Draft National Youth Policy to be ready by August 2012

KINGSTON — A draft of the new National Youth Policy should be available by August 2012 after approval by Cabinet. 

The findings of the 2010 Jamaica National Youth Survey will inform the revision of the existing Youth Policy and give insight into developmental models and programmes for Youth.

This was revealed by Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Senator Warren Newby at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank session held at the agency’s head office in Kingston this week.

Senator Newby said extensive consultations and in-depth analysis of the findings of the youth survey will take place before the policy is developed. He said that a series of workshops will be held to address the findings and challenges presented by the survey.

“The last youth policy was developed through extensive consultation and that is the same strategy that is going to be employed with this particular one but in this instance, we have had the benefit of collecting empirical data to review the current policy and that will form the basis for the revaluation and formation of the new policy,” he said.

The Youth Survey released in June by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica was commissioned by the Government under the Youth Development Programme loan agreement signed with the Inter-American Development Bank. Specific focus was placed on youth living and working on the street as well as youth in state care, entrepreneurial and employment opportunities, spirituality and values and unattached youth.

The survey was conducted with youth between 15 and 24 years and examined their economic and social well-being, in addition to the six focal areas already highlighted by the existing Youth Policy, mainly: Health, education, care and protection, and living environments.

Addressing the findings of the survey, Senator Newby said that it will influence the decisions that are being made in developing the youth mainstreaming strategy.

“It assesses youth attitude towards government and towards service delivery in many different areas so it provides for coordinators of youth mainstreaming broad data from which they can make judgment calls as to how to structure the mainstreaming programme,” he said.

By E. HARTMAN RECKORD, JIS Reporter