[ad_1]
Minister of State at the Ministry of Education and Youth, Martha Smith, has highlighted the key role that the Youth Innovation Centre (YIC) plays in the development of young people in Jamaica.
Speaking at the official reopening of the Youth Innovation Centre (YIC) in Portmore, St Catherine on Monday (August 12), she said the facilities are not only safe spaces for young people to interact and use the resources provided to support their academic pursuits;
“You have taken the baton from those of us who are older in society and you have a responsibility to pass it on to the generations that come after you. So it’s time for this innovation centre (in Portmore) to reopen. It’s a place where our young people can come and get support,” she said.
The Portmore YIC Internet Café was temporarily closed to the public in 2019. However, it continues to facilitate meetings and other events with partner agencies and youth stakeholder groups.
Gihon Mitchell, youth empowerment officer at Portmore Youth Centre, said the establishment of the facility was a government-led approach to youth engagement.
“Since the Youth Innovation Centres were established in 2003, they have been a key hub for youth innovation, engagement and participation,” he said.
The services provided by the Center have evolved to meet the needs of today’s young people.
“Over time, we realised the need for other programmes and activities to reach our young people. These include entrepreneurship and employability skills, career development support, counselling and referrals, academic assistance (research, homework assistance, printing services),” Mr Missel said.
The center also promotes culture, performing arts, sports and outreach activities.
Additionally, they partner with churches to provide counseling services.
The initiative has also led to the development of mobile Youth Information Centres (YICs), which Mr Mitchell said could travel across the parish, particularly to communities where young people struggle to access information.
He further noted: “We also work with various partners such as HEART/NSTA Trust to provide training opportunities for these young people.”
The Youth Innovation Center, which is overseen by the Department of Youth and Adolescent Policy of the Ministry of Education, provides a physical hub for people aged 15 to 29 and promotes youth-related services and outreach programs nationwide.
YIC aims to provide an innovative, responsive, youth-friendly space that uses a positive youth development approach to self-actualization and harnesses the talents and creative potential of Jamaican youth for wealth creation and active civic engagement.
The Centre is open to all young people and has developed specific recruitment and programme delivery strategies to ensure participation from at-risk youth groups, young people not in education, employment or training, and community youth groups.
[ad_2]
Source link
