(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Young talent was unleashed at the National Park in Georgetown, Guyana Monday, as the Youth Village, a special area of focus for CARIFESTA X, got underway.

Visitors got a taste of the activities in which the youths will be involved over the next four days, at the formal opening of the Youth Village on Monday afternoon. `The New System Brass Band’ of Suriname energised the crowd at the opening and conclusion of the ceremony that also featured piano and poetry recitals, dances and steelpan renditions.

Declaring the Youth Village open, Dr. the Hon. Frank Anthony, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport of Guyana, said the concept was for youths to “do their own thing, but in a structured way.” It would be very interactive, he said, with young people “doing things and teaching others”, and pointed to the edutainment sessions, dancing classes and forays into the field of technology as some of the attractions at the site.

Mr. Alfred King, Youth Village Coordinator, said the event will draw the attention of young people to issues affecting them. The Village will be open from 2pm-5pm daily with an Edutainment segment for youths by youths from 6pm to 8pm each night, he said.

Among the booths on the tarmac of the National Park are the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s digi-playground which will offer tutoring in the production of one-minute videos; Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Ltd’s and Digicel’s technology tents, the Ministry of Health and the National AIDS Programme Secretariat which will focus on teaching `life lessons’, while the Guyana Forestry Commission’s booth will focus on preserving forests and protecting biodiversity in the face of climate change.

Developing musical consciousness among young people and providing them with a hands-on approach to music will be the focus of the Village’s Music Centre. There will also be an Arts and Craft and Fashion centre, a Vocational Centre and a Youth Liming Zone.