The National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD), the youth division in the Ministry of Youth & Culture was established in the year 2000 as the Government department with responsibility for young people aged 15 – 24 years throughout the island.
NCYD is responsible for facilitating the co-ordination and integration of programmes, service and activities geared towards youth development, and recommending and designing programmes to enhance and propel youth development.
The primary functions of the Centre are:
- Policy Formulation and Strategic Planning
- Programme Development Multi-Sectoral Coordination
- Research
- Information Dissemination
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Programme Management
- Operation Phoenix (Construction & Management of Youth Information Centres)
- Empowerment and Participation
- National Secondary Student’s Council
- Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programme
- Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students
- National Youth Council of Jamaica
- Youth Month