THE BOTTOM/UTRECHT—The Saba Youth Council is on a working visit in the Netherlands and on Tuesday, July 5, the delegation went to the Utrecht City Hall to meet their colleagues of the Utrecht Youth Panel, Young Minds Utrecht, Members of the Municipal Council and State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen.

In the company of their mothers and coaches Lauren Risley and Gerald Simmons-de Jong, the six members of the Saba Youth Council, Billie Jean Rodriguez, Jade Every, Amanda Clarke, Zakiya Lake, Vernisha Robinson and Bernardo Baker gathered at Utrecht’s City Hall in the afternoon, eager to meet their peers from Utrecht, the Municipal Council Members and the State Secretary.

Six members of Young Minds Utrecht Anissa, Abe, Tom, Barteld, Serge and Adna, their coach Jennifer Lekkerkerker and Mieke Tiwon of the Municipality Utrecht, were there to receive the Sabans, and the group went straight into a get acquainted exercise. 

Similar

The youngsters concluded that even though they were from different parts of the world, they shared more similarities than differences. “We talked about what we both do. We both organize events for the youth, but Saba works more with projects, while we work more with policies,” said Anissa of Young Minds Utrecht.

Split up in small groups, the youngsters brainstormed on ways how to increase youth participation.