The World Assembly of Youth (WAY) is the international coordinating body of national youth councils and organisations. The full members of WAY are national youth councils. WAY has 120 member organisations from all continents. In this bulletin: Cameroon, Thailand, USA, Malta, Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Jamaica, Pakistan, Anguilla, UAE, Ireland, Antigua & Barbuda, Cayman Islands, Bahrain, Taiwan, Fiji, India, South Africa, Ethiopia, Saudia Arabia, United Kingdom, Malasya, Botswana, Azerbaijan.

CAMEROON : MINJEUN Drills New Staff on Goverment Policy

THAILAND : A youth council is being established in Phuket.

USA : America’s Youth Delaying First Consumption of Alcohol ; Sexual violence study finds NY teens victimized at rate higher than national average

MALTA : Revision of national youth policy announced

NIGERIA : Youth council plans national festival ; Youths Ask Governors to Provide Empowerment Projects

SENEGAL : Authorities urged to seek "final solution" to strikes in schools

THE GAMBIA : Over D3m Earmarked for NAYCONF 2008

SRI LANKA : Sri Lanka to motivate youth in policy reform

KENYA : Kenyan mininster hails youth friendly budget

JAMAICA : Grange Urges Support for Social Intervention Rogrammes

PAKISTAN : ‘Building Leadership Capacity’: ‘Bureaucracy a barrier to talented youth’ ; Ministry to launch ‘business plan contest’

ANGUILLA : National Youth Ambassadors educate young people about constitutional reform in Anguilla

UAE : Sharjah Tatweer Forum begins selection process for third batch of Tatweer Leadership Program ; Cooperate to protect youth from narcotics

IRELAND : New teenagers' website launched

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA : Adoption of youth policy gains new momentum

CAYMAN ISLANDS : Youth agency plans 'Fearless' summer

BAHRAIN : Drive to close gender gap

TAIWAN : NT$2 billion available for youth entrepreneurs

FIJI : Youths make submissions to NCBBF

INDIA : Plea to set up National Youth Commission

SOUTH AFRICA : R4 million set aside for youth development ; Mbeki urges youth to fight xenophobia

ETHIOPIA : Ministry Says Over 800,000 Benefit From Youth Package

SAUDI ARABIA : Wisest investment overlooked

UNITED KINGDOM : Approach youth crime with caution

MALAYSIA : Over 400 Youth Associations Registered Under New Act

BOTSWANA : Young Farmers Fund Makes Strides

AZERBAIJAN : Within campaign ‘Let’s Go for Career!’ Nar Mobile organized training for youth in Lankaran

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CAMEROON

MINJEUN Drills New Staff on Government Policy

Yaoundé, 27 June - A TWO-DAY seminar to acquaint newly recruited staff on the mission of the ministry began yesterday.

Some 98 newly recruited staff of the Ministry of Youth Affairs are currently taking part in a seminar aimed at acquainting them to the work environment, as well as the missions of the ministry. They include graduates from the National Institute of Youth and Sports and those of the national centre for youth animation, CENAJES, Kribi. Ten of them are principal counsellors for youths, 54 principal youth instructors and 34 youth instructors.

Opening the seminar yesterday at the campus of the National Institute for Youth and Sports, the Minister of Youth affairs, Adoum Garoua, called on the newly-recruited staff to show proof of honesty, loyalty and assiduity in the exercise of their duties in order to enable the ministry attain its goals. "Every generation discovers its mission, accomplishes or betrays it", he said. The minister said the government has embarked on a great project for the youths, notably the Youth Plan recommended by the President of the Republic which is near completion, the restructuring of youth associations with the eventual creation of a National Youth Council and the National Council for Popular Education. The other projects include the support programme for rural and urban youth (PAJER-U), the project for social insertion of youths through the fabrication of sports equipment (PIFMAS) and the National Literacy programme.

In his welcome address, the Director of the National Institute for Youth and Sports, Daniel Ngoa Nguelé, said the seminar corresponds to the new orientation of his institution which is that of a centre for the continuous training of personnel in youth animation, as well as sports and physical education. He announced that INJS, sports-loisirs-vacances, will be organised this year alongside INJS-campus-ouvert in line with this new dispensation.

The seminar is animated by experts from the Institute of Public Management (ISMP) and the Ministry of Public service and Administrative Reforms.

[Cameroon Tribune]

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THAILAND

A youth council is being established in Phuket.   
   

Phuket, 25 June - YOUNG people aged under 25 years are now being nominated by educational institutes or local governments to take part in a training workshop to screen for qualified persons to form a youth council. Phuket Vice Governor Smith Palawatwichai on Monday held a meeting with related officials to select the target group. 34 of them will be selected from young people who are not in the educational system while 102 will come from the educational institutes. After a training workshop on June 26th, the council member process will take place on the same day. The Youth Council then will act as a centre of information and activities on education, sports and culture promotion for local children. This practice is in line with the National Youth Development Act BE  2550.

[Thailand National News Bureau]

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USA
 
America’s Youth Delaying First Consumption of Alcohol

Washington, 27 June - THE Latest research released by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a positive indicator that The Century Council’s continuing efforts are working. For nearly twenty years, The Century Council, a national not-for-profit funded by distillers, has developed and implemented proven and effective programs and public awareness campaigns to fight underage drinking.

According to the newly released report Underage Alcohol Use: Findings from the 2002-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, lifetime alcohol consumption rates among 12 to 20 years olds have shown a statistically significant decrease of 4% from 56.2% in 2002 to 53.9% in 2006. Additionally, past year consumption rates declined significantly among 12-14 year olds and 15-17 year olds (8% and 7%, respectively) from 2002 to 2006; past year alcohol consumption among 18 to 20 year olds remained relatively unchanged during this time period.

“The SAMHSA research is a clear sign that our collective efforts are working. The significant decrease in lifetime alcohol consumption indicates that America’s youth are delaying the consumption of their first alcoholic beverage. While encouraged by the progress, there is still work to be done to keep our nation’s young people safe. We will continue our efforts to make sure the consumption rates continue to decline,” said The Honorable Susan Molinari, Chairman of The Century Council.

The Century Council commissioned a research study in 2003 which identified family and friends as the leading source of alcohol for underage drinkers – 65% of youth who consumed alcohol in the past year reported family and friends were the leading source from which they got the alcohol they consumed. The new data from SAMHSA suggests only about 28% of underage drinkers cite family and friends as their source of the last alcohol they consumed – a significant decrease in the role of family and friends over the past few years. While the SAMHSA study highlights much progress has been made our work remains unfinished.

The Century Council continues to be actively engaged in stopping youth access to alcohol through a variety of initiatives including our “65% Campaign” called Are You Doing Your Part?, and We Don’t Serve Teens. These initiatives have distributed millions of materials to retailers and parents, and have reached countless more through public service announcements and earned media. Other ongoing education initiatives include Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix, a program in partnership with Nickelodeon, and Girl Talk; Choices and Consequences of Underage Drinking, an initiative most recently launched at two-time Olympian Julie Foudy’s Sports Leadership Academy, and Parents, You’re Not Done Yet, a program that encourages parents of incoming college freshman to continue to discuss underage drinking after they leave for school.

[NorthEscambia]

Sexual violence study finds NY teens victimized at rate higher than national average

New York, 26 June - THE New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, in collaboration with Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health's Center for Youth Violence Prevention, announced the results of a three-year, comprehensive research project on sexual and dating violence among New York City high school students, and the health impact of that violence on those victimized by it. A copy of the full study, "Partners and Peers: Sexual and Dating Violence Among NYC Youth," will be released in July.

