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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: United Kingdom, Anguilla, Namibia, Bahamas, USA, Botswana, Jamaica, Philippines, Ghana, Malta, Rwanda, Malaysia, South Africa, Armenia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Belgium, Guyana, Nepal, Swaziland, India, Azerbaijan, Korea
WORLD ASSEMBLY OF YOUTH
YOUTH BULLETIN
February 2010
Bringing youth news around the world
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IN this bulletin:
UNITED KINGDOM : British Youth Council in call for national transport
discount card
ANGUILLA : Anguilla National Youth Council to elect new executive March 15.
NAMIBIA : Health sector plans for 2010 ; Youth jockey for new NYC posts
BAHAMAS : Bahamian Youth speaks to CARICOM Head of Government on Youth
Development within the region
USA : Federal policy-makers visit New Tech
BOTSWANA : Young ex-convicts to be assisted in business
JAMAICA : National Youth Club survey and audit to be conducted
PHILIPPINES : ARMM leadership pushes empowerment of youth
GHANA : 600 students benefit from exchange programme in six regions; Need
for National Youth Policy emphasised
MALTA : Front Kontra c-Censura call for ‘freedom of expression’
RWANDA : Kicukiro District to close dilapidated office complex
MALAYSIA : Najib announces establishment of Cabinet Committee on Youth
Development
SOUTH AFRICA : Youth employment subsidies on the cards
ARMENIA : 1650 Armenian young families applied for available accommodations
PAKISTAN : Governemnt to set up 100 activity centres for youth in country
; Ministry signs agreement with UNFPA for assistance
SIERRA LEONE : Youth Justice in Action Campaign holds youth conference
BELGIUM : European Parliament sets up Youth Intergroup
GUYANA : Budget will benefit youth
NEPAL : Youth leadership to be activated
SWAZILAND : 20 young people undergo skills training
INDIA : Youth index by April
AZERBAIJAN : Creates all conditions for youth development
KOREA : Runaway teens engaged in prostitution: police
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UNITED KINGDOM
British Youth Council in call for national transport discount card
London, 02 Feb. - YOUNG people are calling on the government to introduce
a national transport card that guarantees them cheap travel.
The call is part of the British Youth Council's (BYC) general election
manifesto and is seen as crucial to improving young people's access to
training, further education, work and leisure.
The card would guarantee all 16- to 25-year-olds at least a third off
adult fares on public transport.
Ginny Lunn, director of policy and development at The Prince's Trust said:
"Young people often tell us that the cost of travel is a key barrier to
jobs and training. Helping young people - especially those in rural areas
- afford transport could help them avoid the downward spiral of
unemployment. "
The BYC manifesto Our Parliament, Our Vision has been developed following
a debate among 250 of its youth representatives and selected from 600
proposals submitted by young people.
The manifesto also calls for a reduction in the voting age to 16, a pledge
to keep the promise of ending child poverty by 2020 and improved mental
health provision for young people.
The youth council also wants politicians to implement an equal national
minimum wage for all workers above the age of 16, saying adults can
currently earn around £300 more for a month's work than 16- to
17-year-olds.
Robel Yemane, 20, from Leicester, has been campaigning with the BYC to get
equal pay for young people. He said: "Many young workers on the minimum
wage live independently and this wage is what pays for their bills, rent
and food.
"Others work part-time to help with costs while studying or put something
towards their families' income.
"It's time to get people talking about equal pay for young people."
In a joint statement, BYC honorary presidents, Liberal Democrat MP Jo
Swinson, Conservative Nigel Evans and Labour's Natascha Engel, said the
manifesto should be used by their colleagues across the country to engage
with young people.
BYC chair Alex Delaney, added: "We thought it was important to take the
opportunity for the general election to be a platform for the proposals of
young people. Writing this manifesto has proved that you can engage us on
issues we care about."
[Children & Youth People Now]
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ANGUILLA
Anguilla National Youth Council to elect new executive March 15.
The Valley, 20 Feb. - THE Anguilla National Youth Council will be electing
a new executive committee at their Annual General Meeting on Monday, 15th
March 2010 at the Teacher’s Resource Centre.
All registered groups are eligible to vote and can be elected as a member
of the executive body.
Registered group members who are desirous to be elected for executive
positions at this year’s elections are asked to submit completed
nomination forms at the Department of Youth and Culture during the
nomination period, March 1st through 8th. The positions to be voted on
are; President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Asst. Secretary/
Treasurer, and Public Relations Officer.
The elected executive will serve for a term of two years.
The Ministry of Social Development, Department of Youth and Culture,
encourages organizations who have not yet registered with the Anguilla
National Youth Council, to do so on or before February 26th 2010, so as to
be qualified to vote. Registration forms can be obtained at the Department
of Youth and Culture or at the Department of Sports and Recreation.
[Anguilla News]
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NAMIBIA
Health sector plans for 2010
Windhoek, 09 Feb. - FOR the next five years, the health sector has set its
target to become the leading public provider of quality health and social
welfare services in Africa.
This is according to Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard
Kamwi, who acknowledged that Namibia's contributions to the health-related
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are still 'fragmented' and yielding
'mixed results'.
Kamwi said health systems need to be strengthened and social determinants
must be tackled at inter-Governmental and inter-institutional levels.
The sector, which in a week-long process considers this year's strategic
objectives, is also developing a new national health policy for the next
10 years with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other
international agencies.
Last year, three specialists were recruited for the cardiac unit at the
Windhoek State Hospital, while Namibian doctors, nurses and radiologists
have been sent to Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa for training.
University of Namibia (Unam) has already enrolled its first intake of
students at its medical school, following close collaboration with the
health ministry.
The number of patients receiving anti-retroviral treatment has grown to
64Â 637, with an increase in the number of sites providing this treatment
to 64 across the country.
And, said Kamwi, Namibia is recognised worldwide for its strides in the
battle against HIV/Aids.
For its work, Namibia has been invited to the 17th Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco next week at
which Kamwi will be a discussant on a panel with the PEPFAR Global
Coordinator, Ambassador Groosby.
Last year, the Tobacco Bill was endorsed by the National Assembly, and is
ready for National Council before the end of the first quarter in all
likelihood.
Medical male circumcision is also being piloted at the Windhoek State
Hospital and the Onandjokwe Hospital as an intervention measure against
HIV infection.
While the sector is 'doing very well', said Kamwi, there remain worrisome
areas.
The outbreak of the influenza A (H1N1), cholera, measles and meningococcal
meningitis and flooding in northern Namibia put a strain on health care
delivery.
A continual concern for Namibia is the high maternal mortality and child
healthcare, as well as HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
Kamwi said Namibia needs to ensure appropriate task shifting and to reduce
the imbalance in the distribution of health workers in the rural-urban and
public-private divides.
The ministry, he said, has not fully engaged the services of the youth, as
proposed by the National Youth Council and Swapo Party Youth League,
despite the fact that the sector is concerned with the critical shortage
of health professionals in the public sector.
'[Particularly] nurses and those who are available are overwhelmed with
non-professional tasks that can easily be performed by these youths,' said
Kamwi.
The SADC health ministers will be launching the SADC Healthy Lifestyle
Day, on February 26 in Cape Town, South Africa, to encourage people to
embrace a lifestyle without smoking, alcohol abuse, unprotected sex,
unhealthy diets and a sedentary life.
Another initiative is the International Health Partnership and its related
initiatives (or IHP+), which is a global partnership that puts the Accra
and Paris principles of aid effectiveness into practice to improve health
services and outcomes, particularly for the poor and vulnerable.
