Phael Lander has gained the confidence of his peers as he emerged as the winner for the post of President of the National Youth Council of Dominica (NYCD).
The election took place over the weekend.
Youth leaders have spoken and have elected a new NYCD executive, led by Phael Lander. The National Youth Council hosted its General Assembly on Saturday March 18th 2023 at the Cabrits National Park where 112 registered youth delegates were in attendance at the
event.
From the pool of 26 candidates with three (3) floor nominations, a new chair and leadership team for the Youth Council for 2023-2025 include:
President Phael Lander; 46 votes
First (1st) Vice President Keanu Winston; 44 votes
Second (2nd) Vice President Wendy Wallace; 70 votes
Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Tina Alfred; 58 votes
Communications Lead Jermasha Mellow; 40 votes
Executive Committee Members Shemar Anil Etienne; 43 votes Stephina Martin; 37 votes.
In his victory speech, President-elect Phael Lander expressed his heartfelt thanks for the display of faith in him. He extended words of gratitude to the outgoing executive board citing that “this is not goodbye, but a mere see you soon”. Lander also cautioned the incoming
Executive advising them of the many expectations to come. “You take on a responsibility by taking this position, one that should not be taken lightly or carried out carelessly.”
Lander has declared ‘Our Council, Our Youth, Our Future’ as his theme for his tenure as president, citing that “it is time to go back to basics” and that it would take a concerted effort to execute everything that the youth would like to achieve. Lander ended by highlighting, “2023 promises to be a year of renewal and revitalization for youth, I cannot do it alone. I am calling on you, the youth of Dominica, to join me, and together let’s turn the page of this book to the next chapter and may we write a story that will forever be told!”
The Electoral Committee enforced a virtual ballot through Election buddy where 76 voters submitted ballots of the 112 registered voters. The voting period started from 1:15 p.m. and extended through 1:45 p.m. and all eligible voters received their ballot through the online voting tool. President McDougall cited that “onboarding the NYCD’s General Assembly to the virtual platform posed great advantages including increased efficiency, improved accuracy and voter engagement compared to the traditional paper system. While opponents to a virtual platform may argue against its transparency, the virtual tool we employed for this election offers transparency features to include an audit. The Electoral Committee had no objections to the process of the election and audited the results prior to the announcement of the winners.”
The outgoing Executive announced a 3-month transition period which will allow for the transfer of Executive power to the new team, McDougall said “there were many changes this Executive sought to implement after the 2020 election, including allowances for proper
transitions, financial policies and procedures and operations protocol. Over the next few weeks we will help to familiarize the incoming Administration with the operations of the executive branch, and develop a comprehensive policy platform. The importance of a
well-organized, coherent transition has been underscored by our own experiences therefore, this is critical to prevent disruptions that can create vulnerabilities to the organization and its partnerships. It is fair to state that I have created a blueprint and elevated a new standard for the National Youth Council and to ensure this is maintained across generations to come, we need frameworks that can prepare the incoming Executive to continue seamlessly.”