Ministerial representatives and other key stakeholders from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) met in Saint Lucia this week to formulate policies on the way forward for young people in the sub-region.
This two-day (March 13 – 14) Inaugural OCES Council of Ministers for Youth and Sports conference was held at the Harbor Club, Rodney Bay.
Youth Development and Sports Minister Kenson Casimir said that implements such as a Data Collector Tool and Skills and Innovation Projects are essential in the formation of a youth development policy.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the minister said there is need for more synergy and collaboration among the OECS territories to help nurture the welfare of young persons.
“This two-day meeting was well put together, well organized and we had very in-depth discussions on the way we saw youth and sports development in the OECS,” declared Casimir.
He said the conference focused on “youth development and sports” and adopting a Data Collection tool “to solicit the views of young persons on a number of areas at the regional and national level.”
Underlying the significance of this sub-regional group, the minister stated: “We believe youth inclusivity is a huge part of developing young people throughout the territories and so, this adoption really speaks to our desire to hear from our young people, as we continue to develop their lives.”
Arising from the conference, Casimir disclosed, “We also agreed to adopt a Draft Youth Empowered Strategy as a source for informing youth sports policy and programme interventions at the national level.”
He said, the group also decided to support “the implementation of the OECS Skills and Innovation Project – advocating for greater collaboration among key ministries, which include youth, education, sport, social development and the private sector.”
The group also proposed the establishment of “an OECS Youth Assembly of elected members we believe that these young people have ideas and through establishing the Youth Assembly we can really start having some in-depth communication with them, as to how we move forward.”
Casimir further disclosed that through networking with the European Union (EU) academic scholarships were secured for young people to pursue studies. “We had a very good presentation as to what’s available and we are committed to ensuring that we can collectively identify some of the strategic areas in which we can provide the skills and the developmental academic course for people in the region”.
He said, the sub-regional group is committed to providing affordable academic opportunities for young people “through scholarships and giving that information to bring as many people to the table is very important to us.”
Summing up the conference, Casimir noted: “The Youth Ministers really honed in on the importance of youth collaboration and the youth voice and every opportunity to provide opportunities for young people to speak is something that we will definitely promote within our territory.”
Commenting on the sports component within the communities, he said, the CEO of Saint Lucia’s Semi-Professional Football League [SPFL] Francis Daniel presented on formation of the league, as providing an avenue “for young people with the talent and skills, the opportunity to actually gain some form of compensation for participating in the semi-pro league.”
Looking ahead, the minister said, following an assessment of the recently launched SPFL, proposals will be made as to “how the semi-pro league progresses and see how we could replicate it throughout the other islands.”
OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules said that one of the major factors stemming from the conference was “the agreement on a sort of eco-system for the development of sports in the OECS.”
He said such mechanism would entail all aspects of sports, including administration, application, the growth and development prospects.
Dr. Jules added, “We are well poised from this meeting, with a very clear sense of priorities and how we go forward.”
On the youth front, he spoke of a clear agreement on the adoption of the Youth Engaged Strategy, which was endorsed by the minister, and which constitute a solid basis for moving forward on the youth front.
Dr. Jules asserted: “We have a very dynamic and amazing group of young people who are propelling this initiative and we look forward to their continued engagement, and moving their work review to a whole new level in the OECS.”