The National Youth Council of Fiji has welcomed the upgrading of the Department of Youth and Sports to a ministry in what it terms, a step further to creating more opportunities for Fiji’s youth and addressing serious concerns.
“We welcome with much excitement this latest development and with it, our hope that it stems from government’s sincere desire to develop Fiji’s youth”, said the council’s chairman Mr Usaia Cirikiwai.
Mr Cirikiwai said the council also hopes that the new ministry will develop longer term strategies that look not only to 2014 but beyond it.
“Youth development programs has for many decades been reactive and we need not look further than crime and health statistics to prove this – youths comprise the majority in these,” he said.
“Our hope is that the ministry together with its new minister will begin to look seriously at better approaches in order to reverse the prevailing trends that continue to hinder the positive development of Fiji’s youth population.”
Cirikiwai says the National Youth Council of Fiji looks forward to meeting with the new minister to further discuss these concerns.
Staff members of the Ministry of Youth and Sports formally welcomed their newly appointed Minister Mr Viliame Naupoto at the ministry’s conference room after his appointment at Government House earlier this month.
The Minister was presented with a “Qaloqalovi”, a Fijian traditional welcoming ceremony which was performed by members of the National Youth band trainees. Welcoming address was led by the for Ministry of Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports deputy secretary Mr. Josefa Sania.
Minister Naupoto reminded staff on the challenges that lay ahead and also reminded them on the importance of understanding their work better in order for the new ministry to progress.