NASSAU, The Bahamas – During his remarks at the Office of The Prime Minister’s “Step Up!” Pep Rally, anti-crime rally, and expo, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis told the hundreds of male students in attendance that he understood “what it’s like to be underestimated, because of who you are, what you look like, where you come from, what your family has or doesn’t have.”
“And I want you to know another thing: that I don’t underestimate any of you,” Prime Minister Davis said during the event held at the Kendal G. L. Isaacs National Gymnasium, on March 4, 2024. “In fact, not only do I see your strength, I’m counting on it; but we’ll get to that in a moment.”
Among those sharing words of encouragement to the students were Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna Martin; Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture Mario Bowleg; His Excellency Sebastian Bastian, and anti-crime activist Pastor Carlos Reid. Also in attendance were: Minister of Labour and the Public Service the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle; senior education officials; representatives of the uniformed armed forces; and other youth stakeholders. There were also video presentations from professional athletes Kai Jones and Ambassador-at-Large for Sports and Cultural Advancement Chavano “Buddy” Hield.
Prime Minister Davis added: “You may have seen me around in your neighborhoods, talking to your grammies and your cousins and whoever else wants to tell their Prime Minister what my government is doing well – and, of course, what we are doing wrong – and where we’re falling short.”
He noted that [the walk-through] was always an educational experience for him because “we Bahamians never seem to run out of strong opinions.”
“So I’ve been lucky to be able to talk with some of you,” Prime Minister Davis stated. “And I know some of what you’re going through — and what you’re hoping for, and the obstacles that are standing in your way.”
He continued” “I am not here to tell you that those obstacles aren’t real, or that the government can remove all of them, or that you can overcome all of them with a good attitude.
“I respect you too much to tell you that.”
Prime Minister Davis noted that it was true that a lot of good people were working hard, inside and outside of government, to help them find the opportunities they deserve; but it was also true that “we can’t go back in time, and erase the fact that some of you have had to grow up too fast, with heavy burdens that you should not have had to carry.”
“While we wish for you peaceful homes and peaceful streets, and while we are working hard for change, for too many of you, that is simply not your reality today,” he said.
“And while we have made progress in The Bahamas, the truth is, too many people are still operating from prejudice, without respecting you as individuals who deserve to be judged on your merits and strengths,” Prime Minister Davis added.
Prime Minister Davis told the students present that, if they thought that plenty of things about life were not fair, he was not here to contradict them.
“But I am going to ask you to be optimistic, be brave, and strong, anyway,” he said.
Prime Minister Davis added: “That’s because I want for each of you what I want for my own sons – I want you to make the most of your talents, I want you to live lives of purpose, and I want you to be surrounded by the love and affection and respect you deserve – all of you deserve.”
He stated, the truth was that the nation could not build a better country or a better future without their strength.
“We need your energy. We need your creativity. We need your ideas and imagination,” Prime Minister Davis said. “We need you to step up, as a new generation of Bahamians, to help us build a stronger, more dynamic economy.”
“In this fast-changing world, we need you to learn everything you can about technology and innovation; and then use what you know to power progress across our islands,” he added.
“We need you to step up – even if the ladder seems very steep.”
Prime Minister Davis said that he was asking the students to not just think about personal ambition, but of The Bahamas’ shared national ambition, too.
He stated: “You may be young, but you have already lived through times of great disruption. You have seen the destruction of a Category 5 Hurricane Dorian. You know that guns and drugs and viruses can cross borders.”
Prime Minister Davis noted that he spends a lot of time standing up for The Bahamas in global forums, because while some of its problems are home-grown, plenty of those problems come from outside, too.
“For example, climate scientists tell us that even if countries keep all their promises to reduce carbon emissions, we are still, as a country, in for a rough ride in the coming years, with hurricanes made stronger and more destructive by warming oceans,” he said.
“Minister Bowleg and his team did an excellent job launching our country’s first National Youth Guard, because we recognized that we needed our strongest citizens – our young people — to protect and rescue Bahamians during the intense storms we know are coming,” Prime Minister Davis stated.
“We are not going to count on outside help. Instead, we’re going to count on you.”
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that he hoped that the students would consider becoming a part of the initiative.
“It’s a way to gain important skills for your own careers, while training to serve on the front lines during this new climate era,” he said.
“I’m working hard to change things in this country – but the changes you make in your own lives are going to be just as central and consequential for our country as any laws we can pass,” he added.
Prime Minister Davis told the students that the barriers they faced were real; but, that day he was challenging them to believe that their capacity to overcome them was also real.
“Set aside whatever hardships or mistakes or imperfections were present in your first chapter of life, and know that with God’s grace, there are still many more chapters ahead for you,” Prime Minister Davis said.
“You don’t have to see all the way into the future – in fact, in five and ten and twenty years, many of you will be doing work we can’t even imagine today, in professions that don’t even exist in 2024,” he added.
“You don’t have to see all the way up the ladder – just keep doing the next right thing, just keep stepping up that ladder.”
