Gov’t Committed To Youth Engagement In Decision-Making

The Government continues to facilitate youth participation at all levels of decision-making, through initiatives such as the Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica (YACJ).

Launched in 2016 by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, the Council seeks to provide for continuous engagement of young people in the policy and programming actions of the Government of Jamaica.

This is through, among other things, advancing dialogue between young people and Government ministries, departments and agencies.

Currently, the Council has five Standing Committees to assist in executing its mandate. They are the Secretariat, Budget and Finance, Parliamentary Oversight and Coordination, Policy Review and Research, and Public Relations.

The third cohort of the Council was officially installed during a ceremony held recently at Jamaica House. The members will focus on achieving the Council’s objectives in relation to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and its departments and agencies, and Jamaica’s response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis.

The 12 members comprise six females and six males in alignment with guiding gender principles of the National Youth Policy. They were appointed in 2021 and will have their tenure extended until 2023.

They are co-chairs Orville Levy and Yanique Tracy, Aleisha Henry, Andrew Hinds, Andrew Johnson, Angelee Henry-Fennell, Javon Moatt, Nasalie Brown, Nicolas James, Rushane Ferron, Toni-Ann Mundle and Yanique Mendez.

Co-chair Tracy said that the Council will continue to “lead and advocate for initiatives that empower and educate the youth towards change and positive development”.

She noted that engagement with youth groups across the island has influenced initiatives such as a literacy programme and workshop, Vision 2030 symposium, empowerment sessions on youth employability skills, and a programme to address period poverty.

The Council has also hosted events such as youth vaccination campaigns, capacity-building workshops, a youth think tank, and the 12th sitting of the National Youth Parliament last year.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in delivering his charge to the YACJ members, urged them to bring new ways of thinking to finding solutions to the challenges the country faces.

“Advise the Government with new ways of thinking, with a global perspective. Don’t give the same advice that got us into the problems before. I want you to have a different perspective… as a Jamaican in the global community,” he noted.

He said that they should challenge the “old way of thinking”, as the country is at a “juncture of opportunity”.

The Prime Minister suggested that members could advocate for programmes that can attract and train unattached youth in the society, to achieve social and economic transformation.

“We could develop programmes for logistics and business process outsourcing, or apprenticeships, where persons receive a stipend for helping with digital transformation and other areas,” he pointed out.

Mr. Holness said the YACJ has an important role to play in supporting the Government in mainstreaming youth issues in national policies and development strategies.

He noted that the body acts as a steering committee of the National Youth Parliament, ensuring that the deliberations are presented to and discussed with relevant decision-makers.

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, said that the Ministry is committed to supporting the Council, and providing opportunities for members to “develop leadership capabilities to benefit the nation as a whole”.

She noted that the body represents an important strategy for making youth concerns and experiences “an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that youth benefit equally”.