The New York City Department of Education granted researchers permission to enroll New York City high school students anonymously with their parents' consent and their own permission given the agreement of school principals and district superintendents. Students from four schools, reflecting a range of those in New York's cultural groups, were asked to participate. Over 1,300 high school students ranging in age from 13-21 were included in these analyses.
The majority of participants were 15 or 16 years old.

Findings in the study include:

One in six participants (16.2%) report having experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives;

The percentage of New York teens reporting having experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives is higher than the national average (nationally, between 7% and 10.2% of 12-17-year-olds report having experienced some form of sexual assault.);  89% of those who have experienced sexual violence knew the person who perpetrated the victimization; 28% of those who reported having perpetrated sexual violence against their dating partner also reported having carried a weapon in the past month; 60% of youth who were physically violent with their dating partners also reported having engaged in other physical fights in the last year;

Among those who experienced physical dating violence, more than one quarter (27.4%) reported having been pushed or shoved by a dating partner, and 17% reported having been slapped or hit;

Almost 10% of students who reported having a dating partner in the last year said that their partner touched them sexually when they didn't want to be touched and 6.7% said they were forced to have sex against their will;

Less than half (41.3%) of the students who self-identified as having experienced physical or sexual dating violence told someone about those experiences;

New York City high school students are most likely to tell their friends about sexual or dating violence. 71.8% told friends first. Only 12.8% first told a parent about the violence; 11.5% first told another adult;

Only 24.4% of youth experiencing sexual or physical dating violence sought help from a health professional, teacher or guidance counselor;

Both victimization and perpetration of physical and sexual dating violence was linked with adverse health outcomes for these youth. Victims of sexual dating violence reported more frequent pain and illness symptoms that results in high physical discomfort (31%) and higher emotional discomfort (28%) than teens who have not experienced sexual dating violence (20% and 18% respectively), and

Likewise, victims of physical dating violence also reported poorer health status (28%) and lower self-esteem (25%) than youth who have not experienced physical dating violence (21% and 18% respectively).

Leslie Davidson, MD, professor of clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and a lead researcher on the study, said "We know the long term adverse consequences on physical and emotional ill health from partner violence among youth. It is essential that New York City address this problem with a multi-faceted strategy."

"These data highlight the need for early identification, treatment as well as prevention," said Vaughn Rickert, PhD, professor of clinical Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. "Unfortunately, funding for relationship violence among youth is not a priority. Funds need to be made available at the city, state, and federal levels in order to promote sound intervention and prevention strategies for youth."

"New York City's young people are subject to sexual and dating violence at rates far higher than national average, according to this study," said Harriet Lessel, executive director of the New City Alliance Against Sexual Assault. "These are alarming statistics any way you look at them, and we are hopeful that these findings will highlight an issue that has been kept in the shadows for far too long, and encourage more young people to seek help when they are victimized. We are grateful to the New York City Council for funding this landmark study and to the New York City Department of Education for its courage in allowing such a research project to take place in city schools; the cooperation we received from the four school principals, the teachers, the parents and from the students was unprecedented."

[EurekAlert]

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MALTA

Revision of national youth policy announced

Valletta, 19 June - WITH the objective of having an active citizenship in a European environment,” according to the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport, Clyde Puli who yesterday addressed a news conference to launch the revision of the National Youth Policy.

Mr Puli explained that the first policy of the sort was finalised in 2004. Since then, significant changes have come into being, such as Malta’s entry into the European Union and the ever-growing challenges of information technology. These are changes of which youths are at the core.

The Parliamentary Secretariat will be conducting consultation meetings with national youth organisations. The aim will be to identify issues that need to be improved while building on the existing policy in order to move forward.

Mr Puli believes that the national consultation “should be as wide as possible and include as many views as possible”.

Besides discussions, questionnaires will be sent to youth NGOs on a national basis. Similar questionnaires will be distributed during the Malta International Trade Fair. One may also download questionnaires from the Education Ministry website www.education.gov.mt and from the Youth and Sport Secretariat webpage on ‘face book’.

A consultative committee, chaired by Ms Miriam Theuma, was set up to analyse the current policy by consulting experts and analysing the information submitted by youth organisations.

“Such a committee, consisting of an absolute majority of youths, is made up of students, workers, youths involved in unions and others active in politics, people with special needs, and academics specialising in youth studies, among others,” Mr Puli said.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sports also explained that the appointment of such a committee will lead to the presentation of the revised National Youth Policy by the first quarter of next year.

“The set policy will then be a guideline indicating clear goals for all youth organisations and local authorities,” Mr Puli said.

The first meeting in a series of discussions will be held with the National Youth Council which has already prepared its document for discussion with suggestions for a number of amendments.

While thanking the consultative committee, Mr Puli expressed appreciation for the work being carried out on a voluntary basis, which he described as, “a synonymous characteristic with youthful energy”.

[Malta Independent]

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NIGERIA

Youth council plans national festival

Abuja, 15 June - THE National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) says it is organising a cultural festival to keep alive the country’s cultural heritage.

The President of the council, Mr. Ben Duntoye, told our source at the end of its retreat in Abuja that the festival would be different from others.

Duntoye said that the younger generation of Nigerians were losing touch with the culture of the people.

“If we continue this way, in about 20 years from now, nothing will be remembered about our values and cultural heritage.

“Everything would have been forgotten,” he lamented.

“We want to look into the moral values of our cultural heritage and how the youth will maintain contact with them to ensure that our values and tradition are now wipe out by foreign influences.

“At the end of the day, what makes us Nigerians is the culture, so we should make sure that our culture is not thrown away but kept alive,” he said.

Duntonye said that the executive committee of NYCN would meet soon to draw a programme for the promotion of Nigerian culture through the youths.

“So we want to have what we call Annual Festival of Youth and culture, where the culture of Nigeria would be displayed and appreciated.

“We want our future generation to appreciate eating of Nigerian food, wearing Nigerian clothes, and talking Nigerian languages.

“If you go to China, you speak Chinese languages, but in Nigeria it is only English language that everybody speaks.

“May be we shall look for a way of evolving a Nigerian lingua franca which everybody must speak,” Duntoye added.

[The Tide]

Youths Ask Governors to Provide Empowerment Projects

Abuja, 24 June - THE National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) South-west zone  has appealed to the six governors in the zone to provide empowerment projects for youths to help reduce crime.

Rising from a brainstorming session held at the Institute of Church and Society Auditorium, Samonda, Ibadan, the NYCN members said the governors could only be judged to perform well if they empowered the youth.

According to them, "by empowering the youths, the governors would be indirectly solving many other problems like thuggery, armed robbery, and other crimes prevalent in the region."

They said; "the only way the region could develop faster is for the chief executives to respond to the pertinent responsibilities of supporting empowerment projects geared towards the growth of youths in the region".

In a communique issued after the session which was jointly signed by the National Vice President, Comrade Shola Oladeji, National .Ex-Officio, Comrade Ishaq Alabi and National Public Relations Officer, Hamid Abiola made available to Daily Trust in Lagos yesterday, the Council resolved to take the New Nigerian Youth Campaign (NNYC) initiative of the NYCN to a greater height by ensuring that the governors are alive to their responsibilities.

While reiterating its commitment to the sustenance of the statutory structures of the youth council, the participants appealed to members and youths in general to contribute to the ongoing review of the national youth policy towards the emergence of a workable youth policy and implementation strategy for the entire Nigerian youths.

[Daily Trust]

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SENEGAL

Authorities urged to seek "final solution" to strikes in schools

Dakar, 4 June - THE Senegalese authorities must actively seek a "definitive solution" to end numerous strikes besetting the education sector, National Youth Council President El Hadj Malick Diop has said, adding that the country's future was vested in a well-educated young people.

