Tendai Franklyn-Brown, Staff Reporter

Youth organisations across the country are being urged by a United States national youth organisation to consolidate their efforts to implement programmes that will directly benefit young people.

James Wagoner, president of the Advocates For Youth (AFY), was the guest speaker at Wednesday's opening of the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network's (JYAN) debut Yute X Advocacy Conference. The three-day conference, held under the theme 'An X for Youth - An X for the Future!', at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, ended yesterday.

Wagoner told The Gleaner the event was timely as it encouraged young people to use their insight to discuss youth advocacy in Jamaica.

"Right now there is a lot of inspiration, a lot of effort. But what is needed is one organisation, an umbrella under which all of these organisations coordinate and prioritise their work, to have an immediate impact, in terms of addressing the problems faced by youths," he said.

Over the course of the conference, AFY, in partnership with JYAN, aimed to broach the issues affecting youths holistically and relate it to education, violence, and disability.

"JYAN is very supportive of adult youth partnership. Support of adults can help them network, obtain resources and serve as professional mentors for these young people as they build their careers," Wagoner said.

"In this environment the adult steps back and the young person comes forward and you're there to contribute to the ideas and strategies being developed by young people themselves."

Facilitating young people

Andrew Francis, convener of JYAN and youth advocate, suggested that the seminar would facilitate young people in voicing their opinions so they could contribute to driving policies and nation building.

"We need to unite all of the different youth groups and unite with the Government and form partnerships with them to come up with a firm plan to improve the issues that affect young people in the areas of crime and violence, education accessibility and eradicating unemployment."

tendai.franklyn-brown@gleanerjm.com