Registration Now Open for UNDP ‘Ready Set Great’ Youth Conference

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi Country Office in Jamaica says that registration is now open for its third annual ‘Ready Set Great’ youth in development conference.

The conference will tackle youth poverty on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, commemorated globally on October 17 each year.

Persons interested in attending the conference may register at www.readysetgreatja.com.

The event, which has always been hosted virtually, will take on a hybrid approach this year.

Persons who are interested in participating in the conference and are unable to attend in person, due to limited spacing, will have the opportunity to go online via multiple platforms.

The conference will see youth delegates discussing issues and arriving at solutions related to youth poverty and finalise a call to action.

It will also feature sessions tailored to help youth with a heart for social causes, activism, and social enterprises to navigate the unique challenges faced by youth in this field and strengthen their capacity to serve.

The day’s activities will conclude with the UNDP’s third annual Development Challenge, a pitch competition for university students with innovative solutions to advance Jamaica’s national development priorities, which are aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For this activity, each team, comprising four members, will have five minutes to convince delegates and the judges that theirs is the winning pitch.

Delegates will then vote for their favourite with the cumulative votes counting as part of the final decision.

The top team will be awarded paid internships at the UNDP Multi Country Office in Jamaica, while the first and second runners-up will be awarded prizes.

The Steering Committee leading the implementation of Ready Set Great includes representatives from the UNDP, Planning Institute of Jamaica, Vision 2030 Secretariat, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Research (SALISES), Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Youth for Excellence Limited, Youth Inspiring Positive Change Jamaica, Young Women and Men of Purpose, Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students, and the Caribbean Youth Climate Justice Coalition.

The youth demographic is one of several groups targeted for services under the UNDP Multi Country Office’s Country Programme 2022-2026, having been identified as requiring urgent support to strengthen their social resilience and inclusion.

The programme aims to contribute to national efforts to reduce multidimensional poverty.