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Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 25, 2017 (SKNIS): Youth expert, Dwynette Eversley, has hailed the commitment of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the staff of the departments responsible for youth affairs in St. Kitts and in Nevis for the outstanding efforts put forth in establishing the nation’s first ever youth policy.

 

The effort began in October last year when the Federal Youth Policy Initiative was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for Youth, Honourable Shawn Richards, alongside Honourable Hazel Brandy-Williams, junior minister of youth affairs in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA). Ms. Eversley was present at the time, having just arrived on island days earlier, assigned by the Commonwealth Secretariat to assist the policy drafting.

 

Since then, Ms. Eversley was based in the Department of Youth Empowerment in St. Kitts lending advice to the Youth Policy Steering Committee and the department on related matters. She relied on them to organize activities and open doorways to local youth, youth groups, members of youth serving organizations, civil society representatives and public and private sector officials.

  

“In this exercise, that support and collaboration have been exceptional with the Special Advisor to the Minister, Vernon Connor; with Pierre Liburd, the Director of Youth here in St. Kitts; and of course with Zahnela Claxton [Director of Youth] in Nevis; and all the other agencies,” Ms. Eversley stated. “I have no complaints about the tremendous support, collaboration that they have giving me, while they have to be doing their [regular] work.”

 

The youth expert said such dedication had a positive impact on her as she went about fulfilling her duties.

 

“Apart from my professional desire to do the best work I can, that enthusiasm kinds of engulf you to want to do even better because you have invested so much in the exercise and that’s how I really feel being here,” Ms. Eversley noted.

 

The findings from the numerous consultations will be presented to more than 200 stakeholders at the National Consultation on the Federal Youth Policy 2017-2022, slated for Tuesday, March 28 at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort. The opinions from the representatives present will be used to validate the content in the draft document and finalise the strategies before it is presented to the Minister of Youth to take to the Cabinet for review and approval before it goes to the Federal Parliament.

The Federal Youth Policy Initiative is supported by the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO), the Commonwealth, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).