New Speaker of Youth Assembly set to help youth access all available opportunities |03 July 2018
In April this year, it was announced that new members of the 15th cohort of the Seychelles National Youth Assembly (SNYA) had been elected, and that Roberto Ted Legaie, 23, a Police Officer by profession from Anse Aux Pins, was elected as Speaker by the other new members.
Early in May, the new cohort was officially launched and the new members took their oath during an inauguration ceremony at the same venue.
Mr Legaie explains that the SNYA is a non-political educational forum which aims to provide its members with the opportunity to nurture their knowledge, as well as enable them to develop their speaking skills.
He adds that his role as the new Speaker is “to guide the assembly through its deliberations, to stay connected with the issues that the youth are going through, and to find solutions for these problems”. As part of his oath, Mr Legaie stated that they are “driven by the common passion of building the future we want, a future that leaves no one behind”.
Mr Legaie is first and foremost intent on helping youth in Seychelles realise and feel that they matter, adding that the 15th cohort aims to show young people that cannot speak for themselves how to access all opportunities that are available to them, and to provide them with the necessary tools that they require.
He notes that the youth have the keys to unlock their full potential and to inspire their peers to do the same, however, there are many that are unaware of the opportunities available to them, such as the youth assembly itself and the district youth committee.
“This new generation thinks that they are alone even if there are many committees helping them, and even giving them opportunities. I want the youth that are in these committees to be more visible in their activities, and let the youth take part in it without excuse,” says Mr Legaie.
It is through appreciation, recognition and thoughtfulness in his own daily routine that Mr Legaie intends on gaining the trust of other young people, in order to achieve his objectives as an advocate for the youth.
He notes that the other members of the new assembly are key to achieving these same objectives, explaining that he has a great opportunity to work with 43 respectful, educated, confident and friendly members who are ready to participate at any moment he calls upon them.
Speaking about his own background, Mr Legaie says that following studies at Anse Aux Pins primary school and up until Secondary 3 (S3) at Pointe Larue school, he joined the Seychelles Police Academy (SPA) for two years, and completed a certificate in Policing before joining the Seychelles Police Force (SPF).
He explains that the SPA was one of his first choices for post-secondary training as he wanted to learn more about the law and on how to maintain it.
A quest to learn about and explore new things led him to join other organisations, including the Inspectorate Department of the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA), Ste Anne Resort and Constance Ephelia Hotel.
Realising that he wanted to continue maintaining the law, Mr Legaie was re-instated in the SPF where he is currently working at the Anse Aux Pins Police Station, following completion of one year as a Traffic Investigator at the Guard Room of the Airport Police Station.
Prior to his election as Speaker of the SNYA, he was also on the board of the District Youth Committee (DYC), sharing his ideas for resolving certain issues that youth in Seychelles are currently facing.
“I had wanted to join the youth assembly for quite some years, but I was engaged in lots of youth activities and committees in my district, and I also wanted to move forward in my job. 50% of the Anse Aux Pins community knows that I can speak for my district and for the youth in general; it is for this reason that I seized the opportunity and joined the SNYA,” says Mr Legaie.
To encourage other young people to join the assembly, Mr Legaie reminds them that their participation will help them look back one day in the future, and be proud of having shared their thoughts for those who could not. He advises all youth to “keep in mind that you are the future generation, you are needed, you are important”.
