Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Youths being engaged in constitutional reform

Youths being engaged in constitutional reform

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has indicated that there is a provision in place for youths to be engaged with the ongoing constitutional reform process.
Premier Wheatley shared at a recent press conference that launched the review process that he has been encouraging groups that include young persons to to engage the commission.

“I reached out to H Lavity Stoutt Community College and I had a discussion with the president about having a group of students come and schedule meetings with the commission. So, I expect that that will be happening over the next couple weeks or so,” the Premier said

Chair of the Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC), Lisa Penn-Lettsome, said an introductory meeting was held with House of Assembly (HOA) members where persons were reminded to get the word out.

In addition to the scheduled public meetings for the constitutional review, she explained that several slots were made available for the month of November for persons to schedule an appointment to meet with commissioners on a one-on-one basis. “So that was enlightening for members and so that was an area where we were able to benefit from and a number of them are mobilising young persons to come and meet with us,” the Penn-Lettsome added.

According to the Chair, members of the commission will also try to reach out to the youth parliament. “We’ve been in contact with someone who is responsible for that arm and so I think once things get in motion more and more, yes, we we will (involve youth). We’re going to try to reach out to the schools. But we have to take it one step at a time, but we’re getting there.”

Great implications

Premier Wheatley said the commission has been very organised and has established a website and made themselves very accessible at Maria’s by the Sea.

“It’s really the young persons who will have to be governed by this constitution,” Dr Wheatley said.

Premier Wheatley said the next constitution has great implications for what the Virgin Islands will look like in the future and advised that persons who want to have a say in shaping what the Virgin Islands looks like have to get engaged in the process.

“That’s why we’re here today to admonish you. Young people, take a little time and pay attention to this constitution because this constitution can be something that can, potentially confound you if there are provisions in it which don’t agree with what you want to see. Or it can certainly be a constitution that will allow you to meet your dreams, your goals, your aspirations and really that’s up to us,” the premier said.

Youth should worry

In the meantime, Opposition Leader Julian Fraser said youths needed to start worrying about being involved with the process since it was crucial to their future.

“Those young people that we talking about right now as we speak, they are probably thinking about Friday evening and what they’re going to do between now and Monday. Let them know that there’s more to life than just that,” Fraser said. “Don’t look at us as we carrying the burden, that we carrying the load and they don’t have to worry. No, they have to worry. They have to start getting worried, getting involved.”

The Opposition Leader further expressed that there is not going to be another review in the near future.

“I think that this commission is smart enough to do a futuristic and comprehensive constitutional review,” he noted. “We can write a constitution that is so futuristic that there will not be a need for some review 10 years from now, 15 years from now, 20 years from now. So let’s get our people involved. Let them know what they’re doing, what they’re coming to; coming out to do.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×