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| A section of persons present at Youth Symposium 2006 |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 21, 2006) -- Minister of Youth Development the Hon. Hensley Daniel, challenged a number of Nevis youth to use the opportunity provided by the Nevis island Administration (NIA) to partner with government and to assist in the formulation of youth policy guidelines.
Mr Daniel made the call while he delivered an address at the start of the Youth Symposium 2006.
The consultation was held under the theme "Voices of Youth Directing the Way to Change and Development" and was hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports at the Eden Brown Church of God Conference Room at Butlers Village.
The Minister assured the youth present that the Administration was committed to empowering the youth of Nevis and had set aside resources both human and financial for opportunities in training and enterprise development.
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| Another section of persons present at Youth Symposium 2006. |
~~adz:Right~~"We will take your ideas and shape them into policy guidelines for us [the NIA] in so far as it relates to young people... This is one of the forums for young people to express their wishes so please use the opportunity to help us to direct the way forward for young people," he said.
According to Mr Daniel, the NIA was mindful that all programmes directed at the youth should come from the youth. He reminded them of the importance of forging partnerships with adults since the youth were the future of Nevis.
He explained that the Administration wanted to use the consultation to underscore its commitment to the young people of Nevis.
"As young people you can't afford to miss out on the opportunity to be the best you can be and I hope this Symposium is one way of helping. We [NIA] have a golden opportunity to chart the way forward for Nevis in so far as youth development is concerned.
"It [Youth] is one of the major Ministries in the government and we are going to give it maximum focus because more than half the people in the country are young people. So use the opportunity to turn a new page use the opportunity to do new and creative things use the opportunity to partner us in the process of youth development," he said.
Ms. Claudia Walwyn Youth Development Officer, who coordinated the Symposium, explained that the general idea which drove Youth Symposium 2006 was the need for young people to play a pivotal role in setting their own agenda.
~~adz:Left~~She said the Department of Youth and Sports had embraced the United Nations global development thrust, a people centered initiative, which stated that youth participation lead to better decisions. The Department therefore had envisioned a set of programmes and activities which would be requested and influenced by the young people.
According to Mrs Walwyn, in the past the Department's programmes had been largely successful in meeting the needs of persons between the ages of 5-14 years but realised that there was a significant number of persons between 15-35 years who had been overlooked in the Departments programme planning.
Meantime, Mr. Alstead Pemberton Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, described the Symposium as a significant event for the NIA as it marked the fulfilment of a promise to provide positive alternatives for youths. The Symposium he said would therefore make youth the focus of development and provide them with an opportunity to articulate their ideas, aspirations and concerns.
He welcomed the youth in attendance and urged them to the youths to work together to ensure the success of the Symposium. "We must work together and in working together you must plan purposefully, prepare prayerfully, proceed positively and pursue persistently in other words you must live this moment," he said.
Also in present at the opening ceremony was Junior Minister the Honourable Carlisle Powell and Mr. Halsted "Sooty" Byron Special Advisor in the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
