The Saint Lucia National Reparations Committee (NRC) has congratulated the island’s newest CARICOM Youth Ambassador and welcomed her role as Coordinator of the 2016 CARICOM Reparations Baton Relay planned for 29 October, 2016.

Alisha Ally, a senior staffer at the Government Information Service (GIS), will serve as Saint Lucia’s CARICOM Youth Ambassador for the next two years — and one of her first assignments is assisting the Saint Lucia NRC to host the inaugural CARICOM Reparations Baton Relay planned as part of 2016 Kweyol Heritage Month observances here. The Relay will end in a Youth Rally planned for the same day on Derek Walcott Square in the capital, Castries.

The theme for the youth rally is ‘Pani Devloppman San Jistis – Wepawasyon Se Pou Nou Tout!’ (‘No Development Without Justice – Reparations Is For Us All!’)

The Relay and Rally are expected to attract participation by youth and student organisations island-wide and both will feature the CARICOM Reparations Baton.

During her two-year stint, Ms. Ally will generally assist CARICOM with integrating the perspectives of young people into national, regional and international policy. Appointed 16 September, 2016, Ms. Ally is ecstatic about her new assignment.

Interviewed by colleagues after the announcement, she said she’s been “involved in the youth movement and the volunteer youth sector for ten years now,” and “I thought it was about time I elevated my level of advocacy and my contribution to the youth movement — and I am quite pleased to have been selected.”  The new youth envoy aspires to make a valuable contribution to regional policy.

“I expect it to be a lot of work, because CARICOM deals with a lot of policy objectives not just for one country but for the entire Region…. I am hoping to make a valuable contribution—especially for the youth demographic—to whatever plans and programmes that CARICOM already has in place and wants to put in place,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ally has a page in local history: according to the GIS, she is the youngest — and only female — Saint Lucian and the second Saint Lucian (after late eminent jurist Sir Vincent Flossaic) to speak at the House of Lords. That also makes her the only Saint Lucian alive with that fitting tribute.

She joins fellow CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Charde Desir, as the island’s two representative on the regional youth ambassadorial body. Mr Desir is also Dean of the Caribbean Youth Ambassadors (CYA) and both Saint Lucia youth envoys are engaged in preparations for the Jounen Kweyol CARICOM Reparations Baton Relay and Youth Rally.