(Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 29, 2013) They sing joyously – sometimes in unison, sometimes solo – and they craft rhymes that they then share with crowds.
Chanting slogans and pointing out all that the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has accomplished, young Labour supporters are making their presence felt nation-wide.
Part of a knowledge-based society, they know their country’s history.
Their passion is fueled by facts and their exuberance by their awareness of contrasts: Contrasts between the lives of their grandparents and the lives of their parents; and contrasts between the lives of either of those two generations and the lives that are now their own.
And they will tell you that all of the major structural changes – the right to vote; education for all; social security; university loans and scholarships; homeownership for the common man; computers in the nation’s homes; more land for farmers – was due 100% to Labour; and resisted 100% by those who have always fought Labour as well.
They will tell you they are now free to dream, and equipped – though the Government’s education policies – to make these dreams come true.
Fiercely proud to be “children of Labour”, they call themselves “Labour Pikney Dem” and make it clear that they have no intention of allowing Labour’s countless and historic accomplishments to be either overlooked or undone by anyone.
Whether at the massive Friday afternoon rallies that Labour has been holding at Basseterre’s Bank Street or in similarly packed meetings all throughout the countryside, these young Labour supporters’ confidence and optimism are palpable, and their dedication to party, resolute.
Whatever young people may be doing elsewhere in the world, these young people are focused on something other than themselves; they are energized to help build their country, and they are showing the world that they care.