Namibia is not yet a member, but Kamwi said the country is moving towards
applying the principles thereof. Kamwi said the ministry will similarly
embrace the Global Health Initiative spearheaded by US President Barak
Obama that tackles a slew of endemic diseases.
[New Era]
Youth jockey for new NYC posts
Windhoek, 17 Feb. - BEHIND the scenes, politicking and canvassing for
votes at the National Youth Council (NYC) have started in earnest, as the
young politicians gear up for a transformed NYC.
With the NYC Bill having been passed last May, the institution is to
become a fully-fledged independent youth agency under the banner of
Government. Consequently, youth currently embedded with the NYC have
embarked on campaigns to ensure that their favourites get to occupy one of
the plum positions that will come with a revamped NYC.
Two new positions, an Executive Chairman (EC) and Director are up for grabs.
The Executive Chairman will be a political appointee voted directly by
member organisations at a general assembly 'an inclusive body of the
current NYC' to provide political oversight over the body. The next
general assembly is planned for the last week of April. It will coincide
with the National Youth Week Festival in Keetmanshoop.
Although it is not solidly clear who will take over the position of EC,
sources in the know at Pasteur Street say incumbent Acting Secretary
General Mandela Kapere is likely to become the EC. He commands exceptional
support from member organisations affiliated to the NYC.
But he must still get nomination from a sponsoring youth organisation
affiliated to the NYC to stand for the position.
The post of Director will be a technocrat position with administration and
management powers, appointed by the minister on recommendations from the
board of trustees of the NYC. The position of Director will be a publicly
contested vacancy.
A revamped NYC will mean that the body will have direct access to
Parliament with the luxury of its own budget vote as opposed to the
current situation where it receives funding from the Directorate of Youth
under the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture.
It will also seek to establish a Youth Development Fund, and apolitical
youth forums.
A new NYC management and leadership structure will consist of 17 board
members, nine coming from various youth organisations, five ordinary
members to be elected at the General Assembly, two appointed by the
minister on recommendation from the board and one appointee from the
Federation of People Living with Disabilities in Namibia.
All appointees are expected to be in the age range of 16-35, the
stipulated age for a youth under the National Youth Policy.
[New Era]
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BAHAMAS
Bahamian Youth speaks to CARICOM Head of Government on Youth Development
within the region
Nassau, 01 Feb. - "CARIBBEAN youth dream of being the best that they can
be, but their dreams and aspirations, under the influence of family,
friends and the communications media as well as their own knowledge and
perceptions of the opportunities, rights and privileges available in
developed countries, are oriented outside the Region. Some, in particular
older youth, are afraid to dream because of the pain and frustration that
comes from their social and economic reality and the acceptance of the
fact that their dreamed cannot be realized.” – Report of CARICOM
Commission on Youth Development.
History was made last week (25th-31st January, 2010), as the first Heads
of Government Meeting with CARICOM Youth Ambassadors and National Youth
Council Presidents from nearly all Caribbean countries, was held in
Paramaribo, Suriname. The core focus of the meeting was to highlight the
findings of the CARICOM Commissions report, which illuminated the major
concerns and extensive challenges Caribbean youth face i.e high school
dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, limited job access and much more. In
addition, the meeting provided the various youth representatives the
opportunity to inform the Heads of Government of the great discontent for
the outdated educational systems, unfriendly youth departments ruled by
politics and bureaucracy and the lack of partnership with young people.
The week began with several events that enabled the delegates to
participate and exchange ideas of youth development for the region.
However, one of the man focus of the week was the presentation of the
“Report of the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD)”. Members of
the CCYD included youth from all over the region from countries such as
Trinidad, Suriname, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and others.
The Commission is co-chaired by Ms. Yldiz Beighle , former CARICOM Youth
Ambassador of Suriname and Dr. Alston Barrington Chevannes, Professor
Emeritus at the University of the West Indies. The CCYD was established at
the 27th CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government, which was issued a
mandate to undertake ‘a full scale analysis of the challenges and
opportunities for youth in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME);
and make recommendations to improve their well-being and empowerment’.
The report included information that was much alarming that needed
immediate action by CARICOM Heads of Government. Within the report,
statistics were given on the Cost of Early School-Leaving at 2004, the
Cost of Adolescent Pregnancy, the Cost of Youth Unemployment and much
more.
Members of the Commission, led by its co-chairs was given the opportunity,
to present their report at a Special Meeting of the Council for Human and
Social Development (COHSOD) on Youth Development. This Council Chaired by
the Hon. Patrick Simmons, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Culture and
Sports for Grenada. The report provided an analysis of the opportunities
and challenges of youth in the context of the global and regional
environment. 1 Throughout this meeting (which included substantial
discussions) led to various recommendations to the Council. Some of these
recommendations included but not limited to:- Efforts to be made to
engage the private sector, labour unions, universities and other relevant
stakeholders in the discussions on, and implementation of relevant aspects
of the Report that would contribute to facilitating the empowerment of
Youth; Timelines should be set for the implementation of the
recommendations of the Report and efforts made to ensure synergy with the
regional strategy for Youth development; Political-will could be
demonstrated, by inter alia, Minister engaging in constant dialogue with
youth organizations to advance youth issues. Where necessary, youth should
be helped on a one-on-one basis. Youth Directors should be specialists who
are recruited and function in accordance with civil service rules and
youth departments should not be politicized.
The COHSOD endorsed the recommendations contained in the report of the
commission and agreed that the goals set out in the report should be
further elaborated. However, there were many recommendations that the
Council issued. However, a few included:- Presentations of the
Commission’s Report be made to Regional cabinets and that the help of
Ministers of Youth would be needed in this regard; Ministers, Directors of
Youth, Youth Leaders and other stakeholders engage in talk shows and other
methods of promotion of the Report.
The Council finally urged that the Ministers should engage and listen to
their youth constituencies and act on their recommendations from the
report.
Nonetheless, one of the true purposes of the Summit was to give the youth
delegates, the opportunity to sit and engage in an ongoing dialogue with
the Heads of Government on their views of youth empowerment throughout the
region. Unfortunately, the youth representatives were not pleased when
only four heads including the Prime Ministers of St. Lucia, Dominica, and
the Presidents of Suriname and Guyana were the only state leaders present.
While some had lent reasons for their absence and sent Ministers in their
place, The Bahamas regrettably had not a single government representative
present. However, CARICOM Youth Ambassador (CYA) Sacha Armbrister and
Bahamas National Youth Council (BNYC) President Tyson McKenzie took full
pride in speaking on behalf of the youth of The Bahamas. They allowed it
to be known that young people living within the Bahamas share the plight
of youth within their countries and to also urge that governments of the
region must move towards immediate action before the dreams and aspiration
of youth around the region fall apart.
Nonetheless, a demonstration was still made by the youth delegates to
express their disappointment with the lack of attendance by a nine minute
pause led by the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (CYAs) which was followed by
National Youth Council Presidents and other youth delegates, in the
official opening of the Summit. They all stood up for nine minutes to
signify the nine heads of government that were absent from the Summit.
Moreover, this disappointment was further reiterated within the document
issued by the youth delegates present. The document that was entitled
“Declaration: Towards Greater Involvement of CARICOM Heads of Government
in the development of Youth in the Caribbean Community”, declared a
profound sense of disappointment in the non-attendance of the majority of
the Heads of Government, an alarm and regret at the unequivocal signal
that this has sent to nine million young people in the region and the
resentment of this demoralizing blow to the hopes, aspirations and dreams
of the youth of the Caribbean Community.