"Our country cannot develop without an enterprising youth that is both educated and ambitious," Malick Diop said on Tuesday while presiding over an official ceremony launching celebrations to mark the Year of the African Youth in Dakar.

Referring to the "complexity" of problems that young people face in their daily life, the president of the National Youth Council said that "much remains to be done in this area, despite the many achievements that the country had accomplished," according to the official Senegalese News Agency.

Indeed, young people continue to face a "high rate" of unemployment, "worrying" poverty levels, difficulties related to "an education system that is not in sync with current realities and at the same time where strikes are the order of the day," said Malick Diop, who urged the government to rise up to the occasion.

In his remarks, Malick Diop further called on the Senegalese authorities to ratify the African Youth Charter, which was adopted by the African Union in 2006. Senegal has already signed the charter, according to official sources.

Of all the countries that have signed the text, only Gabon, Mali and Rwanda have had the courage to pass on to the ratification stage, said the National Youth Council president, adding that his country had the mettle to join the club of nations that had already ratified the charter.

The African Youth Charter, which defines the rights and duties of "every young African," and the obligations of governments towards the young people, is one of the most powerful "instruments" that can be harnessed to spur the development among the youths, said Diop.

The president of the National Youth Council praised what he summed up as the "invaluable, enormous potential and opportunity" that young people represent for the African continent.

"It took epic battles to make the African Union wake up from a deep slumber and realize that taking care of problems and addressing issues affecting young people is matter of an emergency," said the Senegalese activist, who has dedicated his life to the advancement of the youth.

[Xinhua]

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THE GAMBIA

Over D3m Earmarked for NAYCONF 2008

Banjul, 25 June - IN Response to a question by Hon. Seedy Njie, Nominated Member of the National Assembly as to the total budget needed for the forthcoming National Youth Conference and Festival (NAYCONF), Mr. Mass Axi Gai, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, on Monday told Members of the National Assembly that the budget for the event is D3, 343, 520.000.

Geared towards creating a platform for young people to have a greater understanding of the issues affecting them, accept each other and explore means through which they can contribute towards national development, the event would also look into key issues on the role of youths in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to Secy. Mass Axi Gai, the National Youth Council, in collaboration with its partners, has so far been able to raise some of the money needed to organise NAYCONF 2008.

“UNICEF has committed US$3,000.00 while UNFPA has committed US$9,511.77. The Government of The Gambia through the Department of State for Youths and Sports will also contribute a big chunk of the budget,” he said.

Being a biannual event that brings together over five hundred young people from across the country, this year’s theme is “Invest in Youths for Sustainable Development.”

Slated for December 2008 in Farafenni, NBR, the components of the event will, among others, include the conference, cultural shows, performances and carnival, award ceremony, sporting activities and beauty contest.

The Youths and Sports Secy. went on to state that in line with expectations, the local councils will also contribute to the budget as usual as they take care of some participation costs of their respective regions.

Asked as to his Department’s plans through the National Youth Council and National Youths Service Scheme in engaging and sensitising youths about the menace of illegal migration, Mass Axi Gai said this should not be the responsibility of his Department alone as National Assembly Members also have a big role to play.

[WOW]

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SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka to motivate youth in policy reform

Colombo, 29 June - Sri Lanka is planning to recognize youth involved community development, in a bid to encourage young people to come forward and contribute to policy reform, an official said.

The Young Community Leaders (YCL) award scheme is organized by Sri Lanka's Banadaranaike Institute for International Studies (BCIS). The YCL awards which will be held in September is a joint project by BCIS, the ministry of youth affairs, the ministry of mass communication and the national youth council in Sri Lanka.

"We also hope that this particular award scheme will provide catalyst for further promotion of community work," Thusitha Tennakoon director BCIS said in an interview.

"Another objective is to give a platform for youth to voice their concerns at the national level and also to contribute in policy planning at development level."

High inflation, two-decade civil war and deteriorating economic conditions in the country have galvanized youth to conduct community development projects in their areas to increase their standard of living.

"It drives the youth to come out and do something for the nation and their community." Sri Lanka must therefore recognize talent and help them to increase community development work," Tennakoon said.

"The kinds of projects our youth are engaged in are of very high quality and we feel that even in a difficult situation the kind of effort that they take is really commendable, they need to be recognized and rewarded at the national level."

Sri Lanka, before the proliferation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has had a culture of community development while leadership, resources and assistance have been obtained by the community to solve the issues of the community.

However, following the proliferation of NGOs, the resources and leadership have been coming from the outside, Tennakoon says. 

"But even in such a situation, we have an enormous number of youth committing their time, effort and money or what ever the resources available within their reach to find solutions to the problems they are facing in the community development level."

The awards have received applications from over 750 applicants for 15 categories such as peace building, rights, community health, sustainable environment, youth empowerment, culture and arts and ICT.

"Through the application process we have seen a tremendous interest and we have come across very useful projects that the youth have been undertaking to help sustain the community."

From the 15 categories, 150 will be chosen and following evaluation of the projects, 75 will be chosen based on on-site evaluation of their projects.

In the second phase, the 75 will then undergo leadership training on quantitative aspect such as effectiveness and qualitative aspects of vision, mission and attitude in order to groom themselves to suit the selection criteria.

The list will be further cut down to 45 projects, three from each category- notwithstanding the magnitude, financial aspect or the popularity of the project and awarded gold, silver and bronze medals.

"Out of the 45, through a marking scheme, we will be choosing the most outstanding young community leader of the year," Tennakoon said.

The winner will receive a one million rupee project grant to implement what ever the kind of dream project to further their community development work.

The organizers hope the scheme will also empower youth leaders to stand out in the community to take on community development projects.

"Unfortunately given our system, if you are not socially or politically connected or if you do not have a certain wealth, it is very unlikely that you can come up to the open, you do not get the national level recognition." Tennakoon said.

[Lanka Business]

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KENYA

Kenyan mininster hails youth friendly budget

Nairobi, June 13 - KENYA'S Annual national budget favoured the youth Most with various incentives to encourage employment, enterpreneurship, constituency based sports and others. Youth and Sports Minister Hellen Sambili reacts.

The Youth who make up more than half of the population will benefit from a fully funded football tournament at the Constituency Level every year, a National Youth Policy will also be passed to make it compulsory for companies to offer internships and the formation of a National Youth Council.

Artists in the country all of whom are young people will benefit from tax exemption in the event they are pay taxes while performing abroad.

Youths will also pay less for Bread and Rice as Finance Minister Amos Kimunya zero rated tax on the commodities.

The Minister in his third presentation since being appointed to the position in 2006 also said that Parliament would review the Armed Forces Act to allow youths trained in the National Youth Service to join the army upon graduation.

The government also pledged to build a youth Friendly Business Processing Market in Nairobi to benefit the thousands of youthful hawkers in the country.

Import duty on cement was also removed to encourage youths build cheap homes.

However the youths on the other hand will have to bear the blunt of a proposed law on Organized crime that seeks to fight militia like Mungiki.

On the other hand young graduates in Education will be employed with speed if the proposals by the minister are adopted.

Youths who smoke will also pay an extra Shs.7 per packet, in an effort to discourage the vice.

[AfricaNews]

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JAMAICA

Grange Urges Support for Social Intervention Rogrammes

Kingston, 20 June - MINISTER of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia Grange, is urging support for Government's social intervention and transformation programmes such as 'Fresh Start.'

This programme is aimed at facilitating individuals, particularly young people, who have run afoul of the law, with the opportunity to get their lives back on track.

Speaking at a workshop on 'Youth and Future Leadership: Sustaining Affinity to Jamaica for this Generation and Beyond,' on the closing day of the Third Biennial Jamaican Diaspora Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on Tuesday (June 17), Ms. Grange noted that there were several agencies through which programmes to empower young people, such as Fresh Start, were being undertaken.

