Executives Of NYCJ To Be Elected March 29-30

Members of youth clubs and youth organisations, who are registered with the National Youth Council of Jamaica (NYCJ), will have an opportunity to elect their executives at the national and parish levels on March 29 and 30.

An independent body, the NYCJ is the umbrella organisation for youth clubs across Jamaica.

It seeks to foster youth participation at the community level, and advocate for youth participation at all levels of governance through providing assistance in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of government policy regarding youth.

Speaking with JIS News recently, Acting Senior Director in the Youth and Adolescent Policy Division, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Jamie-Ann Chevannes, said six executives will be elected to serve the Council at the national level, while five will be elected to serve at the parish level, including the Portmore Municipality – which is a total of 75 executives.

Nomination is now open and will close on Tuesday, March 9 at 11:59 p.m.

Ms. Chevannes said that the NYCJ consists of youth between the ages of 18 and 27 from varying backgrounds, which is best described as a melting pot of young persons across the nation.

She explained that the parish executives are persons on the ground who work with the national executives to coordinate youth clubs and community-based youth organisations, and help to develop the capacity and the organisational structure of these groups.

They also work together to formulate projects and programmes that benefit youth at the community level.

She pointed out that although the NYCJ is an independent body, it gets support from the Education Ministry, because the Ministry believes in engaging the youth at all levels of the society.

“We develop training for them, put them in touch with other stakeholders to ensure that they have the technical capacity needed as young persons to assist with their personal and professional development. We take a wholesome approach in developing the capacities of our young people,” Ms. Chevannes said.

The elections will be held virtually due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the Disaster Risk Management Act protocols.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) will oversee the elections along with a representative of National Integrity Action (NIA), to ensure that the elections are done within the confines of the NYCJ’s Constitution.