Despite this occurrence, CYA Sacha Armbrister and BNYC President Tyson
McKenzie, made it a point to ensure that their country was well
represented at the table of the Heads of Government. Despite all the
complaints and venting that occurred, the Bahamian representatives shared
possible solutions to the common problems that other young persons in
other Caribbean Countries shared. Some of these solutions include:-
Proper representation of youth on all government appointed committees;
Support of all governments to NYCs within their respective countries (in
which Prime Ministers and Ministers of Youth Affairs have already agreed
to support); Continued collaboration with NYCs and Ministries of
Government on events that can produce better solutions from youth. An
example of this was given by CYA Armbrister on how the BNYC works with the
Ministry of National Security for the Youth Against Crime Annual Forum.
Nevertheless, the meeting still proved extremely productive with other
various recommendations being made such as including young people in the
revamping of the educational system by including more of the history of
the Caribbean Region and CARICOM, more focus on technical and vocational
training such as Agriculture and Information Technology, mandating the
need for National Youth Council within every country and allowing a level
of transparency to enable youth to assist in directing the proper
management of funds for youth programs.
Under the theme, ‘Eye on the Future – Investing in Youth NOW for
Tomorrow’s Community’, the CARICOM Youth Summit produced many positive
outcomes and prospective for youth present. Heads of Governments that were
present pledged their support to work with the CYAs and National Youth
Councils to execute the recommendations that were presented in the report.
Despite its length and details, each Prime Minister present, dedicated
themselves to personally read the report and see how their governments can
adhere to the practical recommendations made by the CCYD.
With all this in mind, and lack of attendance of the Bahamian Government
at this very important regional meeting, it leads one to mention, where do
we as young people within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas fall one the
priority agenda of the government and politicians of the day. How much
longer will we as young people be placed on the political agenda as simply
tokens for publicity stunts to get our votes and then be forgotten shortly
after? The youth of the Bahamas stand with young people from around the
region when we say ‘enough is enough’ and more must be done for youth
empowerment and development. The government must support the National
Youth Councils, all youth ambassadors and other youth organizations and
must empower them. In order for this country to move forward, we must
invest in the youth of today.
In the words of the Prime Minister the Hon. Stephenson King from St.
Lucia, “We must engage the young people, exploit their dreams...let them
be the magnets of our society.”
[The Bahamas Weekly]
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USA
Federal policy-makers visit New Tech
North Carolina, 24 Feb. - SOME 30 federal policymakers representing
Congressional offices, U.S. Department of Education and other national
education organizations visited Warren New Tech High School (WNTHS) on
Feb. 16 to see how the school is helping to prepare local students for
college.
The visit was made possible through the American Youth Policy Forum
(AYPF), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization
designed to provide learning opportunities for policymakers, practitioners
and researchers to help them become more effective in implementing
policies related to youth and education issues.
WNTHS was one of just two schools in North Carolina selected for the AYPF
visit. The other was Sampson Early College High School in Sampson County.
Pat Draffin, Community Schools director with Warren County Schools, said
that WNTHS was selected for its innovative approach to education.
"It is a school in a rural community that has changed the way students are
taught in order to better prepare them for college," he said.
After a luncheon and comments by Warren County Schools, board of
education, and board of county commissioners representatives, WNTHS
student ambassadors led the delegation on classroom tours to provide a
glimpse of a typical school day there.
Following the tours, the delegation participated in a panel discussion
with WNTHS students, teachers and community partners, such as Warren
Family Institute and Warren County Training School/North Warren High
School & Friends Alumni Association.
Students and teachers had the opportunity to talk about why they chose to
attend or work at WNTHS. Community representatives described how local
agencies, groups and organizations have assisted the school.
While the delegation focused on WNTHS, they were interested in how having
a choice of three high schools has helped the county.
"Students feel that they can be successful and prepared for higher
education," Draffin said.
[Vanc News]
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BOTSWANA
Young ex-convicts to be assisted in business
Gaborone, 01 Feb. - THE Botswana National Youth Council has promised to
help young ex-convicts set up business ventures.
In an interview with Monitor, BNYC chairman, Chomi Letlole revealed that
this decision was made at their recent board meeting, where they resolved
to help rehabilitate young ex-convicts who are usually shunned by society.
He said with skills acquired in prisons such as carpentry, ex-convicts are
better placed to start and grow their own businesses and thus be
integrated back into their respective communities.
The board, said Letlole, also unanimously agreed to seek for funds from an
international donor body to educate the youth on politics as encouragement
to actively participate in the political affairs of the country. Even the
youth who are already part of the country's political spectrum will be
empowered to deal with the challenges they are facing.
Another resolution made at the meeting was to award certificates to youth
in rural areas, involved in running the BNYC district offices.
"They are not paid anything, yet they volunteer their time helping in the
noble cause of youth empowerment, hence we have decided that we should
give them certificates that they can show in their Curriculum Vitaes, that
they serve the youth," he said.
[Mmegi]
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JAMAICA
National Youth Club survey and audit to be conducted
Kingston, 09 Feb. - THE National Council for Youth Development (NCYD) in
collaboration with the Social Development Commission (SDC) will be
conducting a national youth club survey and audit to ascertain the
capacity of the clubs, as part of efforts to restructure community-based
youth organisations.
This is according to Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Youth,
Sports and Culture, Senator Warren Newby, who was making his contribution
to the State of the Nation debate during Friday's (February 5) sitting of
the Senate.
He said that the survey and audit, which is one of several initiatives
being undertaken by the NCYD to support the growth and strengthening of
youth clubs, will also ascertain the capability of the state apparatus and
that of Non-Government Organisations (NGO), and instruct a policy on
sustainable
Senator Newby pointed out that the National Youth Council (NYC), which was
formed in 2004 to serve as the umbrella organisation for the youth club
movement, has, since that time, not had a constitution to govern its
operations. Therefore, a national consultation on a constitution for the
NYC is another initiative that is being undertaken by the NCYD.
The NCYD is the youth division of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and
Culture, and works to promote the empowerment of youth and to advocate for
"A series of parish meetings for consideration on the draft constitution
are being conducted since January (this year). Post this, we expect that
ratification of the document will take place in March," he said.
Senator Newby pointed out that following the ratification of the
constitution, election for officers is proposed for May this year. "An
electronic voter system has been developed and tested for the execution of
these elections. Miss Tracy-Ann Johns, a youth ambassador, designed the
system and this process will be fully supported by the Electoral Office of
Jamaica," he said.
He noted too that a series of workshops will commence this month
(February) in order to enhance the ability of the youth clubs to sustain
themselves and to act as surrogates to the implementation of the National
Youth Policy. The topics to be covered include: leadership, project
writing, social venture financing and advocacy.
Senator Newby further informed that young persons will receive training
and officers elected to participate in the engagement of the youth club
movement towards achieving the Vision 2030 objectives.
He said that with the restructuring of the youth clubs, they will be used
to promote literacy and numeracy and the attainment of matriculation,
"which translates to at least five Caribbean Secondary Education
Certificate (CSEC) subjects and or certification in vocational areas as
goals for every member of the youth club movement in Jamaica". He added
that the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning is to assist with the
roll out of this initiative.
The Senator noted that the youth clubs will also be used as a means of
promoting wellness; environmental stewardship; youth and social
entrepreneurship; disaster management and mitigation; and sports and
culture.
