week. The organization will also be branching out to all regions of Guyana to hold educational seminars, outreaches and even small sized meetings with youths as it works to help Guyanese to vote.
The organizations that have so far come on board with the GNYC are Blue CAPS, the University of Guyana Student Society, Splash Magazine, Women Round Table, Society against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and Women across Differences.
