International Youth Day (IYD) is observed globally on August 12 each year to raise awareness on issues that affect youth. The theme of this year’s IYD is “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Production and Consumption.” More than 500 million youth worldwide live in poverty and lack access to vital resources to secure their basic needs. Available...

The National Commercial Bank (NCB) has been creating opportunities for the youth to revolutionise the banking industry, through its inaugural Innovation Internship Programme. The programme saw 15 Jamaicans studying at universities locally and overseas contributing some 400 ideas over a five-week period, on how the banking industry in the country can be transformed. Senior General Manager, Group Human Resources and...

Female entrepreneurs in Jamaica are to benefit from a Caribbean-wide funding campaign aimed at assisting them to raise capital for their business ventures. The campaign, dubbed FundRiseHER, was launched recently at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston. It seeks to raise US$1 million to benefit 50 women entrepreneurs from at least 10 Caribbean countries. This will be done through...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is urging Jamaicans to be more loving, caring and understanding towards children. He made the appeal, while addressing the Independence Day grand gala at the National Stadium in Kingston on August 6, where he called for an end to violence against children. “Please don’t hurt our children, protect them from the storm. Help...

Executive Director of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF), Dr. Zoe Simpson, says evidence from the centre’s recruitment activities is suggesting a decline in pregnancy among adolescent teens. “We have not done the empirical research; however, by virtue of the fact that we recruit on the ground at the health centres and hospitals, we are not interfacing with as...

The Youth in Agriculture (YIA) village, to be set up at this year’s Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, will focus on entrepreneurship among young farmers. The village, themed ‘My Dream: Agripreneurship’, is an added feature at this year’s show, which will be held on the Denbigh Showgrounds in May Pen, Clarendon, from July 30 to August 1. An initiative...

The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) is moving to certify the 2,513 early-childhood institutions (ECIs) that have applied to be registered. Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says 17 have already been certified and that the ECC is reviewing the applications of the remaining 2,496 institutions. Under the Early Childhood Act and Regulations of 2005, all ECIs...