“The Ministry of National Security firmly recognises that empowering our youth is not just a moral imperative but a crucial crime prevention strategy.”
Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, the Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn shared this at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Youth Empower Activity Launch yesterday (September 12) at Hope Zoo in Kingston.
The Youth Empower Activity is a USAID funded initiative being implemented by the Education Development Centre (EDC) to create sustainable, positive development among Jamaican youth and their communities.
The State Minister emphasised that the government is proud to collaborate with and support this and other positive youth investment initiatives geared towards deterring youth from a life of crime.
She stated that the activity “aligns with the mandate of the Ministry of National Security as we continue to address underlying issues that lead to crime and violence among youth”.
In an effort to empower the students, Minister Cuthbert-Flynn encouraged the students to build their entrepreneurial skills as a means to advance themselves. “Jamaican youth have immense entrepreneurial and creative potential and it is a necessity to help them recognise the assets they already possess and channel these strengths in positive, participatory and productive ways,” Minister Cuthbert-Flynn highlighted.
In addressing the youth present at the launch event, the Minister of State told them “your government and your communities believe in your ability to rise, to lead and to change the course of your future, the path to a safer Jamaica lies in your empowerment”.
As the Ministry continues to fulfil its mandate to improve public order and citizen security, there has been rapid investment in youth strengthening and development initiatives across the island.
Through youth initiatives such as the Music, Sports and Technology initiative under the Ministry, students under the Inter-Ministerial School Support Strategy (ISSS), within schools and communities located in or served by the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) continue to benefit from advanced educational and vocational sessions.
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