Two main youth arms of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports - the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) and the Kingston Youth Information Centre (YIC) - have been relocated to the Trevennion Park Complex in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew.

Youth Minister Olivia Grange said the move would help in the centralisation of the youth portfolio of the ministry.

"We are placing strong emphasis on service delivery for our young people and the new location offers a wide range of young people the opportunity to make full use of the facilities. The location is very central," she said on Wednesday in a press release.

Kingston YIC and NCYD were previously situated at the Caenwood Centre along Arnold Road. The Trevennion Park Complex, at 16A Half-Way Tree Road, will also house the office of the Ministry's parliamentary secretary, Senator Warren Newby.

Senator Newby said the move was one of a number of strategic interventions the ministry would employ during the next fiscal year, to set the framework for the transformation of the social and cultural realities of young people.

"This is a part of a move to consolidate all the agencies relating to the youth portfolio," he told The Gleaner.

Projects

Newby said a number of projects targeting the 15-24-years old cohort would be announced during the upcoming financial year.

The NCYD was established as the government department with responsibility for young people aged 15-24 years old throughout the country. The NCYD facilitates the coordination and integration of programmes, services and activities geared towards youth development, and recommends and designs programmes to enhance and propel youth development.

Kingston YIC is a cyber café designed to provide young persons with free Internet services to carry out projects and research. Youth empowerment officers are employed to the facility, who conduct mentorship sessions, provide counselling on issues that affect young people such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as advice on career choices, résumé writing, interview skills, among other things.

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The Ministry says the relocation does not affect the services provided by NCYD and Kingston YIC. The public may make contact by telephone: 968-NCYD (968-6293) and by Fax 908-2010.