Recent Newspaper Article

The following is a recent newspaper article abour yours truly. It was written by Miss Edona Jno. Baptiste, a reporter with the New Chronicle Newspaper, just a few days after i was elected new President of the National Youth Council of Dominica. I replaced Kelver Darroux under strange circumstances and I must add that i had nothing to do with it, because everyone kept asking me what role i played in his resignation.

Anyways, the truth shall be revealed and the article is as follows:

Delroy Williams said he is focused on advancing the office of the National Youth Council (NYC) as the new President.

Williams has been involved in youth work since his high school days. He was dubbed ‘member of the month’ just a couple months after joining the Kiwanis Educating Youth Club at 13 years whilst attending the Dominica Grammar School.

Subsequently, he began partaking in more groups. He is a former President of the Bath Estate Youth group and was one of the volunteers for the Camp Rescue Londonderry Programme.

Williams who is presently the President of the Dominica Youth Environment Organisation (DYEO) Inc and the National Association of Youth in Agriculture (NAYA) said “I also love the environment so I try to tie the two of them. So right now a lot of my focus is on the environment, agriculture and youth work.”

Asked whether his two Presidential roles would be a conflict with his new position, he replied “I don’t see it as a conflict.”

“I see it as an opportunity to get the work done. These three agencies look at totally different things. The Youth Council is general; NAYA is more agriculture and DYEO is environment. DYEO and NAYA have more opportunities to collaborate [and] I have been trying that during my mandate, and my role in the NYC is to get those organisations even more active... If there’s conflict then conflict only brings about resolution and it is within my power and my grasp to ensure that everything goes well and that the organisations continue to develop as needs be,” he told The Chronicle in an exclusive interview.

Even so, Williams recognised it would be a challenge. But he is optimistic since he has dedicated persons supporting him on each of those organisations. “They have pledged their support,” he noted.

The NYC executive is not daunted by former President Kelver Darroux’s resignation, although Williams realised it has caused some instability amongst members. However, they are advancing with the planned agenda for the year.

“I am still a little in the dark although he told me that it was personal reasons. I’m awaiting his press conference as to his exact personal reason or reasons as to his departure from the NYC. We met [last Thursday) at the office of the Council and we had a nice discussion as to his reasons and [he said] now was the opportune time and he was not really stepping away but allowing somebody else to step up within the Council... he ruled that he will be giving as much support in his new line of work or line of focus... and of course the Council will be calling on Mr. Darroux because he’s still a person of a lot of contacts and a lot of resources,” the new NYC President stated.

Darroux sent his letter of resignation via e-mail last week to the Administrative Coordinator of the NYC.

According to Williams, the job of the President is to stabilise discouraged and de-motivated youths to strive for a universal goal. Within the NYC, that goal is youth development, according to him.

“My thing is that you should align yourself with positive activities as a young person. We all see what the negative can do and what it is doing to our nation. So as much as possible you align yourself with positive movements [and] ensure that you do not only develop in terms of education but in social development,” he said.

Williams called for support from Dominican youths as he endeavours to make NYC a positive agent for youth development.

His personal plan on the cards is the set up of a National Youth Credit Union. The NYC will also continue to revive the district youth councils and establish student councils since a number of them are dormant.