[Jamiaca Information Service]
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PHILIPPINES
ARMM leadership pushes empowerment of youth
Cotabato City, 17 Feb - THE new administration of the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is pushing for the empowerment of the youth sector
in the region through employment or migration schemes it crafted in a
two-day workshop here.
“The concern of the youth should be the concern of everyone” said ARMM’s
Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Regional Secretary Myra Alih
during the Inception Workshop on Millennium Development Goals Concerning
Youth, Employment and Migration (MDG-YEM) held at Hotel Castro from
February 15 to 16.
Officials of ARMM and the provincial government of Maguindanao conducted
the two-day workshop, which was participated in by youth organizations
from the province that helped draft an action plan on varied alternatives
to provide them decent local and overseas jobs.
Alih stressed that despite the problems faced by Filipino youth especially
in Maguindanao such as poverty, armed conflicts, child exploitation in
combat, and child labor, the ARMM governance led by acting Gov. Ansaruddin
Alonto-Adiong would “never give up” on empowering the youth.
In different occasions, the 40-year-old Adiong, the youngest ARMM chief
executive, has emphasized the need to make the youth “productive
citizens.”
The MDG-YEM is a project funded by foreign donors like the International
Organization for Migration (IOM), International Labor Organization (ILO),
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) through the initiative of DoLE-ARMM.
It is also assisted by other government agencies in the ARMM including the
Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
National Youth Commission (NYC), National Commission on the Role of
Filipino Women (NCRFW), and the National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA).
The program started on July 2009 and would run for a three-year period.
In Maguindanao, the program was already launched last October 26 at the
Office of the Regional Governor compound wherein problems and concerns of
the youth residing in the area were initially tackled.
[Manilla Bulletin]
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GHANA
600 students benefit from exchange programme in six regions
Accra, 15 Feb. - 600 STUDENTS have been selected from about 20 Senior High
schools (SHS) in six regions, under the Ghana National Exchange Programme
School (GNEPS), to embark on one month schools exchange programme.
The beneficiary regions are Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Volta,
Eastern and the Western. The month-long programme, which started Friday
last week, would end next month. The programme is designed to focus on
areas aimed at developing a holistic youth to suit modern-day and future
challenges.
Mr. Kwabla Asomaning, Country Director of Country Awards Council,
announced this at the opening of the 3rd batch of the SHS division of the
GNEPS at the Assembly Hall of the Accra Academy Senior High School in
Accra recently.
He noted that these holistic development intervention tools were academic
advancement, effective leadership, healthy lifestyle living (HIV/AID
prevention), good cultural practices, and promotion of tourism, among
others.
Mr. Asomaning added that the programme would also help promote sports for
national development, and appealed to the beneficiary students to be good
ambassadors of their institutions.
The Executive Director of GNEPS, Mr. Cecil Nii Ododai Wintum, disclosed
that his outfit was working to extend the exchange programme to other
regions of the country.
According to him, “We hope the GNEPS will grow to become a big programme
that the government will adopt.”
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr. Alex
Tetteh-Enyoh, said the ministry was taking a keen interest in the
programme, to enable it achieve its objectives.
He advised the students to make good use of the exchange programme, and
shun habits that would counteract its purpose.
The Headmaster of Accra Academy, Mr. Samuel Ofori Agyei, who spoke on
behalf of the beneficiary schools, called on GNEPS to extend the programme
to other parts of the country.
He urged the students to mingle with other students from different parts
of the country, in order to learn new ideas and cultures in those areas.
“If we want to remain as a united country, then an exchange programme of
this nature must be encouraged,” Mr. Agyei stressed.
He therefore called on the government to factor the programme into the
country’s education calendar.
In his remarks, the National Coordinator of the National Youth Council
(NYC), Mr. Sekou Nkrumah, urged the youth to strive to contribute to the
socio-economic development of the country, irrespective of their tribe,
religion, sex and location.
Mr. Nkrumah added his voice to the call on students to respect their
teachers, parents, and adults in society, and urged them to desist from
following bad groups.
“You need to translate what you learned into action. Be careful the way
you dress. Because it speaks about you,” the National Youth Coordinator
advised.
The Programme Manager of the Regenerative Health Programme, Mr. Kofi
Adusei, advised the students to desist from taking alcohol and hard drugs
like cocaine and marijuana.
He used the occasion to pay glowing tribute to the late former Minister of
Health, Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), for introducing the programme.
[The Chronicle]
Need for National Youth Policy emphasised
Accra, 20 Feb. - THE Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace, has said it
would ensure that government expedites action on the formulation of a
National Youth Policy.
The group, which is an umbrella body of faith based bodies in the country,
including the Christian Council, the Catholic Bishops Conference and the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, said it was high time the country developed a
pragmatic youth policy for the development of young people.
Alhaji Muhammad Kpakpo Addo, Acting Executive Secretary and Programme
Coordinator of the Conference, said these at a day's capacity building
workshop for over 50 young people drawn from the country's religious
organizations, in Accra on Saturday.
The workshop, which was on the theme: "Empowering the Youth as Future
Leaders for Peace and Development" was to build leadership skills and
capacity of to participants to enable them to effectively assume
leadership roles and responsibilities for the progress of society.
Alhaji Addo said that the group would soon embark on advocacy programmes
to get government to appreciate the importance of the existence of a youth
policy.
He said the lack of such a policy was affecting youth development and
empowerment adding that Ghana has been fine-tuning her youth policy for
over a decade now with no end in sight as to when it would be finalized.
Alhaji Addo said the group's intended campaign was aimed at ensuring that
the policy was passed into law and the Ghanaian youth have access to such
a document.
He called on the youth to avail themselves of the opportunities that
existed in the country and develop their talents to enable them to catch
up with their counterparts in other parts of the world.
Mr. Mahama Braimah, a Training Specialist and Resource Person, observed
that "with the proper orientation, mindset, knowledge and leadership
skills, the youth can contribute a lot to national development" .
He asked the youth to take the first step towards achieving their goals
and should not always wait for assistance adding "you do not have to be in
leadership position before you can offer leadership and bring change to
your community".
The Conference, which was formed in 2002 by the country's religious and
faith based bodies, also engages in conflict resolution activities,
HIV/AIDS education to ensure peaceful and a healthy society.
[GNA]
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MALTA
Front Kontra c-Censura call for ‘freedom of expression’
Valletta, 25 Feb.- THE call was for freedom of expression, as the varied
crowd which gathered to join the Front Kontra c-Censura in their protest
against the outdated censorship laws made its way towards the parliament
building.
Those present included Labour MPs Owen Bonnici and Evarist Bartolo, local
TV personality Lou Bondi and Andrew Borg Cardona.
Organisation spokesman Ingram Bondin said he assumed that the crowd
present was in agreement on a number of points, namely that society had to
be more tolerant and that it was not right for some people to have power
over what others read, see or think.
The organisation was taking a stand, he said, and they were very pleased
with the positive turnout. It was clear that the Maltese people were not,
as they were sometimes accused of being, passive and unwilling to take
action to fight for their fundamental rights.
The Front was proposing the removal of the law forbidding religious
satire, doing away with the classification board’s power to censor
theatrical productions and repealing the law which states that nothing
which offends public morals can be printed.
Moreover the Broadcasting Authority should not be allowed to censor
programmes after 9pm, particularly as foreign stations offered such
programmes and the definition of what constituted pornography had to be
broadened.
Another spokesman for the organisation said that the penalties for such
behaviour were obscene, and not the stories being written.
