State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (centre) with the Saba Youth Council.
SABA--“Between us, it is nice to see a woman in charge for a change,” said Jade Every on behalf of the Youth Council Saba, which welcomed Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitisation Alexandra van Huffelen during a meet-and-greet at Tropics on Tuesday evening.
In their welcome speech, Youth Council members Zakiya Lake, Bernardo Baker and Every shared their positive experiences so far in being included in different projects and initiatives, but also some of the challenges with which they feel the youth of Saba are faced.
They also asked Van Huffelen if they could meet with her when the Youth Council visits the Netherlands later this year, to which she immediately said, “Yes.”
Lake gave a little background on how the Youth Council came into existence. It was established with the assistance of Gerald de Jong-Simmons and Lysanne Charles after working together on the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) project “My New World”.
“Gerald coached us to participate in the lobby session with then-State Secretary [of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations – Ed.] Raymond Knops. We also did an inter-island debate with teenagers from St. Maarten and St. Eustatius. We came up with strong points to lobby for our island with Mr. Knops and we even got to meet him in person during his last visit here on Saba. This was a very memorable experience and we were honoured to do this,” said Lake.
More attention
According to Lake, there is still much inequality and there are many topics in Saba that need more “love and attention” from the Netherlands.
“There is a lot of work to be done when it comes to equal rights. I look forward to seeing the good changes and progress that you will bring to our island, especially regarding poverty alleviation, mental healthcare, sports and other recreational activities for us teens,” she told Van Huffelen.
Baker said that his time in the Youth Council has been the most beautiful experience in his life. “The group is very strong and diverse. We are like a big, twisted tree and I would not change any of its branches.”
He said that things have not been easy for people in Saba in general, especially for the youth. The COVID-19 pandemic has a lot to do with that. “We have been stuck on Saba for the past two years.”
All three Youth Council members said they would like to see more recreational activities for the youth. “We really want a youth centre and we feel that the youth should be making the decisions about the youth centre. Now, that is not the case and the adults call the shots,” said Baker.
“There is not much here to do for us,” said Every. “Children are frequently bored, causing them to do things that they should not be doing. It would be nice to have a better gym, qualified coaches, nice music classes, a youth centre and more things to do in our free time,” she said.
Every also remarked that there was a problem with diplomas at the secondary school. “Only this year we heard that we have to pass a higher-level Dutch exam. The new law regarding the B2-level requirement for diplomas has made things difficult. If a regulation like that is implemented, we feel it should be gradual.”
Visit to Netherlands
In mentioning the pending visit to the Netherlands, Baker explained that there was budget left from the sports project and that the Youth Council had asked the government whether these funds could be used to attend the youth congress in Bonaire and to get to know the different organisations there. Ultimately the group could not go because Bonaire went in a lockdown.
“We have a new plan though. We want to organise a Youth Council trip to the Netherlands. We want to go in the summer. The youth organisation Jongeren Democratie told us about the motion that is being prepared in Parliament about youth participation and inclusion. We hope that you can help us with the budget for this trip. The youth of Saba deserve a stronger voice both locally and nationally,” said Baker.
Every suggested that while in the Netherlands, the Youth Council could also meet with Van Huffelen. “Maybe we can even meet you again to see how everything is going. We hope that you can help organise this,” she said.
Van Huffelen responded very positively to this call. She said she gladly accepted the invitation. “Let’s do this. I would love to receive you. But I have to warn you, the Netherlands is only half as beautiful as your island,” she told the Youth Council members.
She received a token of appreciation from the Youth Council at the end of the presentation.
