UNICEF, UNDP and Plan International have partnered for the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge, a global multi-sector partnership that helps young people become productive and engaged members of society.
It also connects young people, aged 10 to 24, to education and training that will lead to employment and entrepreneurship.
At the International Youth Day event, Youth Summerplosion: Leh We Build a Vibe concert, held yesterday, Representative of the UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area Office, Dr. Aloys Kamuragiye, highlighted UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Programme.
Dr. Kamuragiye pointed out that “the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted learning for over 1.6 billion children and young people … and is keeping millions of young people from joining the workforce”.
“It aims at first, modernising secondary education and training to build the skills young people need for productive lives and engaged citizenship; second, fostering job preparation through apprenticeship, mentorship and entrepreneurship.
“Third, increasing and improving the number of quality work opportunities available to youth, and fourth, engaging young people as problem-solvers and agents of social change,” Dr. Kamuragiye said.
According to him, the Secretariat for Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge will be hosted at a global level by UNICEF, which will facilitate its roll out across the Caribbean.
Dr. Kamuragiye also commended the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment for embracing U-report, which he described as a remarkable platform for young people, both for sharing information and gathering their voices and feedback.
He noted: “U-report will give youth the opportunity to have their voices analysed in real-time to inform development work, and amplified to advocate for positive change.”
Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Dwight Sutherland, stated: “The Ministry has formed a strategic alliance with UNICEF to help facilitate U-Report in Barbados, which aims at capturing the views and concerns of the youth. This initiative goes hand in hand with the current development of a new National Youth Policy.”