Youth creativity and resourcefulness is often stifled because of the tendency to wait for government to initiate things says Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Filipe Bole.
Mr Bole said this is the main challenge when it comes to the development of young people in rural areas.
“The handout mentality – this is the main problem to the development of young people,” he said.
Mr Bole said it was for this reason that the Department of Youth and Sports had introduced the Seeds of Success programme.
“This is an empowerment training that targets attitudinal change for young people and is mandatory for all National Youth Service Scheme clients.”
Responding to claims that Yasawa youths are being forced out of school due to financial difficulties, Mr Bole said the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS) has been promoted to school dropouts as a second chance.
“The NYSS is the flagship youth development programme of the department and is specifically targeted at giving dropouts a second chance at life.”
NYSS is an employment promotional strategy focused on human resource development and aims to increase “green” employment opportunities and productivity.
He said an official of the department attended various tikina meetings in Yasawa in March to present on the NYSS programme and highlight ways in which youths could access the programme.
“Although there were a lot of interests on the programme, transportation to Lautoka was highlighted at these meetings as a challenge to tapping into government programmes.”
He said all programmes offered by the Department of Youth and Sports is available to rural youths.
“It is only a matter of communicating to the Department through their provincial youth workers and coordinators and divisional youth offices what their specific needs are.”
“As it is there are 49 youth clubs from Yasawa registered with the Department – most are communicating with the office through their monthly reports.”
“In fact a sports outreach team has just returned from Yasawa after a weeklong coaching clinic.”
He said the department exists to provide a conduit for those who have dropped out of the formal education system but still have the opportunity to be successful in other meaningful ways.
“The very fashion in which NYSS has been structured is to accommodate school drop outs and to allow them to access training.”
He said NYSS also gives trainees opportunities to gain hands on experience through its three months industrial attachment stints and which the department coordinates.
Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment, Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment, Mr Filipe Bole.