Residents of Silver Hill, Christ Church, and surrounding districts are being invited to attend a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed Silver Hill Community Youth Empowerment Centre.
The town hall meeting will take place this Thursday, February 25, at the Silver Hill Hard Court at 7:00 p.m., and will examine the benefits of the proposed centre.
The project, which is being undertaken by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, in conjunction with the Maria Holder Memorial Trust and EMERA, seeks to provide a youth empowerment centre in the Silver Hill area, as well as to refurbish the community???s hard court with new seating and lights.
It is expected that the centre will not only provide a place of leisure but also be a location where young people could obtain information and services to meet their needs.
According to Minister of Youth, Stephen Lashley, the focus on the Silver Hill community ???aligns well with the 2011 National Youth Policy, which seeks to guide the direction of local youth programmes and support the development of all youth in Barbados???.
He noted that the groups targeted through this project were ???boys on the block???, young mothers, disabled youth, sports groups, at-risk youth and youth in general.
Highlighting the plans for the centre after its construction, Mr. Lashley explained that the Youth Division would have sole responsibility for the facility and the Youth Commissioners would assist in running all the programmes that would be implemented there.
???The lower area will offer some retail spaces available for rent in the complex and the funds from these spaces will be kept within the centre and go towards maintenance and operational costs,” he added.
jamal.weekes@barbados.gov.bb