Youths are the fastest growing segment of Belize's population and by youths we mean Belizeans between the ages of 15 and 29. But what are their needs and who answers them? Well that was covered in a national youth policy which was crafted in 1995. But ten years later that was covered in cobwebs. Last year Youth for the Future dusted it off and started to look at it. One year later they are close to finalizing another policy. Keith Swift found out what will be different this time around.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Months of consultations and dozens of meetings have come down to this 55-page document. It is the second draft of the National Youth Development Policy and today youths from across the country gathered here at the House of Culture to further review it. Doctor Maria Isabel Tun is drafting the policy on behalf of Youth for the Future. Dr. Tun says work on this 55 page draft began in November of 2005
Dr. Isabel Tun, Consultant
"We have been working on this policy since last November and today is kind of a culmination of all that work that the youths and other stakeholders have put into this draft. So we are revisiting the draft right now in terms of its final draft stage but not final final stage. When we get feedback on this then we will refine it and then lobby government, the Cabinet, to accept it as a policy."
In those 8 months Tun and her team consulted with at least 50 youths in each district. That adds up to about three hundred young people. In Stann Creek they met with the Friends In Partnership Reaching Out (FIPR"O). 23-year-old Denise Miranda says the concern in her hometown of Dangriga is a lack of jobs and access to education.
Denise Miranda, FIPRO
"They are depressed because, the reason why they are depressed is because the higher people are not looking at us nor the business people are not looking at the youths so they go out and do stuff that are supposed to be done."
Keith Swift,
Such as?
Denise Miranda, FIPRO
"Violence, also at risk students and we have a lot of out of school students so that is what our youth group is really focusing at also; bringing the out of school youths into our group so they can do positive things for themselves."
Joblessness and crime are also important issues to Y-MAD Youth Group back here in Belize City. The acronym stands for youths making a difference. 18-year-old Ashton Matute is a member of Y-MAD.
Ashton Matute, Y-MAD
"We just want to make a difference. We don't want to see any youths dieing out here. So we are just trying to get some more help and get them to do something better than shooting up one another or sell drugs and those things."
For youth activist Marleni Cuellar it is all comes down to youth participation in decision making.
Marleni Cuellar, Youth Activist
"For me it has always been participation of young people. We are the largest population in Belize. We have a huge say and most people take that for granted and I think we need to recognize and put in place in the policy that young people have a voice and it needs to be listened to at all times."
Dr. Tun says the concerns of Denise, Ashton, and Marleni are all contained within these 55 pages.
Dr. Isabel Tun,
"Currently young people are crying out for a greater voice, a greater say, in governing their affairs. And so the governance mechanism that would have to be set up would be one in which we would have to create a communication channel that would enable young people from the rural areas, the towns, the cities, to be able to channel, radiate those, sort of like a hub, get those ideas in."
Once completed the National Youth Development Policy will land on the desk of Linsford Castillo, Executive Director of the Youth for the Future.
Linsford Castillo, Exec. Director - YFF
"There was a youth policy in place since 1995. It was realized that that document wasn't in use. It was just sitting on a shelf gathering dust and it essentially became irrelevant. And so we found it necessary to take that document and rather than re-inventing the wheel, to just revise it and make it relevant and practical to the needs of young people today."
The National Youth Development Policy should be finalized shortly. The final copy will be sent to Cabinet through Minister of Youth Cordel Hyde. It will then hopefully go to the House of Representatives where legislation will be tabled.