These include: the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD), and the National Youth Service (NYS), the National Secondary Students Council (NSSC), the National Youth Council (NYC), and the Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programmes (JAYAP).

The Minister said the work of the NCYD and NYS demonstrated Jamaica's acknowledgement that young people needed space and opportunities to develop their physical, mental and psychological capacities. The NCYD, she advised, currently operates youth information centres in four parishes, and is scheduled to have one operational in every parish within the next three years.

"These centres are youth-friendly spaces that allow young people to be comfortable, discussing and accessing information on issues concerning them, such as those relating to reproductive health, substance abuse, employment, career, and personal advancement," she informed.

The centres are also equipped with free cyber cafes, which provide young people with access to technology, to which they would not otherwise be privy. Additionally, Ms. Grange said, they provide opportunities and avenues for young people to connect with their peers throughout the Diaspora.

The Minister said that other institutions such as youth clubs, girls and boys brigades, and cadets serve to strengthen youth involvement in a range of activities in practical ways. "These organizations help to build the leadership, advocacy, networking, and management skills of our young people, and ensure that they are involved in the decision-making process," she noted.

Ms. Grange invited the participants to give consideration to facilitating and promoting informal networks through which innovative ideas could be facilitated locally and within the Diaspora; the strengthening of peer counselling programmes and development of counterpart programmes outside of Jamaica; expanding student exchange programmes; developing strong advocacy and negotiating skills among students; and establishing social enterprises among youth within the Diaspora.

[Jamaica Information Service]

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PAKISTAN

‘Building Leadership Capacity’: ‘Bureaucracy a barrier to talented youth’

Islamabad, 4 June - SPEAKERS at a conference on ‘Building Leadership Capacity of Youth through Civic Involvement’ agreed on Tuesday that bureaucracy, mismanagement and lack of co-ordination between academic institutions and the industry had hampered the youth from becoming a productive part of society.

Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in collaboration with the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and Ministry for Youth Affairs arranged the event.

The speakers said unnecessary hurdles and indifference of the government towards the initiatives taken by youngsters had turned the lights out on their hopes and demoted them to mere jobseekers.

Ashfaq Mahmood, the youth affairs secretary, Moin Fudda of the CIPE and Muhammad Ejaz Abbassi, the ICCI president, were the key speakers.

The over 60 participants of the conference were divided into five groups to hold discussions, which led to recommendations for extended interaction between academic institutions and the industry and development of skills among the youth to become job creators.

The participants demanded the government set up centres to guide the youth for future planning. They said fresh graduates remained unable to practise their innovative ideas because no one was ready to encourage them.

They said courses should be designed according to market demand as there was a sea of difference between what students were taught and what they were asked to do in professional life.

They said aspiring entrepreneurs should learn business skills like writing down a plan or preparing budget.

They said successful business people should guide newcomers on how to save and utilise the capital properly.

They acknowledged that young people were considered high-risk borrowers and were thus denied loans by financial institutions. They said the youth needed low interest loans as only micro financing would not serve the purpose fully.

Youth Affairs Secretary Ashfaq Mehmood said the government was very keen to alleviate poverty and encourage the young to take initiatives. He said the government had launched many programmes like Rozgar Scheme, Micro Finance Scheme and aid through Baitul Mall for the youth.

He said, “It is painful when a young mind is not guided properly.” He said the government would start training workshops to help the young excel in their respective fields.

He said the youth award would be announced this year and potential writers had been asked to take part in essay writing contests.

He said, “National Youth Council, headed by the prime minister, and National Youth Committee would be constituted to look into matters related to young people.” Moin Fudda the youth should take part in research projects, especially in the field of agriculture.

[Daily Times]

Ministry to launch ‘business plan contest’

Islamabad, 17 June - IN a bid to counter unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship among youth, the Ministry of Youth Affairs plans to launch a Business Plan Competition for young creative minds.

Aimed at probing hidden talent, the competition is to be launched in collaboration with the Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ICCI). Interested candidates will be asked to send in their project plans to the ministry.

In a recent seminar, Ministry of Youth Secretary Ashfaq Mahmood said that they would encourage projects based in rural areas as majority of the population lived there. “Due to fewer job opportunities people in those areas already practice entrepreneurship and all they need is to try newer and cost effective ideas,” he said.

Highlighting the rules and regulations of the contest, ministry official Rabia Muzaffer told ‘The News’ that the winning candidate or team would be awarded Rs100,000.

“If the project is found promising, the candidate will also be provided guidance on how to arrange finances,” she said. Those intending to compete will be provided with a project dummy approved by the Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

“The ministry is waiting for the response from Chamber of Commerce following which the competition will be advertised,” she said. The ministry announced four topics related to problems faced by youth for the essay competition on June 3. The titles included ‘Causes of unemployment in rural areas and its solution,’ ‘Role of youth in promotion of civic spirit and courtesy,’ ‘Plan of action to curb the use of tobacco in children and youth,’ and ‘Youth crime- causes and remedies.’

Rabia said that the objective of the essay competition was to directly ask youth to express their views on problems they face and the solutions they perceive. “More important was to give everyone a chance to come up with practical solutions and reflect their opinion in the upcoming policy,” she said.

She said that it was a tool to approach those who had never participated in discussions and consultations related to policy making. “We have received essays from places as far off as Kashmir,” she said.

The last date for submitting essays is June 25 after which a committee would decide the winner. “The winner will be awarded Rs20,000 with Rs15,000 and Rs10,000 being given to those who stand second and third respectively,” she said.

[The News]

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ANGUILLA

National Youth Ambassadors educate young people about constitutional reform in Anguilla

The Valley, 5 June - THE National Youth Ambassador Corps, in collaboration with the Chief Minister’s Office, the National Youth Council and Kool FM Radio hosted ‘Open Mic’ in Anguilla. The event, which was described as a panel, debate and discussion geared towards educating young people about the Constitutional Reform process, was broadcast live nationally and internationally via radio and internet radio feed.

In ads circulated prior to the event, the Youth Ambassadors provided justification for the forum; they stated, “Anguilla is currently undergoing Constitutional Reform. Any changes or adjustment to the Constitution will affect the aspirations of Anguilla and its young people. Let’s make particular note that youth and their involvement in decision making are vital for the survival of any nation.”

Members on the panel included the Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming; constitutional and rights activist, Dame Bernice Lake QC; retired judge and anti-corruption blogger, Mr. Don Mitchell QC; founder of the Anguilla Independence Movement, Hayden Hughes and political enthusiast, Chris Richardson. The event produced keen debate and discussion with questions coming from young people as far off as Canada.

‘Open Mic’, which was moderated by the CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Eduardo Samuel and Chaired by Regional Youth Caucus Alternate Calvin Andre Samuel was designed by the Youth Ambassadors to be interactive and youth friendly. Some of the provisions put in place to achieve this were time limits on responses from the panelists and questions from the audience; a system of rounds to allow audience interaction with the panelists; and broadcast to and feedback from a wider audience using radio, internet, telephone and internet chat room.

The National Youth Ambassador Corps is a component of the Ministry of Social evelopment, Department of Youth and Culture’s ONSTREAM Programme; it seeks  to create a structured opportunity for young people to participate in decision making through involvement on decision-making fora, while at the same time developing their capacity for leadership.

