Message to Haitian youth: "I see you, I understand you"
Haitian youth,
I address you today with profound emotion. If I write to you at the end of this year, it is not out of obligation, but out of moral duty and civic responsibility. For among all the components of our society, you are the ones who, against all odds, have done everything to ensure Haiti's survival.
You are not those who govern the country today. You are not those who hold the nation's wealth. On the contrary, you are the children of hardship, from the most impoverished segments of our society. And God knows how difficult life has become for you, to the point that even the middle class has nearly collapsed.
I observe you. I see you through social media. You are the influencers, the commentators. You are in my church, in my community. You are Catholic, Protestant, Vodou practitioners, or sometimes have no religious beliefs at all…
But you are the living soul of the Haitian nation.
Youth of my country, you are the footballers who allowed us to breathe the pride of a spectacular qualification last November 18th, while the leaders plunged us into shame. You are our singers who represent Haiti throughout the world, our rappers, our brilliant artists. You are these talented and courageous women. Be proud of yourselves. Proud to continue believing in a new Haiti.
You are the young people in displaced persons camps, staying with a friend, a relative, or even a stranger; you were forced to flee your homes because of the violence. You are those who lost a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a loved one—often the only hope of an entire family—this past year. You are the generations who have not known peace for more than twenty years.
You have been driven from your own land. You are those generations of the diaspora in Chile, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. How many of you have been killed, raped, humiliated, and mistreated crossing border after border in search of a better life? I imagine, with a heavy heart, your tears, your suffering, and your trauma. Even today, many of you live with stress and uncertainty in the face of new immigration policies. But despite everything, you continue to believe in life. You are the pure expression of resilience, a strength worthy of 1804.
You have suffered so many disappointments. And yet, despite everything, you continue to dream. You are those courageous motorcyclists, those street vendors who ask for only one thing: the bare minimum, demanding nothing more from the State than the right to live with dignity.
You are also—and I say this with pain—the cannon fodder of an irresponsible political system. Used, manipulated, sacrificed by politicians concerned only with preserving their power and comfort. You are those armed, desperate young people, driven to violence by the negligence, incompetence, and lack of courage of our leaders.
I see you and I understand you!
Without ordering you to do anything, I tell you this: it is never too late to lay down your arms. For deep within you still lives a good Haitian, a son, a daughter of Toussaint Louverture, of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, of Henri Christophe, and of all those who proudly bequeathed us the land of Haiti. We all know it: Haitians are not wicked.
Some criticize you. But what would they say if they had inherited, like you, a country without the Champ de Mars, without the Place du Bicentenaire, without vacations in the provinces, without cinemas, without libraries—in short, without any leisure activities? A country where the future has become almost invisible.
Change comes from the people and their choices. The leaders of the past squandered your parents' potential. It is now up to you to make a difference. Today, you bear the historic responsibility of transforming everything and building a country where life is finally good, for everyone, without exception.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to tell you this:
I see you, I understand you, and above all, I have great hope in you!
Happy New Year 2026.
And above all: Stay strong, don't give up!
Pastor Julio Volcy
