National Youth Policy Forum holds first meeting |14 February 2018

The youth department, in close collaboration with other relevant stakeholders from different ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), held its first National Youth Policy Forum meeting for the year on January 29, 2018.

The Forum comprises principal secretaries and chief executives from the different MDAs such as the Ministry of Health, Social Affairs department, Family Affairs department, Employment department, Culture department, Education department, the Agency for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation, Poverty Alleviation secretariat and the Youth Sports and Culture Commission.

It was created to provide advice, make recommendations, and monitor the implementation of policy objectives across the youth sector.

The meeting, which is chaired by the principal secretary in the Youth and Sports department, was also attended by the Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture, Mitcy Larue.

The discussions centred on addressing the challenges being faced by the youth and improving services on offer by the different MDAs.

The principal secretary for Investment and Entrepreneurship Roger Toussaint made a presentation on the opportunities available for the youths and the overall general public, in the entrepreneurship sector.

The key points discussed were (I) the challenges being faced by the youth in areas ranging from education and health to entrepreneurship and housing and (II) proposing the way forward in overcoming these challenges.