Youth And Adolescents Policy Division Launches NYP Creative Competition

The Youth and Adolescents Policy Division (YAPD) of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information recently launched the National Youth Policy (NYP) Creative Competition.

The competition is part of the continued thrust by the Ministry to increase public awareness on the intended outcomes of the revised NYP among key stakeholders, particularly “you/th” as the main target group.

Acting Policy Analyst in the YAPD, Davey Haughton, said the goal of the competition is to encourage youth participation, engagement and to solidify them as a key partner in contributing to the improved outcomes of youth development initiatives in the country.

According to Mr. Haughton, the competition offers Jamaican youth the opportunity to express why one of the six National Youth Policy Goals is important to “you/th” and their responsibility in supporting the Government’s youth development initiatives in fulfilling the policy’s intended goals.

The six priority areas and goals outlined in the NYP are: Education and Training: Improve access to quality Secondary, Tertiary Education and Vocational Training Opportunities; Health and Well-Being: Increase access to sexual, reproductive, and mental health care services among youth cohort; and Employment and Entrepreneurship: Increase percentage of youth who have access to decent employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

There are also Youth Participation: Maximise youth participation in national and political decision-making processes; Social Inclusion and Re-integration: Minimise number of at-risk and vulnerable youth; and Institutional and Youth Sector Arrangements: Professionalised and strengthened youth sector Eligibility.

The competition is open to Jamaican youth (including Caribbean and other foreign youth residing in Jamaica) ages 15 to 29.  Participants are required to submit entries whether written, artistic or video using the link –https://forms.gle/a7zRw7iChtSCGG2r9.  Deadline for submission is Friday, January 14, 2022.

Mr. Davy said that shortlisted entries will be posted on @youthjamaica social media pages for the public to follow, like, and re-share their favourite creative entry in late December and this will run until January 30, 2022.

He added that the selection and award will be based on the posts with the most likes, shares/retweets on or before midnight on Friday, January 30, 2022.

The winning entries/pieces will also be featured on the Youth Innovation Centre’s website, social media, print material, and other media. Six first place winners will be selected per National Youth Policy Goal to receive tablets.

Mr. Haughton pointed out that an important facet of the Creative Competition is to instill a sense of agency and empowerment within our youth by ensuring they have a clear understanding of the policy by encouraging them to be active participants in its implementation.

“We encourage school administrators to promote this initiative within their student groups as a call to action for young people to showcase their talents and be active participants in the political process,” he said.

For further information, you may send email to davey.haughton@moey.gov.jm or by telephone at 876-922-1400, ext 6130 or 876-394-7452.