Caribbean youth will profit from capability constructing in strategies to mitigate neighborhood violence, gender-based violence (GBV), sexual and reproductive well being (SRH) and psychological well being challenges through the inaugural Caribbean Youth Summit (CYS), which shall be held 22 – 25 November in Jamaica.
The Summit happens through the “12 months of Youth”, declared in early 2023 by the Commonwealth in recognition of the significance of youth. The Commonwealth initiative impressed the CYS 2023 theme, which seeks to put youth because the crucial determinant of their future: “Securing Our Future: Youth Co-Making a Peaceable and Sustainable Caribbean Group in opposition to GBV”.
The Summit will search to offer a platform for youth to brainstorm methods to safe the involvement of different neighborhood youth leaders in selling prevention of GBV; it’s going to additionally search to strengthen youth’s socio-emotional capability to handle challenges related to violence, SRH and psychological well being. The CYS will present a platform for younger individuals to share their experiences, concepts, and greatest practices on peace, safety, security, and sustainable improvement within the Caribbean.
As well as, Youth will develop suggestions for strengthening insurance policies and programmes to handle GBV, security and safety and methods for coping with psychological well being challenges skilled by younger girls, males, and women within the Area.
In response to Michele Small-Bartley, Deputy Programme Supervisor, Youth Growth, CARICOM Secretariat, one other key goal of the Summit is to align the Area’s youth improvement efforts with the Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDGs); she referred particularly to objective # 5: To attain gender equality by ending all types of discrimination, violence and any dangerous practices in opposition to girls and women. She additionally highlighted that the initiative seeks to create synergy with the CARICOM Youth Growth Objectives, Caribbean Growth Financial institution Youth Coverage and Operational Technique, and the UNFPA Youth Strategy, “My Body, My Life, My World!”
Small-Bartley underscored that the crucial end result of the Summit can be the design of an built-in Roadmap that identifies the methods and actions to handle regional and nationwide points related to peace, safety, and security for youth and generate optimistic social and gender norm modifications to stop violence.
Small-Bartley emphasised that the event of the Roadmap relies on the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP), which goals to create a conducive atmosphere for younger individuals to construct abilities and resilience within the face of challenges associated to gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive well being, and psychological well being.
She highlighted that that is particularly essential due to the elevated psychological and emotional well being points ensuing from the COVID-19 pandemic. Small-Bartley additionally careworn the significance of getting ready younger individuals to thrive in a world that presents catastrophic challenges, the place good decision-making, problem-solving, self-regulatory, and administration abilities are important.
She additionally cited a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) study, which found that murder was liable for round 1 in 10 deaths amongst youngsters and adolescents within the Area and is the main explanation for demise amongst adolescents aged 10 to 19.
The research additionally indicated that the 5 nations with the very best murder charges amongst youngsters and adolescents worldwide are all situated in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The time to behave is definitely NOW,” acknowledged the Small-Bartley, “we hope that the Summit brings us one step nearer to realising the Area’s imaginative and prescient of a safe, wholesome and violence-free future for Caribbean youth”.
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