Talented young persons, aged 15 to 29, will have up to December 10 to submit their creative written, artistic or video entries for the National Youth Policy Creative Competition Challenge.

The competition, which is being staged by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, is part of a slate of activities for National Youth Month being observed in November.

The contest offers Jamaica’s youth the opportunity to express why at least one of the six National Youth Policy goals is important to the youth and their responsibility in supporting the Government in fulfilling the policy’s intended goals.

Speaking at the virtual launch of the competition on Monday (November 1), Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Davey Haughton, said it is part of a broader thrust to increase public education on the revised National Youth Policy’s intended outcome.

“The submissions in written form can be a short essay, no more than 500 words, or a poem. The submissions in video form… do a short film, do a vine video… or even an animation. If you are making entries in the artistic form… you may do anything ranging from a photograph, a painting, a canvas, a sculpture,” he said.

There will be six grand prizes across the six policy goals and priority areas. There will be six runners-up as well as third-place prizes.

Mr. Haughton informed that at the end of the submission period, entries will be shortlisted and posted on @youthjamaica social media pages for the public to like and reshare their favourite creative entries until January 28, 2022. The entrants will also be tagged in the posts.

Posts across all platforms with the most likes, shares/retweets on or before midnight on Friday (January 28) 2022, will win.

The winning creative pieces will be featured on the Youth Innovation Centre’s website, social media, print material, and other mediums. Winners will also receive tablets.

Persons may visit the www.youthjamaica.com website to apply or to get more information on the competition, as well as the Ministry of Education’s social media pages for further details.

The National Youth Policy outlines the following goals and priorities:

1.  Education and Training: Improve access to quality secondary, tertiary education, and vocational training opportunities.
2. Health and Well-Being: Increase access to sexual, reproductive, and mental healthcare services among youth cohort.
3. Employment and Entrepreneurship: Increase the percentage of youth who have access to decent employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
4. Youth Participation: Maximise youth participation in national and political decision-making processes.
5. Social Inclusion and Re-integration: Minimise the number of at-risk and vulnerable youth.
6. Institutional and Youth Sector Arrangements: Professionalised and strengthened youth sector.