National Youth Policy Launched; Youth Ambassador vows to keep Gov’t Accountable

By Dana Malcolm & Deandrea Hamilton

#TurksandCaicos, February 7, 2022 – Young people in the Turks and Caicos Islands have spoken, and the National Youth Policy exposes that our youth want to see a tremendous effort toward establishing Technical Vocational Education and Training.

While 73 per cent of the young people surveyed expressed interest, only 9 per cent were actually receiving any TVET.

Eighty percent of young people said TVET was extremely relevant to their lives and would be an attractive option for educational and skills development.

Our youth also want to be developed in the creative industries, what the world now calls, the orange economy.

Youth also told the survey, carried out between 2017-2019, they wanted more STEM Education: Science, Mathematics and Technology.

Young people are concerned about the level of violence and far too many of them reported feeling unsafe in their communities. The survey captured that 57 per cent of respondents felt this way.

Turks and Caicos Youth shared that they were afraid of being robbed or sexually assaulted and these youth want to see government develop programs to support not only the victims, but also the perpetrators.

The National Youth Policy was informed by these responses and on Thursday January 27, 2022 the document was launched with the support of Rachel Taylor, Minister of Youth; E. Jay Saunders, the Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier and at the TCI’s Governor, Nigel Dakin.

At the launch, the policy itself was not explained but Minister with responsibility for youth, Rachel Taylor did shared that her Government is getting ready to pump money into youth-led businesses; a partnership between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education, which includes Youth.

“As it relates to supporting Youth Economic Participation and Environment, we will create financing arrangements for youth led micro, small, and medium enterprises,” said Minister Taylor.

An excerpt from the National Youth Policy:  “Policy Vision Young people of the Turks and Caicos Islands are socially connected, economically empowered, digitally literate, technologically savvy, strategically engaged as co-creators of a peaceful, prosperous, resilient, and sustainable Turks and Caicos Islands.

Policy Mission The 2020-2025 National Youth Policy articulates a rights-based, youth mainstreaming and gender-responsive approach to positive youth development in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The policy envisages an enhanced youth policy environment and responsive institutional arrangements to facilitate the social inclusion, economic empowerment and active participation of youth in the Turks and Caicos Islands sustainable development.

Youth Policy Goals and Objectives

The overarching goal of the Turks and Caicos Youth Policy (2020-2025) is Youth Empowerment.

Youth empowerment in this specific context can be interpreted as young people acting individually, collectively, and collaboratively exercising their right to positively impact their personal lives, organizations, institutions, and community.

Youth empowerment in the Turks and Caicos Islands can be achieved by creating an 32 Co-creating Sustainable Futures for Turks and Caicos Islands’ Youth enabling environment through appropriate policy and legislative frameworks, timely and relevant interventions, including adequate investments, inclusive and active youth participation, supportive institutional arrangements, strategic youth development partnerships, an effective action plan and youth mainstreaming strategy.

Seven (7) strategic objectives support the policy goal.

1. To facilitate youth economic participation and empowerment.
2. To develop socially conscious, intellectually accomplished, and resilient young people.
3. To support inclusive and active youth participation.
4. To create safe spaces, peaceful communities, and environments.
5. To promote healthy lifestyles and youth wellbeing.
6. To facilitate youth contribution to environmental sustainability, disaster mitigation and food security. 7. To create a supportive environment for positive youth development

Youth Parliamentarian, Arean Louis, promised that he and his fellow parliamentarians would keep a strict eye on the policy to make sure it was carried out.

“I fully support this new and revised youth policy, the youth parliamentarians will hold this document close to our heart to ensure it is well executed for the betterment of the youth in the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Louis.