National Youth Month 2026 will be observed in November under the theme ‘YOUth WILL’, with a series of events that balance empowerment, leadership and service.
State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford, said opportunities will be provided for young people to participate, lead and be heard.
“YOUth WILL is a reflection of the will, determination and voice of Jamaica’s young people. It speaks to their capacity to shape their own future and contribute meaningfully to our nation,” she said.
She was addressing Wednesday’s (October 28) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
Ms. Crawford noted that the activities will support Jamaica’s recovery, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, by connecting young people facing barriers to essential services, including assistance with obtaining identification documents, as well as access to training and certification opportunities.
Among the planned activities is the Youth Pon Di Corna initiative, which will be held in communities identified by the Social Development Commission (SDC) in Portland, St. Ann and St. Thomas.
“These communities have quite a number of at-risk young people, who don’t have skills. Many of them do not have their TRN (taxpayer registration number), they don’t have passports and they have issues with conflict resolution,” she said.
Ms. Crawford said various service agencies, financial institutions, the HEART/NSTA Trust and the Ministry of Justice will be on location.
“Conflict resolution is a big problem and so they’re coming in to teach the young people about the importance of mediation and restorative justice. Of course, HEART, they will be doing ‘try a skill’, and they will be enrolling,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ms. Crawford said the committee included in the activities opportunities for young people to strengthen their leadership through the Youth Leaders’ Summit, the Youth Ignite Forum, Regional Capacity-Building Workshops and the National Youth Parliament.
As part of efforts to involve young people directly in national recovery, Ms. Crawford said Youth Month will feature a scheduled workday at Coker Early Childhood Institution on November 21, where youth will help to restore a school that was damaged by Hurricane Melissa.
“We’ll be doing painting, we’ll be setting up a corner library in the school, we’ll be doing beautification of the physical space in terms of cutting the lawns and we will be bringing wall fans for the classrooms,” she shared.
FULL CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES:
1. Sunday, November 1 – Youth in Worship
Venue: New Life Evangelistic Centre (Portmore HEART Academy) at 9:30 a.m.
2. Wednesday, November 4 – Youth Leaders’ Summit
Venue: Jamaica Conference Centre at 9:00 a.m.
3. Tuesday, November 10 – Region 1 Capacity-Building Workshop
Venue: Meadowbrook High School at 8:00 a.m.
4. Thursday, November 12 – Region 6 Capacity-Building Workshop
Venue: Dinthill Technical High School at 8:00 a.m.
5. Friday, November 13 – Youth Pon Di Corna
Venue: Windsor Castle Square, Portland at 2:00 p.m.
6. Saturday, November 14 – National Youth Council of Jamaica Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Venue: Ebony Park, Clarendon at 9:00 a.m.
7. Tuesday, November 17 – Region 7 Capacity-Building Workshop and Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students (JUTS) AGM
Venue: The Verandah, Clarendon at 8:00 a.m.
8. Wednesday, November 18 – Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica Installation Ceremony
Venue: Jamaica House at 2:00 p.m.
9. Wednesday, November 18 – Region 5 Capacity-Building Workshop
Venue: Northern Caribbean University at 8:00 a.m.
10. Thursday, November 19 – Youth Access Fair
Venue: Cecil Charlton Park, Mandeville at 10:00 a.m.
11. Friday, November 20 – Youth Pon Di Corna
Venue: Alexandria Square, St. Ann at 2:00 p.m.
12. Saturday, November 21 – Youth in Service
Venue: Coker Early Childhood Institution, St. Elizabeth at 7:00 a.m.
13. Wednesday, November 25 – Youth Ignite Forum
Venue: The Mannings School at 10:00 a.m.
14. Friday, November 27 – Youth Pon Di Corna
Venue: Seaforth Town, St. Thomas at 2:00 p.m.
15. Monday, November 30 – 16th Sitting of the National Youth Parliament of Jamaica
Venue: Gordon House at 10:00 a.m.