National Service – An Investment in our Youth

On Monday, July 11, 2022, The Honourable Foster Cummings, Minister of Youth Development and National Service was presented with a report from the Advisory Committee for the Development of National Service Programme at the MIC – Institute of Technology’s Head Office in Macoya.

In presenting the report Dr. Ruby Alleyne, Chairman of the Advisory Committee stated, “When we look at the national service programme, we’re starting off with the understanding that not investing in our youth has a cost, a social cost and an economic cost.” She further emphasised that there is a cost attached to non-productive youth behaviour based on the loss of family income through unemployment and incarceration and the loss of alternative uses of resources put into the judicial system, correctional facilities and in financing social welfare programmes.

Minister Cummings in accepting the report, expressed his gratitude to the Committee on behalf of the Ministry of Youth Development and Nation Service (MYDNS) and by extension the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) and commended the Advisory Committee for the timely delivery of their report, which he described as.

The committee comprising of Dr Ruby Alleyne – Chairman of the Advisory Committee; Mr. Afzal Muradali – Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee; and members, Mr. Sean Ramrattan, Major David Benjamin, Dr. Henry Charles, Ms. Natalie Robinson, Ms. Alana
Henry, Mr. Reval Chattergoon, Mr. Keith Toby, Dr. Patrice Parris Searles, Ms. Karen Caraballo, Mr. Collis Hazel, was established in November 2021 with a mandate to develop young people as ideal citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Ministry of Youth Development and National Service remains committed to bringing all key stakeholders together to promote youth development and encourage civic-minded citizens to contribute to national service across Trinidad and Tobago.

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