The National Democratic Congress has said that should it be elected to government on July 8, it will begin its term in office with a major focus on youth.

Party leader Tillman Thomas and other NDC members urged thousands of youth at the La Sagesse Playing Field to support the National Democratic, which plans on launching a national music project and various types of training and certification initiatives to help young people.
 
"You are the future of the nation.  The future belongs to you,'' Thomas said in his address at Saturday's "Best of Grenada'' youth-oriented event at La Sagesse.
 
The event featured a lineup of wholly Grenadian artistes, and included the release of an NDC youth brochure which outlines the party's programmes for young people.
 
By launching the National Music Project, the aim will be to "convert gangs into bands and enable hundreds of young people to develop careers in music and entertainment to the level of the international sale of music,'' the NDC brochure said.
 
The party also promises specialized overseas training for youth in fields such as automatic transmission, electronics and air-conditioning, as well as a new Grenada Youth Upliftment Programme (GYUP).
 
"Our (GYUP) plan,'' the NDC said, "is to have all trainees registered under the National Insurance Scheme, with the government paying the standard contributions towards their future.  We will also ensure that everyone receives a proper certificate at the end of training.''
 
Thomas appealed to the youth – many ignoring intermittent showers to listen to the speakers and enjoy the entertainment – to "do what is right for Grenada'' and vote for the NDC at next week's poll.
 
"Remember, come July 8, we have to vote for change,'' Thomas said.  "Enough is enough.  NNP must go.  So vote the National Democratic Congress.  By voting for the NDC, you will be showing your preference for strength of character, social and spiritual upliftment and national unity.''
 
Kerry Frank, a member of the NDC's youth arm, echoed the sentiments of Thomas.
 
"The best you can do for the country is to vote in the National Democratic Congress into government,'' said Frank, immediate past president of the Democratic Youth Organisation.  He was recently succeeded as president by Dr. Pemba Braveboy.
 
Ingrid Jackson, the NDC candidate for St. George North West, said everything in the youth brochure was done in consultation with young people across Grenada.
 
"We went out and we surveyed the young people to find out what it is they needed,'' she said.