Hundreds Expected to attend Commonwealth Day Youth Forum and Model Assembly

Hundreds of young people are expected to converge at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on Monday (March 14), for the inaugural Commonwealth Day Youth Forum and Model Assembly.

The event, organised by the Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programme, is in observance of International Commonwealth Day, under the theme: ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth’.

Secondary school students, members of youth groups and youth-led organisations from across the island are scheduled to attend.

Youth Ambassador of Jamaica to the Commonwealth, Tijani Christian, told JIS News that the forum will entail a robust discussion session, where young people will “share in inclusive dialogue to inform the decision-making process and to empower them to realise their fullest potential.”

He informed that the Model Assembly will take the form of a competition where each participating group will represent a member state of the Commonwealth.

Each group will be required to make a presentation on behalf of their assigned country on the theme: ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth: Youth Fulticipation in a Diverse and Innovative Global Society’. Prizes will be awarded to the best speaker and the most innovative presentation.              

“Since this is the first year that an event of this nature will take place locally, we expect strong engagement and participation from the young people,” Mr. Christian said.

He told JIS News that the objective is to “re-socialise the mindset of the youth to understand the value of the Commonwealth and how much we have benefited as it relates to  Jamaica on a whole and particularly in the area of youth development.”
“Inclusiveness and youthfulness are distinctive characteristics of the Commonwealth therefore, as young people, we want to commemorate the legacy and the sustainable development of Commonwealth Nations,” he noted.

The Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programme aims to promote youth advocacy, facilitate youth participation in decision-making, and develop positive role models for Jamaica’s young people.

The initiative has produced a number of youth leaders, who have represented youth issues at the national, regional and international levels. The Youth Ambassadors are installed by the Governor-General and they serve for two years.

The portfolio responsibilities of the Youth Ambassadors include CARICOM, Commonwealth and the United Nations General Assembly.

Major partners for the staging of the Youth Forum and Model Assembly are: British High Commission; Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; Royal Commonwealth Society of Jamaica; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; and the National Secondary Students’ Council.