St. Kitts National Youth Month launched

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

~~Adz:Right~~ BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH officially launched its annual Youth Month celebrations on Saturday (Nov. 1) with an address by Minister of State for Youth Affairs, the Hon. Nigel Carty, who declared the month open and encouraged the country’s youth to live by this year’s theme of “Youth Achieving, Youth Excelling, Youth Going the Distance”.

This year’s programme promises to be both enjoyable and nation-building, as the activities range from a Fun Day to a National Youth Parliament Sitting.

Today (Nov. 3) marks the commencement of the Song Competition, whereby interested composers and singers are encouraged to submit a song to the Department of Youth that can stand as the National Youth Anthem for St. Kitts.

The ‘Volunteer Time in our Schools’ programme, in which a team of young people will volunteer their time to interact positively with youths in the educational system, will also be held during the coming week.

Monday, November 10 is the launch of the national ‘Write to the Cabinet’ campaign where young persons in St. Kitts will be allowed to submit letters asking specific questions to members of Cabinet, and the National Youth Policy Round Table Discussion, in which representatives from the Department of Youth will engage young persons in a discussion of the final draft of the National Youth Policy at the Sandy Point Community Centre.

Other activities include a High School Song Festival and Youth Empowerment Lecture at the St. Georges Anglican Church (Nov. 14), a National Youth and Sports Fun Day at the St. Paul’s Recreation Ground (Nov. 22), a National Youth Parliament Sitting in the National Assembly Chambers (Nov. 26) and a National Youth March, Rally and Awards Ceremony (Nov. 28).

One of the month’s highlights is a National Service Project in which 25 positively engaged young adults will be partnered one-on-one with 25 young people from within the school system and then one-on-one with 25 elderly persons for a trans-generational exploration of the Kittitian identity and legacy.

National Youth Month 2008 will conclude with the fifth annual Liamigua Youth Awards at Government House on Saturday, November 29. The Liamigua Youth Awards recognises persons between 16 and 35 who have lived exemplary lives of scholarship, leadership and service.