Fernando Lagares bets on concrete results for Dominican youth
The Vice Minister of Youth, Fernando Lagares, called for raising the level of public debate regarding policies aimed at the new generations, urging social and political sectors to prioritize tangible results over partisan differences. According to the official, the focus should be on creating real opportunities that allow young people to actively integrate into the country’s development.
Lagares emphasized that, although criticism is a healthy component of democracy, the most effective response to any questioning is constant work. The vice minister stressed that the Ministry of Youth is betting on programs where young people are not just recipients of policies, but protagonists of innovative solutions.
Territorial innovation: The case of the CREA RD program
One of the central pillars of this administration is innovation hackathons, such as the recent Smart Tourism and Digital Connectivity Hackathon held in the Yuma Region, La Romana. These sessions seek to address specific challenges of each geographical area through a comprehensive process that includes mentoring, training, and technical support.
What we are looking for is for young people to stop being just recipients of public policies and also become protagonists of the solutions. A hackathon is not simply gathering young people for a day; behind it, there is a process of support and development of projects with high potential.
Fernando Lagares, Vice Minister of Youth
A call for unity of efforts
Faced with the proliferation of similar initiatives promoted by other sectors, Lagares positively valued that academic, political, and business organizations are joining the task of listening to the youth. For the official, this is an indication that there is a consensus regarding the talent possessed by Dominican youth.
- Focus on solutions: The debate must move away from political competition and focus on the multiplication of opportunities.
- Active listening: Public policies must be born from the real needs detected in each territory.
- Continuous commitment: The Ministry of Youth will maintain its agenda of national tours to foster entrepreneurship and innovation.
Finally, Lagares reiterated that the government’s administration will remain open to constructive dialogue. The vice minister concluded that the success of this generation will not be measured by political discussions, but by the ability of the State and society to build an environment where young people can study, undertake projects, and transform their communities.
