Implementation of Youth Policy stalled due to needed adjustments – Norton

Almost three years after the National Youth Policy has been approved in the National Assembly, it is still to be implemented since some adjustments are required.
This is according to the Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for Youth, Dr George Norton, who stated on Wednesday that the Department of Youth has been working on the implementation and has arrived at an implementation strategy in a structured way.
Chiming in during the press conference was the Director of Youth, Melissa Carmichael, who was keen to note that since the document was passed in 2016, the Department has been implementing the five priority areas.
“All our work, our work plan for every year since then 2017, 2018 and 2019 has been under the priority areas as well as the principles as outlined in the National Youth Policy”, Carmichael noted.
She added that the Department has a “comprehensive report” on the implementation strategy as well as some of the programmes carried out as a result of same.
The Youth Director further noted that the Department is cognisant of the fact that not many young people are aware of the Youth Policy and how it benefits them. In this regard, sensitisation sessions will be rolled out in the near future, she assured.
The National Youth Policy is premised on improving the social, emotional and cultural skills of young people, producing a productive and enterprising youth workforce, developing quality education and market-oriented skills, encouraging leadership, participation and representation and promoting good health, security and safety.
The policy caters for development of a National Youth Empowerment Action Plan which will include comprehensive and strategic programmes and projects being implemented.
It also identifies the vision and the five key objectives that are further sub-divided into several priority areas for youth development. It further suggests policy imperatives that should be implemented in each of these identified priority areas.
The process of developing the policy had commenced in 1993 when the Education Ministry, with the support of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, contracted Sociologist Berkley Stewart, then Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Guyana, to make a study and carry out consultations with a view to formulating a National Youth Policy.
During the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) tenure in office, it had started to draft the policy through a broad-based stakeholder approach, but this had never been taken to Parliament due to the 2015 elections and subsequent change of Government which saw a new body taking on the task.
Part of the formulation of the National Youth Policy under this governing Administration entailed regional consultations between youths across Guyana who were engaged in discussions and decision-making on how the policy should be developed for the benefit of youths between the age group of 15-35 years.