Youth Engagement to Take Centre Stage At Diaspora Conference

Youth engagement will take centre stage at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, scheduled for June 14 to 18 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, told JIS News that the conference will feature a strong youth-focused component designed to give young Jamaicans at home and abroad a greater voice on a wide range of national and global issues.

“Our young people don’t only want to speak about young people issues. They want to have their view on wider issues, so we’ll allow them that format,” Senator Johnson Smith said.

As part of the youth engagement strategy, the conference will facilitate interaction among members of the National Youth Advisory Council, the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council, student council representatives and tertiary-level student leaders.

The Minister said the engagements are intended to create opportunities for young people to exchange ideas, build networks and form lasting relationships.

“We try very much not to be top-down and try to insist that they discuss only certain things or meet in a particular way. It’s a youth-driven approach, and the programme for young people at this time will be youth-driven as well,” she continued.

Senator Johnson Smith further highlighted the success of the youth-led entrepreneurship challenge introduced at the 2024 conference.

“They designed it themselves. They allowed pitches, and they were supported to provide prizes and ensure energy, focus, and purpose in their engagement. We have every anticipation that this will be what they bring to the fore this year again,” Senator Johnson Smith said.

She explained that the conference continues to evolve as a platform focused on connection, identity and sustained engagement between Jamaica and members of the diaspora across multiple generations.

“Our conference is always geared at bringing people together. That’s the first thing. It’s about connection, it’s about identity, and that is multi-generational,” she said.

“It’s not only about welcoming back members of the Jamaican community overseas who come all the time but it’s about bringing new people on board and our young people in particular, ensuring that there’s sustainability and sustained engagement with the diaspora,” Senator Johnson Smith added.

The 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference brings together members of the Jamaican diaspora, government leaders, private-sector partners, academia, and civil society to advance a shared national priority, building a more climate-resilient Jamaica.

This year’s staging is particularly significant in light of recent events, including the impact of Hurricane Melissa and recent seismic activity, which have underscored Jamaica’s vulnerability to both climate-related and geological hazards.

Persons interested in attending the conference are being asked to register via the Conference website at https://bjdc.mfaft.gov.jm/.