Nicholas Morris UN Youth Leader
Before and ever since he graduated from Hillview College in Tunapuna as its valedictorian in 2009—receiving ten out of the 14 awards—Nicholas Morris showed his leadership qualities that have propelled him to the limelight on the youth leadership front today. Among the awards he received at that graduation ceremony were Student Making The Most Significant Contribution to College Life, Principal’s Gold Medal for Top Performing Student and Award for Promoting School and School Values.
In that vein of leadership, and at the young age of 24, he has risen through the ranks of a number of organisations and delegations. Most recently, he was commended by the United Nations (a commendation which he proudly showed off to the Sunday Guardian) for his leadership and commitment towards ensuring youth engagement and development…a vision for ensuring a place, plan and purpose for the youth, which led to UN Habitat officially appointing him to be UN youth co-ordinator of the My World 2015 Campaign and Youth 21 Initiative in the entire Caribbean.
UN Habitat analyses and studies human settlement patterns, and develops methods for controlled settlement with the preservation of the environment in mind.
In November 2013, young Morris led the youth delegation from T&T to the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) Youth Forum where he led the sessions on Education and Technical and Vocational Skills. He has represented T&T three consecutive times as the nation’s delegate to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Youth Forum from the period 2009 to 2013: Trinidad—2009, Australia—2011, Sri Lanka—2013. As the UN youth co-ordinator of the My World 2015 Campaign and Youth 21 Initiative, Morris’s first agenda was to attend the World Youth Conference in Sri Lanka very recently, inclusive of ministers and governments, where he presented and represented the Caricom Youth Position in the interest of the Caribbean Region.
He is responsible for creating a system for sustainable youth engagement in the Caribbean as well as establishing a permanent forum on youth issues in the Caribbean, so it would be reflected globally and in the United Nations.
This means he has to examine all the youth systems of the Caribbean to ensure they are working towards development and establishing the development goals set by the United Nations and the UN Habitat programme. His second duty is to ensure the Caribbean youth is actively involved in the UN My World post 2015 agenda, which is a global survey being conducted by the United Nations to develop the new Millenium Development Goals. He has to ensure that at least 60 per cent of the Caribbean’s youth are involved in this process by ensuring each Government’s support along with importance of the project. Morris is currently the youngest ministerial adviser in T&T, serving as adviser to Attorney General Anand Ramlogan. Before assuming the office as adviser to the AG, he served as personal assistant to the Minister of Food Production Devant Maharaj. At 19, Morris became one of the youngest directors of a state company in the Caribbean region when he was appointed a director of Ytepp Ltd (Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme).
He is serving his second term as youth arm chairman and youth officer on the national executive of the United National Congress, and he has served two terms as youth parliamentarian, first in 2008 and then in 2010 as Youth MP and Youth Minister of Education in the 7th Regional Youth Parliament. He has served as research officer in the Office of the Prime Minister from July 2011 to June 2012. His latest thrust locally is the formation of a ‘Youth Cricket For Life’ league following his recent ‘Youth Football For Life’ initiative…..READ MORE