On the morning of Saturday 14th March 2026, the Parlement Régional de Jeunes de L’Indianocéanie (PRJIO) hosted the first Youth Budget Talk in collaboration with the National Assembly of Seychelles. The event was hosted under the theme “How do young people experience and interpret the National Budget in relation to their everyday realities?” and was led by a panel comprised of PRJIO Members Ms. Camilla Cupidon, Mr. Steve Monnaie, Ms. Nadisha Malbrook, Mr. Fredo Dubel, and Ms. Elgin Crea, accompanied by Legal Drafter Ms. Angelique Juliette, and moderated by Ms. Ashley Dias.
The Speaker Hon. Azarel Ernesta had the honour of opening the event, sharing that this was simply the beginning of an ongoing commitment to ensuring the participation and enlightenment of youth in valuable national discussions. The principal aims of the interactive activity were to provide a safe and inclusive space for youths to express their perspectives, to encourage civic participation and youth empowerment in essential processes such as the national budget, and to translate technical financial knowledge into tangible realities with the assistance of key stakeholders, including the Minister for Youth and Sports Ms. Kalsey Belle, Governor of the Central Bank Ms. Caroline Abel, and Secretary of State for Finance Mr. Patrick Payet. The Speaker took the opportunity to express her thanks to the Deputy Clerk Ms. Alexandria Faure, for proposing the event and ensuring its smooth execution through the National Assembly Service.
Two questions were set forth to guide the discussions, as follows: “What expectations does this Budget create for young people, and to what extent do they feel those expectations are attainable?”, and “In what ways does the National Budget impact the social and environmental realities, as well as the opportunities that young people navigate in their daily lives?”. These questions sparked a series of interventions and interactive discussions, in which attendees including the Vice President H.E. Mr. Sebastien Pillay, Speaker Hon. Ernesta, Deputy Speaker Hon. Egbert Aglae, Leader of the Opposition Hon. Bernard Georges, Leader of Government Business Hon. Sylvanne Lemiel, and a wide variety of youth representatives participated actively. Topics ranged from the importance of environmental consciousness, the values of mentorship and guidance, a call for the inclusion of inner island representatives in decision-making processes, the accessibility of the language used in the budgetary process, and the values of technical financial education from a young age.
In his closing remarks, the Vice President expressed his pride in seeing such educated, and talented people, who can come together to resolve issues without polarisation or politicisation. All cross-cutting departments that make up our national governance have been touched on, and he called for more consistency and boldness in leading such conversations in order to produce tangible outcomes. He also emphasised the importance of driving changes and ensuring that we collectively implement change to ensure its effectiveness across all levels of society. Our growth as a country, has the capacity to be exponential as long as we come together and share our opinions in creating a way forward.
The successful event then closed with a commitment made for the National Assembly to continue serving its aims to educate the public, particularly through engaging the youth, and creating an informed and capable society.
