#CaymanIslands, February 9, 2023 – The Honourable Rachel M. Taylor received an invitation from the Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium to deliver the keynote address at their Youth Development Conference held on Saturday, January 28, 2023.  The invitation was received with great honour and the Minister was accompanied by the Director of Education, Mr. Edgar Howell.

The Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, founded specifically to implement Asset-Building Programmes for Cayman’s Youth.  The Consortium aims to ensure that young people have an awareness of their assets and a desire to succeed in all areas of life. The consortium believes that the proactive youth development approach of assisting all young people develop their strengths and talents, is the most effective way to prevent their involvement in risky behavior.

The Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Social Services was amongst other dignitaries including the Governor of Cayman, His Excellency Mr. Martyn Roper OBE, the Premier of the Cayman Islands, the Honourable Wayne Panton, Minister of Sustainability and Climate Resilience and the Acting Minister of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage and the Honourable Isaac Rankin.

The Speech delivered by Honourable Rachel Taylor to the youth of the Cayman Islands was nothing short of inspiring. In order to stimulate and engage the minds of everyone in attendance at the conference, she delivered an emotionally charged address, intended to inspire the youth through life experience, stories, thoughts and ideas. She challenged them to see clearly the opportunities around them and move forward into the future with confidence and action.

The Minister’s speech included these words, “I want to share a small portion of my personal story as an entry point to addressing the theme for this conference.  I grew up in a small community on an island with a population of not more than approximately one thousand people. At the time, I did not have access to an abundance of financial and other material resources, but I had a desire to be successful and this is where I focused my energies. 

Without any knowledge of the phrase “asset-based strategies”, there were people in my community who recognized the potential within me.  As I think about it now, I must admit, the elders in my community did not focus their attention on what I did not have.  Instead, they concentrated their resources and time, on providing me with opportunities to bring out of me, the possibilities they saw in me.”  She emphasized that it takes a village to raise a child.

The Conference covered the various topics:

• Defining Youth Success        * Mapping Community Assets that support Youth Development
• Measuring Youth Success      * Planning the Project for youth success

All young people have the potential to succeed and if given the opportunity, they can succeed at whatever they put their mind to do.

The Minister of Education, Honourable Rachel M. Taylor gives special thanks to the Premier, Hon. Panton for the appreciation dinner which provided an opportunity to discuss similar challenges and highlighted some of the success stories from both countries.

The Minister also took the opportunity to visit a number of schools and sporting facilities.  It is the continuation of partnerships of which the Minister intends to strengthen, as we learn from best practices between both countries and work together to solve some of the similar issues.

Special thanks to Rev. Ambassador Sylvia Wilks Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium and other members of the Ministry of Education and Sports for the warm reception throughout the visit.