Since unable to attend, local poet George Peresso, said that he felt
compelled to join in the protest, as he was afraid of the darkness within
which Malta might remain, if society remained frightened of dialogue.
Censorship, he said, was the tool of those who were impotent and who did
not believe in the strength of their own argument. Some recent articles
and blogs, he said, were more preoccupying than these stories.
Author Immanuel Mifsud said a group of some 90 local writers and artists
had formed a group, Group 29, which was backing the Front in its
condemnation of censorship. Back in 2002, he said, a group from the
Council of Europe had already condemned censorship in Malta.
Those forming part of the Front Kontra c-Censura include the youth forum
of Alternattiva Demokratika, Labour Youth Forum, the Realtà Collective,
the GWU youths, Unifaun Theatre Productions, the Graffiti Movement,
Zminijietna, MOVE – Progressive Students, Pulse, the Junior College
Students Council and the National Youth Council.
[The Malta Independent]
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RWANDA
Kicukiro District to close dilapidated office complex
Kigali, 24 Feb. - KICUKIRO District authorities yesterday gave a one week
ultimatum to close down a multi-storied building rented by government to
house some departments of the Ministry of Health and the National Youth
Council.
According to Paul-Jules Ndamage, the district Mayor, the five-storied
structure located in Kicukiro along the Rwandex-Sonatubes road is
dilapidated and a threat to lives of the occupants.
Ndamage pointed out that they have written several times telling the
parties concerned of the issue but they neither responded nor renovated
the building.
"The building poses a threat to whoever works in it. Part of its wall
collapsed a long time ago and the remaining part is hanging, we told them
to rebuild it but nothing has been done," he pointed out.
The building that at one time served as the headquarters to the Auditor
General's Office and later the Ministry of Commerce, is being leased by
government.
"We were going to close it down today and reopen it only after necessary
works are carried out, but because some of the occupants were not aware,
we have given them another week," warned Ndamage.
The Mayor added that his office wrote to the Ministry of Infrastructure
about the appalling state of the building, giving them an ultimatum of one
month but they never responded in any way.
The Infrastructure Ministry is in charge of all structures either owned or
rented by government.
Relevant Links
Employees of government organs operating from the building said they would
exert pressure on relevant authorities to ensure that necessary
renovations are done.
"Within this week we shall put pressure on the owners and the Ministry of
Infrastructure to work on the building, as for the hygiene we shall
ourselves clean it up within a day," said Catherine Mugyeni from
Environmental Health Department.
The cleanup is part of a general operation by Kicukiro district to get rid
of all the dilapidated and substandard buildings that largely pose
security and health hazards to the population.
According to district officials, over 20 buildings including petrol
stations have been so far been closed in the exercise.
[The New Times]
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MALAYSIA
Najib announces establishment of Cabinet Committee on Youth Development
Kuala Lumpur, 26 Feb. - THE Cabinet has agreed to the establishment of a
Cabinet Committee on Youth Development which will play an important role
in coordinating and updating the delivery system for youth development
programmes.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said in a statement here on
Friday that the committee would be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and would have 12 members comprising representatives
from the relevant ministries.
It would not only meet the current needs and aspirations but would also
ensure that the young generation was more productive in the country's
socio-economic development in future, he said.
The committee would also undertake various initiatives to mould today's
young generation to play an important role in continuing with the nation
building agenda towards a brighter and more prosperous future, he added.
Najib said the committee would be able to contribute various reforms in
efforts to develop the young generation of 11.4 million people aged
between 15 and 40.
"Among the changes that will be given focus are the youth development
management mechanism and the implementation of the Youth Association and
Youth Development Act 2007 (Act 688)," he said.
Besides comprehensive implementation of all the youth development
policies, he said, efforts would also be made to improve the coordination
and cooperation among the relevant youth agencies.
Najib said the government would also continue to help the youth to enjoy
the the country's development, strengthen the spirit of patriotism, and
make the 1Malaysia concept a culture, besides developing the spirit of
entrepreneurship, producing a crime-free youth and enhancing the role of
the youth in promoting peace and national resilience and in championing
universal values.
He said that with the committee, the functions and roles among government
agencies involved in youth development could be coordinated to ensure that
the key performance indicators (KPI) for youth development could be
achieved before 2012.
"The government thanks all parties who have given suggestions for the
setting up of this committee, especially those from the youth leaders at
various levels, the Malaysian Youth Council and the National Youth
Consultative Council," he said.
He said the ideas and contributions of the cabinet committee members would
create a new era of youth development management in the country with big
changes in the aspects of responsibility, system and role extension.
"The government believes that the youth will enjoy the benefits and wider
development, " he said.
[Bernama]
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SOUTH AFRICA
Youth employment subsidies on the cards
Pretoria, 12 Feb. - THE South African government is to table proposals to
subsidise the cost of hiring young workers to encourage companies to take
on inexperienced staff, as the country focuses on job creation targeting
youngsters.
The government created 480 000 public works job opportunities by the end
of December 2009, falling just three percent short of the target set by
President Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address last year.
Delivering his State of the Nation address in Parliament, Cape Town on
Thursday, Zuma said these jobs were created in areas such as construction,
home and community-based care, and environmental projects.
Now, he said, the country's urgent focus should be on interventions to
create jobs for young people.
"The most urgent focus of policy change must be interventions to create
jobs for young people. Unemployment rates for young people are
substantially higher than the average."
Expansion of public programmes
A further expansion of public employment programmes, including local
infrastructure and literacy projects, home-based care, school maintenance
and early childhood development initiatives, was also under way.
"We have identified some areas of improvement which we will effect going
forward, including ensuring more labour-intensive projects."
Zuma said the government acknowledged that these and other measures could
not fully mitigate the effects of the recession, but added that the
country was grateful for the spirit of community and voluntary work which
had inspired many to help people in hard economic times.
The government had also urged the National Youth Development Agency,
created in 2009 through a merger of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the
National Youth Commission, to speed up the roll-out of branches throughout
the country.
The government had also created the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment
(BEE) Advisory Council, chaired by the President, to promote an inclusive
economy.
[BuaNews]
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ARMENIA
1650 Armenian young families applied for available accommodations
Yerevan, 23 Feb. - DURING a press conference Arsen Karamanyan“, RA Deputy
Minister of Sport and Youth Policy said , “The government's target program
“Accommodation available to young people”, which implies provision of
mortgages to young families, will start in March 2010”
According to him, the program beneficiaries will be young families, where
the gross income amounts to approximately AMD 300-400 thousand, including
the incomes of all family members, as well as families, where the spouses'
cumulative age doesn't exceed 60 and none of the spouses is over 35. The
families, where the age of the only parent does not exceed 30 are also
included.
Arsen Karamanyan believes that the approved government's program will
contribute to the demographic growth in Armenia. “A program, which will
make it possible to decrease the mortgage rates and to partially subsidize
the mortgage payment of the young families having 2 and more children, may
be elaborated,” he added.
The deputy minister mentioned that 1650 young families have already
submitted applications for the purchase of available accommodations. 1100
families out of 1650 aim to buy apartments in Yerevan and 550 – in
regions. According to experts, about 500 young families are able to pay
the mortgage, including 300 residing in Yerevan.
The young families will be given the mortgages at concessionary terms: the
credits will be given with 10.5-11% per annum, including subsidized 2%,
while the market rates come to 14-15%. Thus, the mortgage rate will come
to 8,5-9% per annum. Maturity period is minimum 10 years. The cost for
apartment, bought within the framework of the program, should not exceed
AMD 16 million.
