Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Dr. Daniel Johnson; and 19CCEM Youth delegates enjoy an evening of dinner and dancing at the Balmoral Club on Sanford Drive, June 22. (BIS Photos/Gena Gibbs)
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NASSAU, The Bahamas -- Enjoying cultural diversity through music
was the atmosphere at the Balmoral Club, Monday, where youth participants in
the current 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers took
part in an evening of dinner and dancing.
Dr. Daniel Johnson, Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture, joined the
youth delegates for the Balmoral shindig and evening of getting to know one
another. That morning, he had officially
opened their 19CCEM Youth Forum, comprising 50 young people from 38
Commonwealth countries.
Dr. Johnson said, “All of the Education Ministers from within the
Commonwealth are in The Bahamas. Thirty years ago we had the ‘Nassau
Accord’ where, in the Nassau Accord, Mandela was the issue. We had
Thatcher here, Brian Mulroney, Gandhi and all of the major players in the
Commonwealth. And now, thirty years later we’re talking about education
and liberation, equity and fairness. What you’re seeing tonight is [the
work of] Minister Fitzgerald and the Commonwealth Secretariat -- they are doing
a special youth forum. These are youth representatives from every single
corner of the Commonwealth. Here in The Bahamas, we talk about what’s
coming next. We are looking now at a
very progressive agenda that includes young people,” said Dr. Johnson.
“Essential to our plan,” he added, “Minister Fitzgerald put out a
book called Who Are We? on the front
cover, Proud to be a Bahamian on the
back cover. But, in the middle there are 300 Bahamians on 200 pages that tell
our story. Every nation in this Commonwealth has a wonderful
story to tell. And, we want these young people to know their story.
That’s why I’m here and that’s what you’re seeing tonight. You’re telling
them their story in Bahamian words, but as you can see, they get it. They
get it,” said Dr. Johnson.
