Barbadian youth received a new financial boost on International Youth Day as the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) launched the island’s first National Youth Discounts Day and announced plans for a permanent digital youth discount card that would allow young people to access savings year-round.

The announcement was made during a ministerial press briefing at Beyond Sushi in Pelican Village, as part of an International Youth Day Road Show, which highlighted youth-owned businesses and partnerships with the private sector under the theme Supporting Wi Own!

More than 100 businesses signed on to offer discounts to people between the ages of 16 and 35, said BYDC president Caleb Brathwaite, describing the initiative as the beginning of a long-term programme to ease the financial burden on young people.