After my Generation: The state of youth affairs in Dominica

AFTER MY GENERATION is mainly about the generation after mine, the children born between 1975 and 1999, referred to as the ‘Millennial Generation’ or commonly called ‘Generation Y’. According to the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ‘Generation Y’ is the cohort of people born immediately after ‘Generation X’; usually children born from the late 1970s through the1990s. It is the generation that came of age during the Information Revolution centered on widespread adoption of the Internet. Generally speaking, this book is about how this generation, the last generation of people born in the past millennium, thinks and acts, adapts to a changing society, and how society responds to their way of life.
The book identifies some of the risk factors that affect young people in Dominica and the Caribbean and the cost to society. It considers the familial, economic, social, technological and psychological factors that impinge on youth development. It attempts to place the situation of Dominica’s youth in the largest possible context. The overall aim is to provide a platform for discussion in order that media practitioners, policy makers, youth providers, parents and youth themselves can make informed statements about issues pertaining to the youth.
The book chronicles my many years of experience working with young people in established and non-established groups. I had many opportunities to hear youth discuss the social issues affecting them. I also had the chance to organize programs to address some of their many concerns. Over the years, I have noticed new youth issues have emerged, others have become less relevant, and old ones have resurfaced. What I see tells me that lifestyles have evolved throughout the years. What I see tells me that the life of the Dominican and Caribbean youth is in turmoil. It is this experience working with youth that I have placed on paper in order to provide some insights.