[Caribbean Net News]

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UAE

Sharjah Tatweer Forum begins selection process for third batch of Tatweer Leadership Program

  
Abu Dhabi, 25 June - SHARJAH Tatweer Forum begins selection process for third batch of Tatweer Leadership Program. Program aims at enhancing leadership and management capabilities of Nationals and to create a generation of future leaders

Sharjah Tatweer Forum (Tatweer), the emirate of Sharjah’s ambitious initiative for developing the skills of UAE nationals and promoting partnership among various sectors, began the selection process for nominees and applicants for the third Tatweer Leadership Program which is scheduled to begin in September of this year. More than 160 candidates nominated by their organizations took the English language test on June 17th and 18th, 2008, at the Sharjah Supreme Council for Family Affairs. A psychometric test will follow on June 29th and 30th to determine those who will go through personal interviews with a committee comprised of Forum board members and human resources specialists.

Tatweer Leadership Program aims to identify young leaders and develop their capabilities to support the sustainable development of the emirate through innovative ideas and new projects.  The program also aims at developing national talents to pursue excellence and increase productivity in the various sectors with the aim of supporting the overall competitiveness of the Emirate of Sharjah. Fostering networking opportunities and cooperation between the economic, social and cultural sectors through the participants, as well as providing an environment conducive to attracting young leaders are also among the objectives of the program.

The candidates will be selected from among UAE Nationals working in various public and private sector organizations following a number of examinations, including an English language test and a psychometric test to determine those with leadership potential. The tests will be followed by interviews with a selection committee to choose the final 24 participants in this year’s program.

Tatweer Leadership Program will be conducted over 12 sessions of two days per month and will feature visiting speakers; presentations; individual research and sharing of information; group work; oral discussions; psychometric assessments and written materials.

During the six-month long program, candidates will be exposed to concepts, best practices and effective approaches to customer relationship management, strategic thinking, organizational development, leadership and team building, analytical thinking and problem solving, executive coaching, mentoring and the use of psychometric assessment in selection and development of human resources.

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Chairman of Sharjah Tatweer Forum, said, “This program is a critical program that is consistent with the objectives of Tatweer, of developing a generation of talented leaders among Sharjah’s youth who would be capable of taking on the responsibility of business development and fostering public private partnerships in the future.”

Al Mahmoudi added, “We hope that the graduates of this program will excel in their practical lives through the experience gained and knowledge of best practices and support of their leadership capabilities. Graduates from this program represent the next generation of future leaders and a mechanism for enhancing the development of society.  The success of these young leaders will reflect on the progress of the entire nation.”

Formed under a decree issued by H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the UAE Supreme Council, the Forum works towards developing the skills and competencies of National youth in Sharjah, building partnerships between the private and public sectors, encouraging entrepreneurship, innovation and excellence in business and administration and ensuring the emirate’s overall progress.

[Al-Bawaba]

Cooperate to protect youth from narcotics

Abu Dhabi, 27 June - THE UAE leadership exerts utmost efforts to safeguard the community and youth from drug addiction, Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, said.

"All countries should contribute positively to combat and eliminate narcotics," Shaikh Saif said in a statement on World Anti-Narcotic Day.

"Efforts are also exerted in conjunction with different public institutions to make the UAE the least drug-affected country worldwide," he said.

Shaikh Saif said the significance of this day worldwide reflects universal solidarity in confronting the detrimental drugs effects on both mind and body.

The Minister of Interior warned that the youth are the ones targeted by drugs, and being the core of the future, the burden lies on all individuals and institutions to cooperate to protect youth from drugs.

"The ministry is awake to safeguard the community from anything that threatens its stability," he noted.

Shaikh Saif reiterated that the ministry's strategy managed to curb the spread of drugs in line with the federal government strategy.

"Our national anti-drug strategy backs joint cooperation with the anti-narcotic regional and international bodies to combat drugs," he said.

He added that the national anti-narcotic strategy is based on reduction of drug supplies and reduction of demand, without ignoring the role of treatment and rehabilitation.

Our national anti-drug strategy backs joint cooperation with the anti-narcotic regional and international bodies to combat drugs." Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior.

[Gulf News]

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IRELAND

New teenagers' website launched

Dublin, 16 June - A New website providing information about activities and facilities for teenagers has been launched by Minister for children and Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews.

Teenspace.ie promises up-to-date information on gigs, youth cafes, sports, arts and outdoor activities for young people aged between 10 years to 18 years.

The website was established following a recommendation from the youth parliament Dáil na nÓg last year. It has been developed by the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

‘The creation of www.teenspace.ie is evidence of the Government’s commitment to listening to children and young people and taking their concerns seriously’ said Mr Andrews at the launch of the website at the South West Inner City Computer Clubhouse in Dublin this morning.

Teenagers were involved in all aspects of the development the site including the selection of contractors, design concept and content.

Members of the Dáil na nÓg Council and the OMCYA Children and Young People’s Forum have also formed a user group, which will continue to be involved in improving the site.

[Irish Times]

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ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

Adoption of youth policy gains new momentum

Saint John's, 7 June - THE Department of Youth Affairs in collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) will be engaging in a series of activities from 7 to 10 June to put the National Strategic Plan for Youth Development in place.

Director of Youth Cleon Athill said these activities are follow-ups to the creation and adoption of the National Youth Policy.

“We are moving our game up a notch, which is getting ready to put together the National Strategic Plan for youth development, which is going to support the principles and ideas of the youth policy,” she stated.

The first activity takes place tomorrow at the Heritage Hotel from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be facilitated by CYP Regional Director Henry Charles.

Issues critical to integrating youth will be explored as well as beginning the process of formulating the National Strategic Plan on Youth Development.

Athill said she hopes a lot of young people attend this meeting, even though it is a critical time of the year.

She said it will be an interesting process since young people can begin to flesh out the issues around actually operationalising the youth policy and building youth governance systems such as the National Youth Council.

On Monday 9 June, there will be a stakeholders conference on “Youth Mainstreaming”, also at the Heritage Hotel.

A wide cross-section of stakeholders will look at the ways to build a collaborative culture to youth mainstreaming and the responsibilities of the different sectors of government within that initiative.

“What I am desirous of is that we have a team of professionals across ministries that understand that we all do the same work, which is working towards national development. If we continue to see ourselves as separate and distinct from each other, nothing will happen,” she stated.

To this end, Athill said she invited representatives from all the ministries of government and is calling Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, Minister of Finance Dr. Errol Cort and other Cabinet ministers to attend, as they have the power to effect change where needed.

“I want the politicians and the policymakers to get a real understanding that national development will be meaningless and futile if we do not put emphasis on developing young people. Young people deserve it,” Athill stressed.

On 10 June, Charles is expected to meet with the staff of the Department of Youth Affairs, the Permanent Secretary and the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Winston Williams.

Athill said she will be helping to hammer out some key operational/departmental strategies to bring all the developed schemes together.

[AntiguaSun]

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CAYMAN ISLANDS

Youth agency plans 'Fearless' summer

George Town, 23 June - AS the school year ends, the Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium (CIYDC) is offering a range of activities over the summer to promote positive development among teenagers through its Fearless Extreme Leaders & Prevention camps.

Established in 2006, the non-profit CIYDC seeks to promote youth development through activities that steer young people away from negative choices, explained Sylvia Wilks, the organisation’s CEO.

“A lot of young people don’t feel that their community values them. I’m trying to bridge that gap,” she said.

The first of the weekly camps starts on Monday, 4 August in George Town and will cater to 13 to 17 year olds living in the area and West Bay, said Ms Wilks. Participants are asked to contribute $25 for each weeklong session. Similar camps will be held on consecutive weeks in Bodden Town, East End and Cayman Brac to ensure that young people in communities across the islands get an opportunity to attend.

“There are not enough activities created in the communities and we are trying to change that,” Ms Wilks added.

She was inspired to start the CIYDC camps after working from 2005-2007 at the Fearless Factor camps, a collaborative effort by various community agencies including the National Drug Council and the National Youth Commission.

