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We spoke with the Chairman of the Caribbean Regional Youth Council about his role to oversee the installment of the Belize Chapter of the Youth Organization:

Tijani Christian - Chairman. Caribbean Regional Youth Council
"As the chair of the regional youth council, we have played a role as it relates to the international observer to the process and help give guidance to shape and the establishment of the national youth council. Our role has been to facilitate the process from inception in terms of the meeting with the registered groups, to constitution the election process, so we have helped to give guidance base on our expertise in the area. In terms of the design of the council is very similar to all the other national youth council across the Caribbean. In terms of having a general assembly, national executive, district youth council, administrative secretary, advisory board - all of those are similar structures in terms of governance and management of the councils is quite the same and that's one of the things we wanted Caribbean youth council is here, because we wanted to ensure that that was reflected on of what the regional is moving forward to, but at the same time take into account the local context. So the constitution would be designed while looking at how the constitution is framed or structure, but has its context to aligned to the reality of the Belizean views. The purpose of the national youth council reality is that they are a platform for youth groups to come together as an umbrella organization to advocate to the government as it relates to the governance of the country and in terms of the decision making process. That is where the national youth council comes to play. Their role is to facilitate the youth voice up to the policy makers to ensure that the decision making process is informed, is democratic participation of all young people. So the sustainability of the country rest upon the voices of young people it's being the future is being planned for them. So they should have a say in what they want to see for their own future with guidance of course."

So, will they be looking on to make sure that the Council doesn't fail yet again. They chairman said that the Caribbean Council will try its best to do that and to guide the Belize chapter so that it does not become a group of "Yes-men" which accedes to the Government's authority and ignores the issues the youth Population:

Tijani Christian - Chairman. Caribbean Regional Youth Council
"What is key in an important here is that the Caribbean youth council will play a role in terms of helping to monitor and to ensure and give guidance to the local national youth council, to ensure that they are living up to the weight of what they have been voted into. What they are creating as the space the constitution will speak to that, their objective, the vision, the mission, what they are about not just a talk shop, not to just sit and to get a position but the reality is that the national youth council is a platform to unify all youth organization within the country of Belize and to ensure whoever is elected into that position must understand the weight, the value that the national youth council has in bringing the opinion and when you sit at the decision making table you don't speak on behalf of yourself, you speak on the behalf of all the youth of Belize. So the national youth council is weighty in itself it must not be taken lightly because the national youth council is going to be that premiere youth organization."

We also got an opportunity to meet a few of the other candidates running for the Belize District arm of the National Youth Council. There will be executives chosen from youth groups in all 6 districts.

We learned yesterday that even though they're youths, they're just as school as any seasoned politician in the art of campaigning:

Stafin Duncan, youth council aspirant
"The youth council is to serve as the link you can say between the youth and those in power or in authority, the government and other agencies who we would really like to express or get our voice across to these people. The youth council is to take that, harness it, unite it and push it on the table as a point on the agenda, that this is what we want to talk about and what I noticed going around the country or even being involved in this process, a lot of youth groups get involved for difference reasons. They get involved for religious reasons, political reasons, academic reasons, sports. Whatever they get together for, they have some cause and a lot of time these causes go unknown or unheard."

Renanta Samuels - Youth Council Aspirant
"I feel like the whole idea of this national youth council has been something that I've been waiting for a long time and I jumped at the idea of being able to be a real main channel for the youth voices and I feel like the reason I offered myself is because I really want to see the betterment of my youth population and we make up like 70% of our population, so why not strengthen our numbers and voice the opinions of us to be involved in the country. We are not just out there killing and so forth. We are doing great things in this community and its time that we are heard and we are allowed to fight for what we are doing."

Melvin Sutherland - Youth Council Aspirant
"My record has proven for itself. Over the past years while I graduate from Wesley College, I was the prefect as well as a peer mediator. In 2012, I was also elected as the youth ambassador to the Americas, Washington DC and Tennessee where we did some cultural exchanges. So these are just some of the highlights in my life that I have accomplished over the past years."

Shayanne Dena
"The day I found out I was nominated I was thrilled about it and I was onboard immediately because youth council is something we needed a long time ago, because this is 2016..."

We'll follow up to see how this Youth Council unfolds.