The deputy minister mentioned that with the framework of the program, a
mortgage agreement has been concluded Armbusinessbank and Ararat bank and
within the nearest days, 8-10 more banks will be included in the list.
“We'll do our utmost to disappoint the opponents of the government's
program,” he said. A hot line will be operating for cases of possible
corruption, so that the RA Ministry of Sports and Youth policy will be
able to take proper steps to eliminate them,” he said.
[Armenian News]
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PAKISTAN
Governemnt to set up 100 activity centres for youth in country
Islamabad, 26 Feb. - MINISTER for Youth Affairs Shahid Hussain Bhutto
Friday said the Ministry will set up 100 youth activity centres and seven
youth development centres across the country.
Responding during the question hour session, he said the centres are aimed
at engaging the youth in social welfare and other extra curricular
activities.
He said first time in the history of the country, the Ministry has
prepared a National Youth Policy to set a course of action for the youth
development.
He said traveling, visiting sites and exposure to new environment open
vistas of mutual faculties. Youth is engaged in "See Pakistan" and
international exchange programme to see various areas of their own country
as well as foreign lands and societies.
He said youth with outstanding performance are award in cash for achieving
excellence in various fields like science, literature, social welfare, art
and craft, performing arts, inventions and etc. The Minister said that to
promote writing skills, which is a process to comprehend thoughts and
transferring them on papers, National Essay Writing Competitions are held
annually for youth between 15-29 years of age.
He said MoU with British Council has been signed while with UNFPA for
technical and financial cooperation in the field of youth related
activities is in final stage of approval.
In order to provide on job experience and temporary employment to the
un-employed youth having a degree with 16 years of education, 30,000 youth
are being engaged under National Internship Programme.
Further, special packages for the graduate youth or Malakand and
Balochistan have been started, he added.
He said the Ministry has also started negotiations with the different
organisations/ institutions/ international NGOs to develop comprehensive
programmes for employment/ self employment of youth in the country. Bhutto
said that in order to provide support in small business to youth a
programme is being designed with the assistance of international labour
organisation.
[The Daily Mail]
Ministry signs agreement with UNFPA for assistance
Islamabad, 26 Feb. - IN order to implement the National Youth Policy
(NYP), the Ministry of Youth Affairs (MoYA) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for
technical and financial assistance. The MoU was signed at the MoYA office
here Thursday.
Office In charge of UNFPA Casper Peek and Federal Secretary Ministry of
Youth Affairs Nazar Hussain Mahar signed the agreement that is aimed at
facilitating MoYA in the implementation of projects planned in the
National Youth Policy. Federal Minister for Youth Affairs Shahid Hussain
Bhutto was also present on the occasion. Terming it a big step forward for
the implementation of National Youth Policy, the Minister of Youth Affairs
said that the MoU is part of ministry’s efforts to translate the plan of
action mentioned in National Youth Policy into practice. He appreciated
the efforts and interest of UNFPA to collaborate with the ministry in its
efforts to prepare a ground for the empowerment of youth in the country.
The basic project to be dealt under MoU will be the Youth Activity Centres
the ministry plans to open at district level. The PC-1 for these centres
had already been sent to Planning Commission for approval. These centres
will be established in coordination with district administration
departments mostly in vacant government buildings.
The basic objective of these centres is to facilitate the deprived youth
of remote areas and promote entertainment as well as knowledge-based
activities among the younger generation. Gym and library will be the major
features of these facilities.
The UNFPA will assist the ministry in its capacity building on
conceptualising, designing and establishing 100 Youth Activity Centres in
line with the UNFPA Youth-Friendly Model. Further more, it will provide
necessary financial assistance to the ministry to operate Youth Activity
Centres. It will also provide technical assistance to the ministry to set
up Technical Support Unit (TSU) for these centres.
The UN agency will also assist in designing and organising extensive
training programmes for TSU personnel of the ministry for proper
implementation of objectives. The training will strengthen the monitoring
and evaluation (M&E) capacity of TSU and will also support in developing
M&E framework for Youth Programme. According to the terms and references
of the agreement, the UNFPA will take a lead role in coordination and
collaboration with all UN agencies and act as a focal UN agency for youth
related initiatives. It will also mobilise local NGOs and focal groups to
effectively carry out youth related programmes at grass-roots level
through community participation. To enhance youth related activities at
provincial level, the agency will actively engage with provincial
governments to highlight youth issues and to allocate appropriate
resources for them. Besides facilitating MoYA for third party evaluation
of its ongoing projects and programs, it will also assist the ministry in
periodically organizing media campaigns, seminars, talk shows, walks etc
to sensitise public on youth related issues.
[The International News]
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SIERRA LEONE
Youth Justice in Action Campaign holds youth conference
Freetown, 08 Feb. _ THE Youth Justice in Action Campaign conducted a youth
and civil society conference at the YMCA Hall past weekend. The objective
of the conference was to identify primary injustices facing youths when
they are presumed perpetrators against Constitutional rules and
regulations.
Since its inception as a YMCA programme, the project has been working
ardently towards improving the condition and prospect of young people and
juveniles in conflict with the law by effecting positive changes in
policy, laws and practices.
The campaign creates a platform of opportunity for young people to air
their views on issues regarded as youth injustice and submit tangible
solutions to address them.
This, as suggested, will act as panacea in maximizing the well-being and
potential of young people in Sierra Leone and beyond. The Campaign also
has extension programmes in South Africa, Togo, Honduras, Ireland and the
United Kingdom. They are all being run by youths in the National Movement
of the YMCA in their countries.
As a Y-Care facilitated programme, the conference brought a number of
civil society organizations and youth groups together that are yearning
for youth justice in the country.
In a brief statement by Mr. Shiaka Charles, the National Chairman of YMCA
in Sierra Leone, he urged youths to be better examples for the younger
ones to emulate and eschew the act of violence. He disclosed that youths
have on many occasions been identified as orchestrators in most violence
cases, especially during electoral processes. “This is one of the reasons
responsible for the social and moral retardation of youths in Sierra
Leone” he said.
The Campaign coordinator of the Programme Mr. Mohamed O.B. Sandy
reiterated that a good number of youths experience marginalization with
impunity when they are found wanting in respect of the law. In most cases,
if not all, youths are unduly detained in prison cells when they are held
as suspects. The accommodation at these detention centers are tight and
therefore overcrowded, thereby causing inconveniences for youths and
others serving their prison terms.
Sandy called on concerned bodies like the Ministry of Social Welfare
Gender and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to help in the rehabilitation
and reintegration of young offenders based on the Convention on
international minimum standards, adding that the idea of discrimination
and stigmatization of young offenders should be waived.
The representative of the National Union of Sierra Leone Students (NUSS)
Mr. Morlai Conteh said based on their investigations on justice involving
the youth, they have witnessed in most cases where youths are being
denied their rights in courts. However most of the allegations on which
the youths are charged include immorality and drug abuse. “Youths are
arbitrarily arrested and detained beyond the Constitutionally stipulated
72 hours and when they are found innocent they are not compensated” he
lamented.
Civil societies, various youth groups and other concerned organizations
present made their contributions and commitments to identify with the
objective of the Campaign and foster monitoring efforts to calculate the
degree of injustice meted out on youths and juveniles in court cases in
the country.
[Awoko]
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BELGIUM
European Parliament sets up Youth Intergroup
Brussels, 15 Feb. - WITH the aim of getting young people more involved in
EU affairs, MEPs launched, on 11 February, the first-ever Youth Intergroup
in the European Parliament.
