We've followed their job, violence reduction and HIV education programmes closely and now the Youth for the Future programme is taking their game up a notch with the implementation of a far-reaching national youth policy that will guide youth development. We found out more from YFF's Linsford Castillo.
Linsford Castillo,
"They have a policy on youth which was established in 1995 but since the inception of the Youth for the Future Program in 2002 we felt that the policy needs to be revisited and the policy needs to become relevant according to the needs of young people today. Therefore we realize that the policy also needs to become a practical instrument."
Alfonso Noble,
How do you make it relevant so many years after it was drafted? I know back then the challenges were different, gangs and that kind of thing, things are different now, there are drugs and that kind of thing.
Linsford Castillo,
"Well one of the key things that we have done is to include young people in the process where we have gone countrywide, also with the assistance of funding from UNICEF, we have gone countrywide and we have conducted consultations where we listen and we consult with young people and we hear from them as far as what they would need to be included in this policy. Therefore after it is finalized and it is put to the House of Representatives, this policy, and the hope and the plan in mind, is to have this policy become practical. The last policy, sad to say, was drafted in 1995 but really it was utilized to the fullest extent, it wasn't a part of charting the way forward for youth development and youth in development and so the plan now is to ensure that this policy becomes an integral part of the work that we doing at Youth for the Future."
The policy document is expected to be ready for June of this year.
