CYC chair tasks youths on civic engagement

So any decision about the future which excludes young people as the core contributors and implementors is bound to fail.

Johnson Smith said the global theme of “Youth Civic Engagement” is a timely one for Jamaica and the world.

He said, “At this critical moment in history, I call on young people to demand and foster the dramatic progress so urgently needed in our world”.

He said that youth can be helpful for the society in the long run, as they remain part of the volunteer corps for a longer period of time and, therefore, could own their work, contributions and future. “We call on young people in the Commonwealth to actively contribute to discussion on these agendas and come up with decisive recommendations for the heads of governments’ consideration in the 2015 CHOGM”. Youth can also join forces with the United Nations as we move from forging the new sustainable development goals to implementing them.

Emerging threats, violent extremism, shifting political conditions, economic turmoil and social transformations are combining to heighten the challenges facing the world’s young people.

On Wednesday, Alhendawi is in the Philippines to open the 3rd Asian Youth Forum.

For Liberia, programs marking the worldwide Youth Day will be held in the City of Gbarnga, Bong County, today and the national mobilization events being organized by action/2015 Liberia will include a Marathon Youth Run, workshop on the role of young people in humanitarian action/aid, a Youth Debate on Gender Equality and Poverty, kickball and football games and a musical concert in which over 1, 500 youths will participate to create awareness about issues affecting young people in the country.

The worldwide Youth Day was first observed in 1999.

In this landmark year, as leaders prepare to adopt a bold new vision for sustainable development, the engagement of youth is more valuable than ever.

The Minister adds the goal of the Solomon Islands National Youth Policy 2010-2015 is to promote the development of Solomon Islands Youth to achieve their full potential.

“In Jamaica, young people form a large percentage of victims and perpetrators of violence, and this is undoubtedly linked to the facts that access to and affordability of education are lacking, and high levels of unemployment and un-attachment persist”. In Bangladesh, where young people make up two-thirds of the total population, and roughly half of young graduates are unemployed, The Asia Foundation is working to involve young people in their nation’s development.