New Chairman Of National Youth Policy Committee

The National Youth Policy Coordinating Committee has a new chairperson and members, who are representatives from a variety of youth-led organisations.

She is Attorney-at-Law, Sade Jemmott, a former Barbados CARICOM Youth Ambassador, entrepreneur and action-oriented Barbadian.  The deputy chairperson is Jamilia Burgess.

The committee members are: Shakeem Howell; John Jones; Miranda Blackman; Dario Greenidge; Kameisha Jessamy; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Yolande Howard; Director of Youth Affairs, Cleviston Hunte; Acting Principal Youth Development Officer, Andrea Titus and Oneta Forde, who is secretary to the committee.

In sharing her perspective on her new role, Ms. Jemmott stated: “I see my chairmanship of the National Youth Policy Coordinating Committee as more than an opportunity to shape and influence the relevant policy landscape of Barbados. It is also a responsibility to facilitate and amplify youth voices, whether mainstream or marginalised, as it relates to all matters that touch and concern us.”

Ms. Jemmott stressed that the committee is not an exercise in tokenism, or established to create a report “just for the sake of it”, but is intended to work towards the empowerment and mobilisation of young people in Barbados to create an effective social contract with Government.

In acknowledging the ground work laid by the previous committee, the new chairperson noted that the focus would now be on overseeing the development and implementation of a timely, robust and purpose-driven youth policy.

“We (committee) are certainly up for the challenge, and now that we have reached the consultation stage of the process, we sincerely look forward to frank discourse and meaningful engagement over the course of the next few months,” Ms. Jemmott said.

The committee is supported by technical consultants, Dr. Lawrence Nurse and Professor Dwayne Devonish.