What is an Educated Youth?

So first a warm welcome to all my readers. I mainly started this blog to highlight issues in my country of Trinidad and Tobago and to propose solutions to these issues. I mainly aim to center it around the perspective educated youth of the nation because in addition to being a member of this demographic, I believe us to be one of the most oppressed groups in Trinidadian society. As you will read from my posts on this blog, our situation is virtually hopeless. However there needs to be some groundwork laid prior to delving deeper into the issues facing us.

In order to understand why the educated youth are oppressed, we must first define the term. The educated youth can be considered a distinct subset of the Trinidad and Tobago population. They can be described as young people (below the age of 35) who have attained at least an undergraduate level of education (Bachelor's Degree) and who possess the knowledge and critical thinking skills associated with this educational achievement that surpasses the national average by a significant degree. Simply put, they are our thinkers, our innovators, the ones who should be held in high regard by society, but are not.

Another defining, though not distinct, characteristic of this demographic subset it that they belong to the first generation to be born entirely free of European colonial rule. Their parents and grandparents on the other hand were either born under British colonial rule or in the transitional period immediately preceding it where British colonial influence was still strongly felt.

Thanks to programs like the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) this demographic group has drastically increased in size in the past decade. The current generation likely has a higher proportion of highly-educated individuals in it than previous generations. While one would assume this to be a good thing, in practice it has not worked out so well for the educated youth of the nation. One could consider them an oppressed minority given the way they are treated by society. They are marginalized on economic, social and political grounds.

What makes matters worse, is that no one in power is standing up for us. No one in a position of political influence cares enough to address the serious issues facing the educated youth. Even our older relatives either do not recognise or attempt to downplay our struggles. We often called, "lazy," or, "entitled," and blamed entirely for our own situation. The depressing reality that faces the educated youth of this nation, is not a matter of national importance.

It is my hope that this blog will highlight these issues in greater detail, attract like-minded individuals and maybe influence some sort of change. A warning though that some of my posts may evoke feelings of offense or controversy among some readers. Please note that I will not be entertaining any criticism of my views. This is a channel to highlight the plight of an oppressed group of people. We already face criticism when trying to bring these issues into the national discussion, so this blog will seek to protect us from it.

So with this brief introduction and definition aside, I invite you to read on.

Thanks for Reading,
Barindra