International Youth Day was commemorated over the weekend with a cultural showcase by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, at the Queens Park Steel Shed, St. Michael.
It celebrated the vibrant and talented young individuals across the nation.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, highlighted the significance of 2023, which has been designated as the year of the youth, with International Youth Day celebrated on August 12.
Emphasising the importance of youth empowerment, he stated: “We have created a buffet of programmes and activities for young people across this country, 25 locations for this cultural programme, 578 participants, 219 males, 359 females.”
Minister Griffith revealed that the National Community Cultural Training Programme, was focused on fostering talent and providing valuable opportunities to the youth. He also indicated that the Ministry wanted to expand the programme to tap into the reservoir of cultural talent.
“Government, through my Ministry, is intending to take our cultural programme beyond those 25 locations that I mentioned earlier, across the country, because we believe that there is a reservoir of untapped talent as far as culture is concerned.
“And, we intend through our cultural programme to tap all of that talent…. [For] this programme, we are using satellite locations to ensure that persons in St. Lucy and persons in St. John who want to participate in cultural programmes have an opportunity to do so,” he stated.
Mr. Griffith urged parents to support their children’s participation: “I want you to encourage your children or your wards to see this as a stepping stone to something that can mushroom into a money-making venture.”
Additionally, he noted that preparations for a planned concert to showcase the developed talent was in the works to demonstrate the Ministry’s commitment and lasting impact of the Ministry’s programmes, and aims to establish cultural groups across the island, nurturing a strong cultural foundation as one of the long-term impacts of the initiative.