Social Transformation Minister – Hensley Daniel
Charlestown, Nevis
January 7, 2009
Parents of Nevis have been reminded that the responsibility for the survival and production of their society rests with them. The reminder came on Wednesday January 7, 2009 from Deputy Premier and Minister of Youth Affairs, Social Development, Culture, Health, Community Development and Social Services, the Honorable Hensley Daniel, as he announced plans for the designation of the year 2009 as the year of the family.
The Social Transformation Minister said the quality of society is in the hands of parents.
“Parents hold the keys to the country, not business men, not business tycoons, not wealthy lawyers, not doctors, parents hold the key.”
“There was a saying that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. parents hold the key to economic and social development, that’ the message!” he said.
Minister Daniel, in spelling out the objectives of the “Year of the Family” programme, observed that one of the major challenges facing the Caribbean at this time was the issue of continuing anti-social behaviour among young people. This, he said, necessitated preventative and creative action.
“What we are fortunate in Nevis to have is that we can do a wide range of prevention programs, and that’ where we are going to be having most of our efforts. We are going to be dealing with prevention programs because we still have that society that expects us [government] to deal with the prevention programs.
“The young people of the country must know that there is a wide range of programs in our ministry through which they can develop. Of course we have had a program of training people”¦.and human resource development is our mmantra, education is at the very top of our party and government and we are going to continue that focus.
He stressed that the programme would place great emphasis on the strategic targeting of young people.
“There is a group of young people between the ages of 17 and 25 which we need to bring into the main stream of community and social activity. There is a group of young people between 11 and 17 who are at adolescence contending off course or on course. Everything has to do with how we work with the four agents of social control”.
“The family, the school, the church and the communities; those four units of social development must inform our approach. That is why we want to designate this year, the Year of the Family. The smallest unit of society and if the family spins out of control, it’ clear that the families are out of control,” Mr. Daniel said.