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| Youth participants presenting the memorandum of recommendations, seeking
review of the National Youth Policy, to Hj Ismail Pehin Orang Kaya
Pekerma Setia Dato Paduka Hj Hashim (R), Deputy Permanent Secretary at
the the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, at the end of the
four-day Commonwealth Youth Programme: Youth Leadership and Advocacy
Workshop yesterday. |
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
BRUNEIAN youth
yesterday called for a review of the National Youth Policy to make it
more responsive and comprehensive, pointing out that it has not been
reviewed since its introduction in 2002.
The current National
Youth Policy states that it should be reviewed once not more than every
four years, according to a Memorandum by the Youth of Brunei Darussalam.
They
recommended that the definition of youth in Brunei be changed to "young
men and women aged 15 to 35", including youth in institutional and organisational leadership positions. Currently, there is no age limit stipulated for a youth leader.
This
(review of National Youth Policy) was one of the few recommendations
put forth to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) at the conclusion of the four-day Commonwealth Youth Programme: Youth Leadership and Advocacy Workshop, held at the Youth Centre in the capital.
The
other recommendations were that youth be given more participation in
national events, such as being part of the working committee for the
National Youth Day, the rebranding of Youth Centres to make them more receptive towards the needs of youth, create new courses, training schemes and apprenticeship programmes
at the Youth Development Centre and to have at least one representative
from each youth association on the board of members of the proposed
Youth Fund, among others.
MCYS Deputy Permanent Secretary Hj Ismail PehinOrangKayaPekermaSetiaDatoPadukaHjHashim who was present as guest of honour
at the certificate presentation ceremony, told The Brunei Times that
the ministry will consider the recommendations including the review of
the National Youth Policy.
Hj Ismail said they are looking at establishing more Youth Development Centres and introducing more courses at the current facility which are "more geared" to the market.
Such
courses, he said, are photography and the possibility of introducing
caddie and heavy vehicle driving courses. "We are developing courses
that are market driven, which gives the youth a chance to be employed,"
he said.
The deputy permanent secretary said they would like
youth to have more say in the development of the country. This is why
the ministry has been proactively involving the youth in dialogues to get their feedback.
In the memorandum, the youth said: "We, the young people of Brunei Darussalam
are committed to translating the Vision 2035 to reality by working
closely with the government, private sector and civil society organisations in compliance with the national philosophy of Malay Islamic Monarchy."
"It is our firm belief that youth play an important role in the national development, however to realise
the strong participation of youth, different stakeholders have to work
together to achieve the objectives stated in the National Youth Policy
by ensuring youth mainstreaming in the government policies and programmes," it said.
Therefore, they said, it is crucial that youth are given the opportunities to participate in decision making processes.
Brunei Youth Leader in 2011, MohdNasroulHizam,
who was speaking on behalf of fellow participants said youth have a lot
of fresh ideas and should step up to take the risks in advocating for
change.
"Youth in Brunei need each other and should believe in
each other and stand together. Lack of knowledge can be offset by
support," he said.
The programme was organised by the MCYS' Youth and Sports Department, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth Programme. The Brunei Times
