Leaders of 11 youth groups who will be presenting solutions to crime and violence at next month’s virtual youth summit.
KINGSTON, Jamaica--A virtual youth summit on crime and violence is scheduled for World Peace Day on September 21, continuing on September 22, with a focus on youth-led crime-prevention efforts targeting citizen safety and security.
Plans for staging the youth summit were announced last week, on International Youth Day, by youth leaders and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi Country Office in Jamaica. Registration is now open to youth, youth groups, development professionals and all other interested persons, and must be done at
www.readysetgreatja.com.
The event is supported by UNDP under the auspices of its Amplifying Youth Voice and Action (AYVA) project, in partnership with UNESCO Caribbean, the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica, Planning Institute of Jamaica and RISE Life Management Services.
Youth leaders will showcase citizen safety and security solutions, spearheaded by their organisations with UNDP grant funding through the AYVA project, and will make the case for greater inclusion of young people in the development and implementation of policies addressing crime and violence.
In a joint statement issued on International Youth Day to announce the summit, youth leaders said they can and do play active roles as agents of positive and constructive change and believe that youth should be more involved in crime-prevention and mitigation strategies. “Don’t just consult us for our ideas. Involve us in implementation and execution,” they declared.
UNDP resident representative Denise E. Antonio said UNDP is privileged to be working with the young people on testing their citizen safety and security approaches, with an eye to upscaling promising projects. She said the youth summit is an excellent platform for showcasing the capabilities of youth innovation through the AYVA project and uncovering other youth initiatives that tackle crime and violence from its foundations. “The challenge of crime and violence needs the input of the future generation who stand at its epicentre. We must facilitate and nurture the creative energies of our young people to secure a viable future and to ensure fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 16 – peace, justice and strong institutions,” she said. ~ Jamaica Observer ~
