Diaspora Consultative Committee - PDF document

Diaspora Consultative Committee ________________________________________________________________ REPORT TITLE : Grenadian Youth in the Diaspora ‘Our Relationship, Connection and Contribution to the Homeland’ Thematic Platform : Youth REPORT BY : Spice Youth Toronto Community Initiative (SYTCI) & Spice Promotion Youth Cultural Organization (SPYCO) Country/City : Toronto & Montreal /Canada

1. Summary: “ And our country will cease to be confined within geographic limits, our national boundaries will be both dynamic and human, and they will pulse according to the demands of our collective experience and ambitions.” – Canadian DCC Statement 2010 An immense part of contributing to the Diaspora Initiative as youth is to first to define youth in the Grenadian Diaspora in Canada (demographic composition etc) and then to identify the skills that we, as youth have acquired from living abroad. It is only after this is done that youth can begin the task of allocating these skills to assist in the development of Grenada. With this mind, SYTCI approached the Diaspora Initiative in three segments; 1. Naming the experiences and skills that youth in the Diaspora have learned and gained from living abroad 2. Identifying the country’s needs as outlined in the summary report of the draft proposal of the Diaspora Initiative and; 3. Matching the skills with the needs identified to create recommendations and focused outcomes. ________________________________________________________________ 2. 2. Background and context Introduction Spice Youth Toronto Community Initiative (SYTCI) is a youth-focused non-profit organization, dedicated to the creation of an integrated network of youth of Grenadian and Caribbean heritage in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Formed in 2010 as the unofficial youth arm of the Grenada Association (Toronto), SYTCI, aims to empower and engage youth by investing in their educational, social and professional development, provide a platform where they can freely share ideas, increase access to resources and collaborate with other community partners and organizations who serve youth in the Caribbean community. Upon learning of the Diaspora Initiative, SYTCI surged at the opportunity to become involved. The organization envisioned this project as a means for youth to be more connected with the affairs and happenings in Grenada and in turn for Grenadians to learn more about the activities of the Diaspora and in so doing correct some of the myths surrounding migration. SYTCI is of the belief that the first step to assisting in development at home is to first concentrate on connecting and strengthening the youth of the Diaspora by identifying the resources (skills, experiences etc)

that are available to or that one may possess as a member of the Diaspora. To address this concern we formulated the following question; “ Who are we as youth members of the Grenadian Diaspora in Toronto ?” Before delving into the responses to this question it is important to first define the demographic of youth of Grenadian descent living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA); loose estimates from Stats Canada approximate about 65, 000, this would include; first generation i.e. those who immigrated for various reasons perhaps to pursue educational opportunities, reunite with family, further career goals etc, second, third and fourth generation Grenadians, the offspring of those first migrants. The answers were wide ranging, yet the overall output from these interactions, especially from youth in Toronto and surrounding cities, was the same; Grenadian youth are versatile, resilient, hardworking and as coined by one of our members “intrinsically different”. Significant portions of youth in the Diaspora in Canada are proud wearers of their identity as Grenadians and continue to maintain connections/ties with their families/relatives at home. However, there are some to whom that sense of connection to ‘home’ is either missing or very feeble. It is speculated that this may have occurred because cultural traditions were not adequately transferred to these persons or may have become lost in the extreme multi-cultural space called Canada, undisputedly the worlds’ largest multi-cultural centre and where the population of Grenadians is so scattered. Description of Actions/Activities: In preparation for this year’s Founding Conference, SYTCI attended two Diaspora Conferences (New York and Montreal) and hosted a Diaspora Youth Forum in Toronto. SYTCI Diaspora Youth Forum: On Sunday May 22, 2011 Spice Youth Toronto Community Initiative in conjunction with the Consulate General of Grenada in Toronto hosted a Diaspora Youth Forum with the theme “ Grenadian Youth in the Diaspora ~ Our Relationship, Connection and Contribution to the Homeland .” The objectives of the event were to; 1. Clarify the Diaspora Initiative, 2. Identify the ways in which the Youth Diaspora in Toronto can support the initiatives of the office of Diaspora Affairs and;

3. To gather information and ideas from this forum to help formulate a youth paper for the Diaspora Conference August 2-3, 2011. The Diaspora Youth Forum was divided into three segments. The first aimed at identifying the various skills that youth gained through their experiences with living in the Diaspora. The second segment gave the participants an opportunity to unmask the Diaspora Initiative by interacting with the draft proposal for the institution of the Office of Diaspora Affairs and the report from the Preparatory Conference held in August 2010. While the third segment allowed participants to identify how their skills could be matched with the needs required for Grenada’s development. _______________________________________________________________ 3. Recommendations/ Proposals: Recommendations made in this report are based on two main beliefs; sustainability and empowerment . Hence, they come in the form of general objectives and suggested outcomes that can be achieved in both the near and distant future. SYTCI is of the strong belief that seeking to develop a country is a long term goal and youth development programs require continuity and sustainability in order to produce more efficient outcomes in the long run. Overall Objective To provide education and training programs to youth in Grenada, aimed at empowerment and social development. Outcomes:  To facilitate linkages between youth in Grenada and in the Diaspora  To support the development of programs in Grenadian education, arts and culture among youth Proposals: Youth Empowerment Programs These would focus in on providing leadership skills to youth. Workshops/semiars will aim to focus on the soft skills (leadership, teambuilding, personal goal setting etc) that are not usually the center of the academic curriculum within formal educational institutions. This endeavor can also give youth in the Diaspora a chance to engage with youth at home especially during summer vacations. It can also be used as a spring board to youth exchange programs (between cities in the Diaspora and Grenada), mentorship opportunities and promoting tourism.

Communication and Maintaining Connectivity in the Diaspora Establish a means by which connectivity between youth groups/organizations in the Diaspora to exchange best practices, transfer information etc can be maintained. An example would be a single virtual site where information about the activities of each of the different centres can be accessed coupled with bi-annual meetings/conferences to brain storm and shape the course of the initiative through identifying innovative programs, platforms to address the immediate needs as identified in discussions with the nationals at home. The inclusion of NGO’s as part of the Diaspora Initiative As is stands, the Diaspora Initiative has failed to address the work of NGO’s as an adjunct to the work of Government in fostering a positive social environment. Organizations which rely on the goodwill of citizens for their very existence are in most need of firm and frequent offers of assistance. To this end, it is proposed that NGO’s be consulted in order to identify the more pressing areas of need which need to be addresses. The Diaspora can help by seeking to link these organizations to other organizations with similar mandates in their specific countries. Diaspora Centres and affiliate organizations be a first stop for incoming nationals Many Grenadian nationals travel abroad on a yearly basis in order to seek educational and other economic opportunities. Often the process of assimilation is difficult and lonely. A directory of Diaspora Organizations could be developed as a tool to help incoming nationals’ access information and a friendly ear. Volunteer mentors from the Diaspora can provide this as a service to new nationals. As well, organizational structures within the Diaspora itself can be strengthened in order to make this a feasible project. Greater partnerships with cultural groups in Grenada Visa restrictions, for Canada in particular, has slowed significantly the influx of Grenadians into Canada. This has left a vacuum in the cultural landscape, as first generation immigrants tend to maintain a stronger sense of the cultural heritage of the homeland. Having cultural groups from the homeland is always an occasion in the Diaspora. To this end, the Montreal DCC would like to see a process whereby groups wishing to travel abroad are supported, financially and administratively through partnerships with Diaspora organizations and the Ministry of Culture. This is an opportunity to sell Grenada’s product not just to Grenadians living abroad but also to the broader communities in which they live.