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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
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.
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