Activities planned for the CIYDC Fearless Extreme camps will include presentations on leadership skills as well as discussions on how to avoid common teenage pitfalls such as early pregnancy, violence, delinquency, substance abuse and dropping out of school, Ms Wilks explained.

Kimberley Pitta, 18, attended the Fearless Factor camps, first as a camper and then as a member of staff. She will be working at the CIYDC Fearless Extreme camps and encourages young people to attend.

Based on her previous experience, she said camps are important because they offer a “good outlook on how teens live”. Ms Pitta added that while there would be “a lot of fun and games,” the presentations and discussions would help young people to be more aware of negative influences, which could affect decisions that have lifelong consequences.

As part of its mission to work with various community groups, the CIYDC participated in the Blue Ribbon Campaign as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. One related activity involved discussing bullying and child abuse with Prospect Primary School students.

Ms Wilks said she had conducted presentations at Heritage and Leading Edge high schools on issues affecting young people and plans to address other schools.

[Cayman Net News]

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BAHRAIN

Drive to close gender gap

Manams, 4 June - A NATIONAL plan to further empower Bahraini women will be the focus of a major conference next week. The two-day National Conference on Gender Mainstreaming in Development opens at the Gulf Hotel's Gulf Convention Centre on Monday.

It is being organised by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) which has come up with a number of proposals, SCW secretary general Dr Lulwa Al Awadhi revealed yesterday.

Recommendations to come of the conference could eventually become law, she said.

"It includes activities focused on gender mainstreaming and improved access to justice, as well as increasing women's political and economic participation," she said at a Press conference yesterday.

"The conference will provide awareness and a definition on the terminology of gender."

The event is taking place under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad and will feature 211 participants from government ministries, parliament, the Shura Council, civil societies, the private sector, media, religious scholars and youth societies.

The conference will also be attended by representatives from the Arab Woman's Organisation, Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organisations, United Nations Development Programme, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Development Fund for Women, Islamic Development Bank, Al Hariri Organisation from Lebanon, the UAE General Women's Union and the National Council for Women in Egypt.

"It will consist of lectures and panel discussions by more than 10 internationally renowned speakers and experts," said Dr Al Awadhi.

The speakers will cover topics on gender mainstreaming in Islam and in national plans and policies, indicators and statistics on gender, ways to raise awareness on gender and co-operation in financing and implementation.

"The conference will also showcase a number of Arab experiments, which will indicate the strong and weak factors in gender mainstreaming," she said.

"These experiments will help Bahrain know the challenges that face this programme and in turn find solutions to make it better."

[Gulf Daily News]

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TAIWAN

NT$2 billion available for youth entrepreneurs

Taipei, 15 June - BUSINESS start-up loans totaling NT$2 billion (US$65.68 million) are available for youth entrepreneurs this year, an offer that is expected to help 2,000 youths start their own businesses and create approximately 7,000 jobs, Council of Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) officials said Saturday.

The sum was jointly provided by domestic banks and the government's Sino-American Fund for Economic and Social Development, CEPD officials said.

Over the past 10 years, the fund has provided a total of NT$7.33 billion, including NT$1 billion this year, as start-up loans for youth entrepreneurs, the officials noted.

Loans totalling NT$27 billion have been granted to 30,401 young business starters during the period, creating a total of 146,769 jobs.

During the first four months of this year alone, 258 people obtained loans worth a total of NT$199.81 million, with 937 jobs created.

To encourage youth entrepreneurship, the CEPD and the National Youth Commission on May 1 lowered the interest rate for the start-up loans, and extended the repayment period of non-secured loans to six years and that of secured loans to 10 years.

The loans are open to any persons aged 20-45 who have job experience or have received training provided by accredited agencies.

[The China Post]

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FIJI

Youths make submissions to NCBBF

Suva, 6 June - MORE than 20 Fiji youths presented their submissions to the National Council for Building a Better Fiji public relations team yesterday.

Attending a two-day training programme organized by the Ministry of Youth, the youths called for training for all leaders including politicians, chiefs and community leaders.

They said Fiji deserved to have corrupt-free and well-trained national and community leaders.

The youths expressed belief that today’s globalised world needed highly trained, smart leaders who could ‘think out of the box’ and could guide the people and communities of Fiji.

The youths also submitted that those contesting General Elections needed to be screened, be selected under strict guidelines and have qualifications to enter Parliament and key public offices.

On the Great Council of Chiefs, the youths argued that membership should be limited to chiefs who have been installed traditionally and who have the support and backing of their people.

They submitted that politics and church must remain separate and the churches should be engaged in spiritual enhancement and reconciliation and not be seen to be playing politics.

Another submission made was that more vocational training centres be established together with sports academy to cater for youths who are not academically gifted.

On race-issue, the youths said that racial harmony and national identity should be important goals for future governments.

According to the training coordinator, Niko Yacalevu, the training is to assist youths understand national issues and equip them for leadership.

“More such trainings will be organized around the country. The youths are being empowered to ensure that they can successfully participate in community and national development,” he said.

[Fiji Live]

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INDIA

Plea to set up National Youth Commission

Chennai, 24 June -  A ''National Youth Commission' should be set up for empowering the youth as 40 percent of the population in India are in the 15-35 age group, Union Public Service Commission member E Balagurusamy said today.

The Commission should be set up having 50 per cent of its members as youth, he said, addressing a seminar on 'Leadership in Response to Emerging  rends-Role of Youth' organised by Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development and an organisation for India's development- Developers India, here The UPSC Member also said the Commission would be able to improve the existing National Youth Policy and coordinate with stake holders for empowering the younger generation.

Balagurusamy expressed concern that there is a lack of 'soft skills' and 'interpersonal skills' among the youth of Tamil Nadu. "I have interviewed lot of youngsters hailing from various states for Civil Services Examination and particularly, youth of Tamil Nadu lack in soft skills and interpersonal skills" he said.

Citing industry sources, he said that only seven per cent of graduates passing out from universities are employable.

Balagurusamy said that without the involvement of youth India cannot become a developed nation by 2020.

"Nothing will happen if there is no involvement from them" he said.

"We have adequate natural resources and human resources but still we have not achieved the developed Nation status", he said, adding youth development should be a committed National activity.

[MyNews]

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SOUTH AFRICA

R4 million set aside for youth development

Cape Town 14 June - NATIONAL Youth Commission Chairperson, Nomi Nkondlo says funding to the tune of R4 million has been channeled to four centres around the country to promote youth development programmes.

The centres are in Gauteng, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. Nkondlo was speaking at the launch of the Batsha/Jeugd project in Nyanga on the Cape Flats. The project has been developed in collaboration with the Flemish government. Nkondlo says their intention is reach out to as many youth as possible. The Flemish government says more youth development programmes are on the cards - especially if the pilot project, launched in Cape Town today, becomes a success.

The Batsha/Jeugd project - launched in Nyanga, is aimed at providing emerging artists in South Africa with an opportunity to sharpen their skills in the fields of arts and culture. Speaking at the launch, Flemish government representative, Tine Cornille said there were many challenges facing today's youth.

President Thabo Mbeki called on the youth of the country to stand up against perpetrators of xenophobic violence.

[SABC News]

Mbeki urges youth to fight xenophobia

Western Cape, 17 June - ADDRESSING young people at the University of the Western Cape to celebrate Youth Day, Mbeki said the youth had a responsibility to protect foreign nationals.

“One of your immediate and critical responsibilities is to protect our fellow Africans who live in our country from the cowardly attacks by criminals, which we have seen here in Cape Town and other parts of our country in the last few weeks.”

Mbeki, who was accompanied by Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, National Youth Commission chairperson Nomi Nkondlo and the MEC for Community Safety Leonard Ramatlakane, told the youth that recent criminal acts against foreigners had shamed the country.

