Minister for Education and Culture Hon. Myron V. Walwyn (2nd from right) responds to questions from journalists at the unveiling ceremony for the Youth Policy Committee in October, 2012. Also seated at the head table are head of the Committee Ms Drusilla Fahie (left), Assistant Director of Youth Affairs Ms Avelinda Freeman (2nd from left) and Acting Director of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports (DYAS), Mr Patrick Harrigan. The National Youth Policy Committee has pledged to produce a quality document that would aid the Government in making sound decisions on behalf of and inclusive of the Territory’s youth. Photo: VINO/File

This is according to a source close to the Committee. Describing youth in the VI as ‘today’s leaders’, the source added that, to date, the Committee has done extensive work on the drafting of the National Youth Policy.

The 10-member committee was established on October 29, 2012 by Minister for Education and Culture Hon. Myron V. Walwyn and head of the Committee Ms Drusilla Fahie had later said during a radio show that the National Youth Policy, once completed, is expected to be a guideline for the Government of the Virgin Islands and the National Youth Council that is being proposed, especially in areas such as policy formation.

This included, among other things, meeting with various stakeholders, examining various laws and other youth policies from throughout the Caribbean inclusive of the "1996 draft for the BVI" (as guidelines). 

According to the source, there are many stories of the bonds formed during the process, the lessons learnt, the shocks encountered in addition to the encouragement and discouragement received during the information gathering stages on the road.

The draft policy formulated by the Committee was expected to be submitted to Government by the end of December 2012, however, that was not done. According to the source, it is expected to be submitted "shortly".

There was some controversy surrounding the policy in December 2012 when it was revealed that the committee may have missed a key stakeholder, the Social Development Department.

This information was made known during the 2012 Standing Finance Committee (SFC) deliberation when the Social Development Department Chief, Annie Malone-Frett, testified before the House of Assembly select committee to defend her 2013 budget appropriation.

The Member for the first district Honourable Andrew A. Fahie asked the Social Development Chief, if her Department is involved in the formation of the Youth Policy, given that the Department has daily dealings with youths in what he terms difficult situation and if the Department is involved and how involved?

To this, Mrs. Malone-Frett told the committee that to date she has not seen any correspondence or anything coming across her desk in terms of anyone from her Department sitting on the committee.

The member for the first district stated that he is putting to the Premier that at this early stage to get the Social Development Department involved.  Hon. Fahie told the SFC he does not want to see the report completed and then approved and certain key components, “which he will not list” are not involved. 

It is also not clear if the Social Development Department has since been included.

See previous story posted November 23, 2012

National Youth Policy moving apace with draft policy formulation 

Work by the recently established National Youth Policy Committee has started apace with consultations being done in several areas to meet the youth of the Virgin Islands wherever they are.

This is according to Committee chairperson Ms Drusilla Fahie who appeared along with committee member Ms Xavyrna Samuels-Fahie on the Umoja show aired on a local radio station last evening November 22, 2012.

The 10-member committee was established on October 29, 2012 and Ms Fahie said during the show that the National Youth Policy, once completed, is expected to be a guideline for the Government of the Virgin Islands and the National Youth Council that is being proposed, especially in areas such as policy formation.

The Youth Council, when formulated, is expected to host interactive sessions with youth similar to what the National Youth Policy Committee is currently doing. It is also expected to be the body that will carry proposals emanating from these sessions to Cabinet or caucus as well as to assist in enforcing the National Youth Policy. “We don’t want to draft the policy and have it sitting on the shelf,” Ms Samuels-Fahie added, “we want that policy to actually be enforced.”

Although the structure and function of the Council has not yet been formalised, information is being gathered to complete a draft policy that will ultimately lead to the formation of the Youth Council.

Members of the group were in Virgin Gorda last night and met with youngsters on a basketball court and related having a productive session with close to 50 young person. Ms Samuels-Fahie explained that they have been going to different youth group meetings or meeting youths on the street wherever they congregate in an effort to engage them in consultations. “We don’t want to depend on having them come [to a central location] because we know it’s a minimal chance that they’ll actually show up.”

There have also been meetings with church youth groups, LEO clubs and Rotaract Clubs.

Host of the programme, Mr Cromwell Smith aka Edju En Ka, expressed concerns about how youths would be able to function in an organisation created by the government and have the kind of influence in the government as a lobbying group. He also felt there was a conflict of interest in the formulation of the process . “How much authority is the government going to have over or regarding this youth council?” he asked.

He was informed that the youth council would not only be comprised of an executive body but would also have about two hundred youths. It was then suggested that if a group of about twenty-five persons were to lobby the government then their opinions and ideas and concerns would most likely be taken into consideration before moving forward.

Ms Samuels-Fahie expressed that there was a sense that youths felt excluded and experienced a lack of responsiveness in the past to their concerns. “They feel that they have not been put in a position where they can do a lot more for their Territory or where they can become more productive for themselves.”

She felt there was now an opportunity for youths to make a more meaningful input in the decision making process that occurs in relation to youth in the Territory.

Ms Fahie added, “… even in this information gathering stage, they feel like they have a voice, they feel like they have persons who they can relate to, persons who they can talk to and I guess persons who they can trust.”

One of the main concerns expressed by some of the young persons, Ms Samuels-Fahie revealed, was that older persons thought very little of them and this was seen as a big problem since they had many goals and ambitions but were often being belittled and told that they would amount to nothing in life.

The panellists also mentioned areas that would help shape the policy such as teenage pregnancy, health and social problems, technical skills, education and unemployment issues.

Co-host of the programme, Natalio Wheatley aka Sowande, felt there was a need for greater access to proper resource centres where the youth would be able to use the internet and access books to assist with their own education. “We have to invest a certain amount of resources in our young people if we want to stop seeing them going down to Balsum Ghut,” he noted.

The draft policy formulated by the Committee is expected to be submitted to Government by the end of December 2012.