Regional Youth Academy: Preparing the unions’ successor generation
Named regionally as the Regional Youth Academy (RYA), the union training program for young workers is a follow through of the 2019 Global Activist Network Academy (GANA), which took place in Amsterdam and trained BWI young workers on the foundations of trade unionism, and local and international activism.
“The BWI youth in Latin America and the Caribbean Youth are working together to ensure trainings for young trade unionists who have more opportunities and platforms to defend labour rights both regionally and internationally. This is our commitment. We will leave no one behind,” said Eliéser Córdoba, President of the RYC in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Córdoba explained that the RYA is not only a follow up to the BWI Convergence 3 (Youth in Unions) and the trainings and youth empowerment actions of BWI’s Global Strategic Plan 2018-2021. He said that it also implements the BWI Regional Youth Committee (RYC) for Latin America and the Caribbean and its 2021-2022 Work Plan.
Under the RYA, young workers from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador and Curaçao will be trained based on the academy’s three modules and various feedback activities. Some of the topics to be discussed are the bases of regional unionism, new forms of work (revolution 4.0 and new technologies in the BWI industries), and how organizing the regional and international trade union movement.
Córdoba said that this is also part of the BWI LAC Youth’s preparation for the 5th BWI World Congress in 2022.