“At the same time, we must admit that all of us have been humiliated and shamed by the small number of young people who recently took it upon themselves to lead the criminal acts against fellow Africans who live amongst us, and participated in looting their property.”

Ramatlakane, who was standing in for Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool, urged the youth to distance themselves from the perpetrators of xenophobic violence.

“We must isolate those who are criminals in our communities.”

In its preliminary report, the inter-ministerial task team investigating the causes of the recent xenophobic attacks had identified young people as some of the elements behind the violence.

The reintegration of foreign nationals back into the community following the recent spate of xenophobic attacks may not be possible for some time under current conditions, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) said yesterday.

“If government does not engage with the sentiment being expressed by ordinary residents that foreign nationals should leave the country, the risk is that these feelings of alienation between government and South African citizens will deepen and the possibility of a successful reintegration will be diminished.”

The HSRC invited Minister of Social Development Dr Zola Skweyiya to receive the report. Skweyiya said the xenophobic attacks were an embarrassment to all South Africans.

“We (government and the ANC) didn’t do enough work in educating the masses about the help we received from the African countries during the apartheid era,” said Skweyiya.

Skweyiya said the country’s history should be well documented and be taught in schools to educate the youth, so that they could understand that they were a product of solidarity and be more receptive towards foreigners.

The HSRC report said the xenophobic attacks should have been predicted because of the country’s long track record of using violence as a means of protest.

The council recommended that a national summit or indaba on foreign nationals and immigrants in South Africa be held to achieve social integration and peaceful coexistence.

The HSRC said most importantly, it appeared that ordinary South African citizens would like to have their perspectives seriously considered or their voices heard on how to deal with the issues of the influx of foreigners into the country.

“One of the most important triggers of the recent violence was the occupation of national housing stock by non-South Africans.

“We call on government to conduct a national audit on RDP houses and ensure that only South Africans occupy them.” — Sapa

[Daily Dispatch]

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ETHIOPIA

Ministry Says Over 800,000 Benefit From Youth Package

Addis Ababa, 19 June - MINISTRY of Youth and Sports said on Wednesday it secured employment opportunity to over 800,000 youth in the country under the newly introduced youth package policy.

Ministry of youth and Sports, Aster Mammo told a press conference held in her office that her Ministry office in collaboration with federal and regional states, have successfully given awareness on the policy of the package for over 5.6 million youth, university students, and executive bodies ranging from Kebele administration to federal level.

Aster said the package was being implemented in five regional states and two city administrations adding that a new packaging system for pastoralist areas was being designed and would go to implementation by the next one or two years.

Having said government was poised to address unemployment problems in the country, she underscored that many youth have been provided job opportunities at various construction sites that are underway in the regional towns including Addis Ababa.

According to the minister, the youth package mainly emphasizes on curbing unemployment, expansion of social service centers and facilitating and mobilizing public forum for youth.

Speaking on her ministry office's achievement on mobilization and facilitation of youth forum, Aster noted that over 12,000 youth have been able to discuss with the Prime Minister face to face and via ICT technology during the reported period.

She added that over 4,000 discussion forum have been taken place through out the country with in the same period She also highlighted the major success the ministry accomplished in the last 10 years.

The All Ethiopian Plays, a 200 million birr project of sport academy, the 16th African Athletics Champion Ethiopia recently hosted were sited among success stories by the ministry during the reported period.

[The Daily Monitor]

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SAUDI ARABIA

Wisest investment overlooked

Jeddah, 30 June - IMPRESSIVE economic reforms and attractive investment opportunities led the World Bank to rate Saudi Arabia as the Arab world’s best investment environment and rank it 23rd globally.

Great news, but there is perhaps a more important investment we need to make in the Kingdom, and that is an investment in our human resources and our youth. We should make it our priority to develop our educational, social and cultural institutions in order to groom our young to become contributing citizens who can share in the progress and development of their country.

We need to pay more attention to the welfare of our young generation, which constitutes 70 percent of our population. They will be our future leaders, and we cannot afford to miss the opportunity to develop their abilities and enhance their potential to do more than survive in the highly competitive 21st century.

The government allocated a large budget for the education sector, and the Ministry of Education announced ambitious plans to upgrade our education system. Unfortunately, very little has been accomplished, and our education is still inadequate as evidenced by its poor ratings internationally. The academic performance of our students continues to lag because our children are devoid of appropriate language skills; they lack adequate computer knowledge, and subjects that promote critical thinking are nonexistent in our school curriculum.

Officials in the Ministry of Education must realize that we are out of step with global education trends that have become interactive, collaborative and accessible through the creative nature of the cyber world. Our students need to be taught to communicate with the rest of the world now, and our outdated curriculum cries out for revision. These are issues that need to be addressed, and immediate action should be taken to implement these much-needed educational reforms.

Resistance to change is another obstacle delaying social and cultural reform. There is an urgent need to transform the Bedouin culture of rigid thinking into a modern one by providing intellectual and social stimuli. The initiatives of the national dialogue, the media, international conferences and symposiums may be great attempts to influence progress and change; however, they are not enough because they only target a minority while the rest of the population is fed antiquated ideas and an extremist ideology that contradicts the true Islam that is moderate and tolerant.

There is also a significant segment of our young people that is uninspired and opts to be indifferent rather than making the important difference knowledge and motivation bring. Whether it is technological advancement or global and national efforts to protect the environment, a missing ingredient is enthusiasm, which comes in part from self-confidence in one’s ability to compete. A more aggressive awareness campaign needs to be launched on a national scale to replace old social norms with progressive ways to reshape the mindset of our youth.

We should collectively revive our values and work ethic and rid our society of the menaces of corruption, hypocrisy and greed. We must seek out our many heroes and promote the talented and the bright. Let us strive to promote the culture of professionalism and handwork in our society. It is important to encourage the search for excellence in every company and every organization. Research and evaluation should be regular tools to develop our products and improve our services.

King Abdullah outlined our country’s strategic goal to develop a knowledge-based society. Let us hope we can qualify our graduates to become researchers, scientists, engineers and technicians and make this dream come true. But truth requires truth, and if we continue to try and block the realities of the rest of the world, a knowledge-based society will remain a dream and give us a nightmarish reality instead.

The entrepreneurial spirit also needs to be supported and encouraged for our economic development.

Unfortunately, there is not enough genuine community support for our young entrepreneurs. We need to create a support system that would involve lawyers, bankers, financiers and investment companies to guide our young businessmen toward success. We also need a level-playing field where business plans succeed or fail on their own merits and not because of favoritism or obstruction. Eliminating bureaucracy and red tape in order to encourage innovative ideas and promote business enterprises among the younger generation is a necessary prerequisite.

Our leaders and policymakers need to be held accountable for failures and misguided policies that impede progress and development. They need to be more efficient and focused with decisions that affect the future of our young men and women. We must not continue to stagnate and allow our societal rigidity, incompetence and complacency to steal the chances for a prosperous future.  Remember, most children in the developing nations already learn the skills for success while we continue to debate the wisdom of change. We already pay, and will continue to pay, a great price if we fail to accelerate the pace of reform and implement effective initiatives for a better tomorrow.

Our society today is at a crossroads, and change has become inevitable. However, we must make it a change for the better and not allow old traditions to lead us back into a desert of ignorance and poverty. Investing in our youth is a guaranteed way to achieve economic and social prosperity — simply talking about investing in our youth is not.

To succeed we must start modernizing our society and replacing obsolete and  irrelevant customs with fact-based and creative ideas to accelerate our national development and give our children everything they need to succeed.

[Arab News]

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UNITED KINGDOM

Approach youth crime with caution

London, 25 June - IT Now looks a strong possibility that this summer's youth crime action plan will see a much expanded role for newly formed children's trusts, marking a significant return to a more "welfare-oriented" early intervention approach to juvenile justice.

