Progressive Youth Organisation of Guyana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Progressive Youth Organisation of Guyana is a youth organisation in Guyana, the youth wing of the People's Progressive Party.[1] The membership of Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) is predominantly Indo-Guyanese, like its mother party.[2]
The organisation was established in 1952, through a decision at the second party congress of PPP.[3] The name of the organisation at the time of its founding was the Pioneer Youth League of British Guiana.[4][5] Brindley Benn was the secretary of the organisation.[6] In February 1953, the Pioneer Youth League became an affiliate of the World Federation of Democratic Youth.[4] The Pioneer Youth League was banned by the British colonial authorities on December 15, 1953.[7][8]
In the early 1960s a split emerged in the PPP as Benn and others from the PYO led a black leftist revolt against the party leadership.[9][10] The young ideologues of PYO resisted the increasing Indo-Guyanese dominance of the party.[11] During the 1960s PYO developed a self-defence structure, as Guyanese politics became more violent. At the same time the Indo-Guyanese sector of PYO became more dominant within the organisation.[12] In 1964, during the four-month-long strike by the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (the PPP-aligned sugarcane workers' union) the PYO repeatedly clashed with the rival Young Socialist Movement.[13] Neville Annibourne was the PYO secretary at the time.[14] By 1962, 87.1% of PYO members were Indo-Guyanese. As of 1963, PYO had 92 branches with 813 members. Moreover the organisation had around 3,000 sympathizers.[15]
PYO organised different sporting and cultural activities, and built up libraries in many communities.[15]
The Student Council of the Progressive Youth Organisation was previously a member organisation of the International Union of Students.[16] Through the PYO, scholarships for Guyanese students for studies in the Socialist Bloc were distributed.[15]
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