BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 6, 2015–Over 30 youth from 6 Central American countries are meeting in Belize starting today for the 11th Youth Summit being hosted by the Central American Black Organization (CABO).
The summit opened tonight with a ceremony held at UWI Open Campus on Princess Margaret Drive in Belize City and it concludes on Sunday, August 9, with an event at the BTL Park.
Amandala spoke with two members of the organizing committee — Krisna Morales, 17, a member of AFROSA (Afrodescendientes y Sus Amigos) of Guatemala; and Jamal Reid, 24, of Emergent Corp in Belize, who described what the delegates from Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica hope to achieve over the next few days.
Morales said that the main accomplishment they will be working towards is the formulation of a youth master plan, which will have education and employment as its priority.
According to Reid, this will be achieved through workshops to be held during the summit, which will look at various themes such as culture, education and leadership.
He noted that the event also aims to promote awareness of blackness among youth.
Reid told us that the summit will provide an invaluable opportunity for them to network with other Central American youth, to learn the strategies for success and apply them to their particular settings.
The networking, said Reid, will also help youth access training and other opportunities for education in sister Caribbean countries.