Set up at the initiative of Damien Abad (EPP, France), Ramona Manescu
(ALDE, Romania), Eider Gardiazabal (S&D, Spain) and Jean Lambert
(Greens-EFA, UK), the intergroup has the specific goals of encouraging
active youth citizenship by promoting exchanges between the different
players and strengthening youth policy through follow-up of initiatives
and programmes in progress.
The intergroup will also implement new initiatives and ambitions in
support of youth at EU level, eg the creation of an apprenticeship Erasmus
programme.
“We should not limit ourselves to a policy for youth but develop a policy
with young people,” commented Abad.
[EuroPolitics]
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GUYANA
Budget will benefit youth
Georgetown, 17 Feb. - AS part of its commitment to sustainable development
in Guyana, Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony said, his ministry will be
holding special workshops for emerging writers in schools as well as
establishing a Music School during the year.
As the budget debate ran into its second day yesterday, Dr Anthony, who
also holds the ministerial portfolio for Youth and Sport, declared that
young people are “the primary beneficiaries of this budget”. He indicated
that there had been several initiatives which sought to particularly
target youths. Among these are special programmes equipping them to deal
with social issues.
Responding to concerns raised by PNCR-1G MP Africo Selman on Monday
regarding the absence of a National Youth Policy, Anthony said there is
currently a National Youth Policy although he admitted that it was
outdated. However, Anthony said that the ministry will be moving to
upgrade this policy this year with the help of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP).
Meanwhile, regarding the establishment of the music school, Anthony said
it was observed that persons had limited opportunity to learn practical
and theoretical music within the country. A specialized team has been
developing a curriculum even as the instruments have already been
procured. According to Anthony, shortly, the ministry will be recruiting
the teachers to start this programme.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will be sponsoring a special
essay competition in schools and the writers of the best 30 essays will be
trained during a creative writing workshop to be held in August. This
workshop will be conducted by UK-based Guyanese Professor David Dabydeen.
During the workshop the children will develop creative pieces which will
be performed in December 2010 at the Festival of Words in honour of
National Poet Martin Carter. These pieces will then be published, the
minister said.
“We feel that this investment by the government will not only help to
preserve our rich literary legacy but will also develop a new generation
of writers and poets,” Anthony said.
The minister also outlined specific efforts being undertaken to improve
the National Museum and the Walter Rodney Archives, which he emphasised,
were being treated as very important entities in the country.
Further, Anthony announced that his ministry is also committed towards
developing theatre in the country. He said that it is seeking to arrange
a national drama festival to have playwrights and actors display their
talents. He said this would be held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).
He added that plans are also in the pipelines for the establishment of a
National Theatre School at the NCC He also added that repairs on the roof
of the NCC will be done this year.
Additionally, Anthony said that the ministry’s effort in developing sports
infrastructure has been gaining momentum. The minister pledged that the
long-awaiting Olympic-sized pool “will be fully operational by the middle
of this year”. He said that this had been delayed due to the lack of
technical expertise on the part of the local contractors, but he said they
have since collaborated with an international firm.
Work on the racquet centre on Woolford Avenue is ongoing and phases should
be completed during the year. In addition, Anthony said it is expected
with the assistance from a donor agency, a Resource Centre, which will
house a library and conference facility, will be erected.
“In 2010 our flagship infrastructure programme will be the development of
a synthetic athletics track,” the minister said. The Guyana Amateur
Athletic Association is a partner in this project, he added, while noting
that a design firm was already hired and following a feasibility study of
four sites, one site has been recommended.
Also contributing to yesterday’s debate was Manniram Prashad, who holds
the ministerial positions for Tourism, Trade and Commerce. He described
the budget as “working class” and said it included something for everyone.
He said there was widespread consultation with members of the private
sector in the lead up to the budget.
The minister noted that 2009 was the first year Guyana never had to import
chicken and he said that during this year there is expected to be enough
of this commodity on the market to be exported. He disclosed that Guyana
is aiming to export chicken to Trinidad and Tobago during the year.
Among the highlights for this year is $75 million budgeted to improve the
facilities of Lethem Industrial Estate with the constructions of drains,
roads and culverts. He said that this estate had great potential since
trade could be boosted due to the opening of the Takutu Bridge, which
links Guyana and Brazil.
He said that in 2009, close to $50 million was spent on developing the
commercial zone in Lethem. So far over 55 applications have been processed
from persons who want to conduct business in this area and to date ten
companies have begun construction, Prashad said.
Next week a 50-member team from Brazil will be visiting to see local
resorts and meet business community, the minister said.
Regarding the tourism sector, he said that last month the country recorded
arrivals of 9,273 which was the largest ever recorded in the month of
January. Last year visitors during the month of January totalled 8,132 he
said.
Prashad said that “destination Guyana” is becoming more popular and that
it is being increasingly promoted by well known tourist agencies. He also
said the country was well promoted when President Bharrat Jagdeo travelled
overseas.
[Stabroek News]
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NEPAL
Youth leadership to be activated
Kathmandu, 10 Feb. - YOUTH parliamentarians and leaders of various
political parties have agreed to activate youths of their respective
parties in the mainstream Nepali politics. The decision came today at a
meeting of youth parliamentarians and party leaders held here.
During the meeting, they resolved to make unified effort to mainstream
youths of their respective parties in the national politics. The meting
was held at Singh Durbar and represented by youth leaders of the Unified
CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, among others. “We have formed a
seven-member task force to draft a policy,”said Nabindra Raj Joshi, a
Constituent Assembly member of the NC. He informed that the decision was
to promote youth leadership in the political parties.
“We, the youth leaders of different parties had formed Youth Parliament—
an informal political wing of different parties— during the direct rule of
then king Gyanendra before People’s Movement II and now we want to
revitalise it in a systematic manner,” said Joshi, who is also the
Chairman of the Youth Parliament. The forum will help raise youths’ issues
and make parties alert about the spirit of emerging young generation in
the national politics, Joshi added.
[The Himalayan Times]
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SWAZILAND
20 young people undergo skills training
Mbabane, 23 Feb. - A Group of 20 young people living with disabilities are
undergoing skills training at the Castle Hotel in Mbabane.
The five day training is a partnership between the Swaziland National
Youth Council (SNYC) and World Vision funded by the National Response
Emergence Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA) under the Global Fund.
World Vision Micro Enterprise Development Manager, Thuli Chapa said this
workshop was basically targeting the youth with disability. She said they
were being empowered on skills training including petroleum jelly making,
savings and credit.
Chapa explained that World Vision received over E400 000 from NERCHA to
conduct the trainings and they were happy to be entrusted to do this
important project of skills development.
SNYC development and Project officer Gugulethu Mgabhi said they were happy
as an organisation to be able to reach the youth with disability. She said
they liaised with the Members of Parliament for the different
constituencies where the youth come from.
She expressed disappointment over the non-availability of data for people
living with disability at the Federation of the Disabled People in
Swaziland (FODSWA). Mgabhi said this delayed the training that she said
should have been conducted late last year.
She thanked the members of parliament for their assistance in identifying
the young people with disabilities. She said this was part of the SNYC
programmes to empower the youth to be able to generate income. Mgabhi said
they trained the youth and felt the need to train the special group which
is often left out yet they are also faced with hardships like
unemployment.