The Home Office envisages that the local authority trusts, which should be established in every area by the end of this year, would take over the responsibility and funding of youth crime and youth offender teams from the Youth Justice Board (YJB). They may also take over the role of buying places in the juvenile secure estate for those teenagers the courts see fit to lock up. The logic of this proposal is that if local authorities rather than the YJB have to foot the very expensive bill for locking children up, they will soon start spending the money instead on much cheaper, early-prevention schemes targeted at problem families.

This is not the whole story. The youth crime action plan is to be accompanied by a green paper on the resettlement of young offenders which, for the first time, recognises that the lack of aftercare for youths aged 16-17 released from young offender institutions is a major cause of reoffending.

In Whitehall, Home Office and Ministry of Justice officials stress that justice secretary Jack Straw and home secretary Jacqui Smith are just as strongly signed up to this early prevention agenda as is Ed Balls at the children's department. As one well-placed source put it: "We are all on the same page on this one, although there is a lot of water yet to go under the bridge."

The emergence of the children's trusts - set up in response to the Victoria Climbié inquiry - as the multi-agency body to end the fragmentation of children's services will be reminiscent of the old post-war local authority children's departments if they also take over local youth justice services. But they would mark a significant departure from the current punitive youth justice set-up, which has seen only 5% of the YJB's annual £700m budget spent on preventive work, with the bulk going on funding places in YOIs run by the prison service, which have 75% reoffending rates.

The idea of a return to such a "welfare-oriented" approach to youth crime, with a focus on the individual and their family, school and community, has already attracted strong criticism that it makes the needs of the offender predominant over all other considerations - including the victim and the community. Others argue that it is unrealistic both politically and in crime-reduction terms, because it would fail to challenge troublesome youths.

But a closer look at the joint analysis by the justice ministry and children's department of the current failings of the youth justice system shows that the idea that it is a choice between welfare or justice is a false one. A key reason cited by officials for why the youth justice system is failing on such a spectacular scale is that it is not just locking up the most serious offenders but that children are getting "escalated" through the system for relatively minor offences, and end up in custody for breaching their supervision orders. They may be persistent offenders, but they are not necessarily serious criminals.

What is difficult politically is that an early-intervention approach will rest on the police cautioning, rather than prosecuting, minor youth offenders. This approach is vulnerable to tabloid media attack every time there is a "get tough" outcry over more serious youth offences, such as knife crime. It will need clear and repeated political support from ministers, right up to the prime minister himself, if it is to work.

Last week's report on crime by government adviser Louise Casey was a good reminder of just how important it is to ensure that the public understand what is being done in their name. It can't be done by stealth.

[The Guardian]

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MALAYSIA

Over 400 Youth Associations Registered Under New Act

Kota Bharu, 29 June 29 - MORE than 400 youth movements and associations have been registered since Dec 31 last year under the Youth Associations and Development Act.

Youth and Sports Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Mohd Yasin Mohd Salleh said their applications were among 500 received so far.

The Act, which among others bans people above 40 to become members or leaders of youth associations, gave a positive impact on efforts to draw youths to join youth associations, he told reporters after officiating the Kelantan-level National Youth Day here yesterday.

He said the Act also gave a fresh breath to youth associations and provide opportunities to the young to lead after being trained by the ministry.

Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, RM2 billion was allocated for the implementation of various youth programmes including Rakan Muda, Youth Economic Fund and 1,300 people's sport arena, he added.

[Bernama]

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BOTSWANA

Young Farmers Fund Makes Strides

Gaborone, 23 June - THE Fund coordinator, Thabo Thamane revealed that only 102 applications worth P35 million were approved while 70 projects valued at P28 million were rejected. He said they are still processing 50 projects worth P20 million. The fund can give a maximum loan of P500,000 repayable over a 10-year period at a fixed interest of five percent.

The majority of approved projects deal with cattle breeding. Others are investments in horticulture, poultry, piggery, dry land farming and small stock. About 60 percent of the young farmers are male while 19 percent are female. The rest of the loans were given to companies which are owned jointly by young men and women.

Thamane said some of the projects were rejected because they were not structured properly. He said some young applicants want to invest in assets that do not add value like cars at the inception of projects. Other projects were rejected because they would be strained by the costs of transport or when the market of the produce is not sustainable. Projects already initiated by other applicants in a certain area were also rejected. "We encourage them to go for niche products," Thamane said. The fund encourages applicants to cluster their projects together in order to share resources and reduce costs. The fund is worried by projects where parents seem to be in the forefront.

Thamane said they want the projects to be run by young people. He said they have realised people are charging exorbitant fees for undeveloped plots and encouraged the youth to apply for land from the land boards. He indicated that when the fund started, they realised that there was a problem of land. They approached the former Lands Ministry and land boards to resolve the problem.

Thamane applauded the land boards for being helpful to the fund and its clients.  He said the Ministry of Agriculture has played a crucial role in helping the fund. Fund officials encourage applicants to seek advice from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The ministry has waived fees for soil testing for young farmers fund applicants while Local Enterprises Authority (LEA) has provided guidance in drafting business plans.

One of the greatest challenges facing the scheme is infrastructure development. Other challenges are inaccessible roads; and the unavailability of electricity and water and shortage of agricultural mentors. The problem of agricultural mentors has forced the fund to go outside the country for collaborative expertise.

Thamane said the capital expenditure of putting power at farms is high. The CEDA official said at times they had drilled boreholes for applicants only to hit a blank. The fund intends to utilise the experience of old subsistence farmers in the country.

Thamane said some of the applicants have done well and have started repaying the loans. He said the default rate is very low as most of the projects are at the implementation level. Thamane said they have put up an effective monitoring system.

"We can identify the early warning signs in time." He said when they visit projects, they invite officials of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The beneficiaries of the fund are offered training before the project starts. The Ministry of Agriculture sends the young investors for attachments in established farms while CEDA offers theoretical training. Thamane said they have taken some of their clients to South Africa.

He said they have started arrangements with the Department of Culture and Youth to top up the P50,000 grant that they avail to young people who want to venture into agricultural enterprises.

He said they have started to assist young farmers who benefited from Kgalagadi Breweries Kick Start project. He stated that 80 percent of their clients are from the rural areas. He indicated that the Gaborone region has not shown much interest in the fund as compared to the rural areas. The CEDA official said this could be due to the fact that it is easier to acquire land for agricultural purposes in the rural areas than in towns.

One of the major objectives of the CEDA Young Farmers Fund is to foster youth enterprises in agriculture through effective pursuit of opportunities in the sector. The fund aims to encourage the development of competitive and sustainable youth enterprises. It is meant to create sustainable employment opportunities for young people through the development of agricultural projects. 

[Mmegi]

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AZERBAIJAN

Within campaign ‘Let’s Go for Career!’ Nar Mobile organized training for youth in Lankaran

Baku, 11 June - THE Next training under theme “Job Search” for students of upper courses and magistrate within framework of youth education program “Forward for Career” organized by Nar Mobile was held in Lankaran.

The Company reports that the major purpose of the training conducted at the Lankaran Business Center was to specify the theoretical knowledge and skills necessary for job search and CV preparation.

The training program included development of job search strategy through initial survey of the labor market, correct preparation of covering letter, and improvement ways of the skills necessary for career building.

“20 students from the Lankaran State University and Lankaran Business Center participated at the training. The next, eighth training of the project is planned to be held in Shaki,” it was reported.

The event is organized within the Corporate Social Responsibility strategy of Azerfon LLC.

The strategic partners of the project are Ministry of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communication and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan Republic.

[ABC]

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