YICs to be Rebranded

State Minister in the Education, Youth and Information Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green, says Youth Information Centres (YICs)  are to be restructured and rebranded to give youth a sense of meaning and belonging.

Making his 2016/17 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on June 8, Mr. Green said that existing YIC operations are being reviewed towards determining and ensuring relevance to contemporary youth needs.

“A team is in the process of defining a set of core competencies, services and programmes, which are to be implemented in all YICs,” the State Minister said.

A YIC business model will also be implemented to ensure sustainability of operations. The centres are to promote a culture of entrepreneurship through information dissemination and the roll-out of the Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity Programme (CEBO).

“CEBO will provide access to business support services, including but not limited to finance and business coaching and mentorship, and provide entrepreneurship help desk accessibility to all youth,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica is to be established. The Council is intended to facilitate continuous engagement of young people in youth development policy and programming actions of the Government.

The Council will operate as an engine to coordinate and drive the National Youth Parliament.

“We are seeking to attract youth who have shown a clear passion for community development, have excelled in leadership and are committed to serving their country,” the State Minister said.

“They will be selected by their peers. We are intent on their being representative of a wide cross section of the youth population,” he added.

The advisors will provide support to the Government in mainstreaming youth issues into national policies and development strategies, in order to create spaces for empowering young people, among other things.