The youth came from the following communities and constituencies;
Dlangeni, Mahlangatsha, Ngudzeni, Mbekelweni, Mvutjini, Mafutseni,
Ludzeludze, Nyakeni, Mangcongco, Lobamba, Ndzingeni among others.
[The Swazi Observer]
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INDIA
Youth index by April
New Delhi, 14 Feb. - IS the recent surge in suicide rate among youth
symptomatic of an overall deterioration in their living standards, or is
something more specific responsible?
The answer may be clear by April, when the Tata Institute of Social
Sciences (Tiss) concludes the creation of the country’s first youth
development index (YDI).
The nationwide study by a three-member team from Tiss began a year ago,
and is being supported by the Centre through the Rajiv Gandhi National
Institute of Youth Development, an autonomous organisation of the Union
ministry of youth affairs and sports.
“Youth are the country’s future resource, and yet we continue to ignore
their needs,” said Anil Kumar, chairperson, Centre for Health and Social
Sciences, School of Health Systems Studies, Tiss.
“While there is some concern about their education, issues like employment
and health, which also play an important role in their well-being, are
being completely ignored. And this, despite the fact that most suicides
occur in the age group of 18-30 years. The recent spate of suicides also
point to how we continue to ignore their mental health,” he said.
While the human development index — developed by economists Amartya Sen
and Mahbub ul Haq to replace the purely economic indicator used until then
to measure the development of countries: the per capita GDP — paints a
general picture of the living standards of the country’s population, the
YDI is an attempt to cast the youth as a representative group with unique
developmental needs.
The index also acknowledges that youth are now a population group which is
particularly vulnerable to the social and economic problems of the
country. The study will not only throw light on their situation and needs,
but will also help recognise that they need special consideration.
The dimensions being covered include health, education, employment,
participation (in various kinds of social activities, for eg, voting),
their sense of identity, and cultural perceptions. For instance, while the
employment index will look at the quality of jobs and the percentage
employed, the identity and culture indexes will reveal how the youth see
themselves.
The age group being studied, as defined by the National Youth Policy, is
13-35 years, and comprises 40% of the country’s population.
[DNA]
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AZERBAIJAN
Creates all conditions for youth development
Baku, 05 Feb. - MP Fuad Muradov appreciated youth policy in Azerbaijan.
"Today most countries take us as an example in this sphere. In 2008
President Ilham Aliyev declared the Day of Youth in Azerbaijan and after
us this day was also declared in the CIS states in 2009. UN also declared
the day of youth in 2010. This fact proves that our country cares about
youth", MP Fuad Muradov.
In addition, he listed the creation of the Ministry of Youth and Sport as
a sample of state care about youth.
"We were pioners in this issue too. The developed European countries still
do not have a special state structure engaged in problems of youth but we
created this ministry in 1996. THe country where 3 mln residents are young
people needs to have such structures. Azerbaijan has created all
conditions for development of youth and our country attaches special
importance to the youth policy", he said.
As for financing the youth organizations, deputy spoke for transparency in
financing of youth organizations. "Our organization is one of few
structures that publishes its financial reports and certainly it would be
good for other organizations to follow this example", Muradov said.
[News AZ]
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KENYA
Vice Preisdent asks Kenyans to be vigilant
Nairobi, 21 Feb. - VICE President Kalonzo Musyoka has asked Kenyans to be
vigilant and shun some leaders whom he said were out to scuttle the
country's efforts to get a new constitution.
Terming them "anti-reformers" Mr. Musyoka said such people will not be
allowed to use diversionary tactics to derail the course the drive to the
new dispensation had taken.
He said Kenyans had patiently sought after the new dispensation for long,
hence no one should be allowed to derail the gains made, regardless of his
station in life.
"This year Kenyans must have the new dispensation and no one would be
allowed to divert them from that course whatsoever" Mr. Musyoka said. Mr.
Musyoka was addressing thousands of scouts who had assembled at the
Kimathi University College of Technology during celebrations to mark the
movements Founders Day.
Meanwhile, business in the town came to a standstill as the scouts, led by
Mr. Musyoka who is also the Commissioner General and the Chief Scout
Francis ole Kaparo made their way from the historical Outspan hotel in the
outskirts of the town in a procession stretching kilometers to lay wreaths
at the site where the founders, Lord Baden Powel and Lady Octava Baden
Powel are buried in the centre of the town.
Others in the procession included Assistant minister Kabando wa Kabando,
Nyeri Regional senior coordinator Anne Ngetich, Nyeri DC Michael Mwangi,
among other local leaders and representatives from several other
countries.
Addressing the group at the college's playground Sunday, Mr. Musyoka urged
the youth to engage themselves in activities that promote their wellbeing
citing sports, charity, community service and entrepreneurship.
Mr. Musyoka said the Government was committed to creating more job
opportunities for the youth through Youth Enterprise Fund and Kazi Kwa
Vijana as one way of improving their living standards.
"I am sure it is through engagement in productive activities that the
youth can stay away from destructions that lead to hopelessness and
despondency, '' said Mr. Musyoka.
He stressed the important role scouting plays in moulding responsible
citizens and urged the movement to strive to register as many new members
as possible.
"I am convinced that if all the youth were scouts, our country would be
free of corruption, tribalism and environmental degradation" , he added and
encouraged parents to allow their children to join the movement.
The VP expressed concern that there were many challenges facing the youth
at the moment citing the HIV/Aids pandemic, peer pressure, poverty,
unemployment and drugs as well as substance abuse.
The VP also recognized the role played by scouts in the conservation of
the environment, saying all scouts will be expected to plant 20 million
trees in the next three years in their homes, institutions and water
towers to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country.
"There will also be a peace caravan traversing the entire country to
preach messages of peace to all Kenyans,'' added the VP.
Mr. Francis Kaparo on his part urged politicians to be good role models to
be emulated by the youth by shunning politics of hatred, dishonesty and
insults.
He said Kenyans are fed up with the devise politics' in the country which
he added should be stopped for the sake of the younger generation.
Mr. Kabando disclosed that the ministry of Youth and Sports will spend
Kshs. 40 million towards sponsoring the World Scouts Moot set for August
this year.
[KBC]
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KOREA
Runaway teens engaged in prostitution: police
Seoul, 25 Feb. - MANY teenage girls who have run away from home are
engaged in prostitution and many runaway boys steal, according to the
National Police Agency.
As of the end of last year, 1,779 middle or high school girls in Seoul
were officially recorded as having fled from their home and among them,
175 or 9.8 percent were apprehended for prostitution charges, said
officials.
The actual share of those engaged in prostitution, however, is likely to
be much higher, up to 50-60 percent, according to officials.
Young girls mostly forge new identities with fake resident registration
cards, which are sometimes provided by their employers.
"Prostitution is the easiest and fastest way for teenage girls to earn
their living," said an official of the National Youth Policy Institute.
"Especially with the existing demands, runaway girls easily give in to the
temptation."
Boys, on the other hand, are drawn to theft, robbery and other crimes.
"A majority of male students most probably commit a crime within a week of
fleeing from home," said a police official.
They are most prone to sneak-thieving and pick-pocketing, said the official.
The total number of runaway students nationwide is also expected to be up
to 10,000, more than three times higher than the official record of 2,774
as of the end of last year.
Many of them are habitual fleers, running away from home on an average
frequency of more than twice a year, according to officials.
"It is difficult to draw the exact figures as parents are often reluctant
to report their children missing," said a police official.
"In many of such cases, the runaway teenager belongs to a broken family in
which the members are either accustomed to or unconcerned about such
flights."
[The Korea Herald]
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