Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn is advocating for the reinstatement of the Virgin Islands Emerging Fellows Grant, saying the youth development program should never have been removed from the Ministry of Education’s portfolio.
Walwyn, who previously served as Minister for Education, emphasized the program’s role in providing professional development opportunities for promising young Virgin Islanders between 2012 and 2017.
“The program provided an opportunity for persons of exceptional promise to really get professional training to help hone their skills,” Walwyn said. He noted that more than 40 young people who benefited from the initiative are now successful professionals across various industries in the British Virgin Islands.
The former minister criticized the current lack of support for young adults, particularly those aged 18 to 29. “There’s greater concentration, yes, on primary and secondary education,” Walwyn said, “but what happened to those persons who have left school?”
The grant program previously served as a structured pathway for parents and community members to access public funding supporting youth development. According to Walwyn, its primary objective was developing future territorial leaders.
The territory’s youth policy defines young people as those aged 15 to 29, but Walwyn contends current programs leave a significant gap in support for post-secondary development.