Date Posted: November 05, 2008.

Two of the Issues Selected by eighteen year old Selwyn Horsford were, Sustainable Tourism Development Policy and Strategies For Food Security

The Valley, Anguilla - Polling to select the topics to be addressed at the Second Annual Conference on Youth and Development has begun. The topics up for selection were compiled by interviewing various public and private sector agencies about policy, legislation and programmes currently under development that require public consultation and feedback. This approach seeks to ensure that that the topics discussed are relevant to the current development agenda.

The final product is a list of 22 items including among others: Labour and Immigration Policy, Strategies for managing the impact of the global economic crisis, the new Education Act and Regulations, Sustainable Tourism Development Policy, Climate Change and Strategies for Promoting Respect and Understanding. In 2007 the topics selected for deliberation were, Crime and Violence, Access to Education, Lifestyle Diseases and Child Protection.

The National Conference on Youth and Development is a forum designed to incorporate a youth perspective into the decision making process. It does this by bringing together young people of varying interests and backgrounds to deliberate and provide feedback to public and private sector agencies on policy, legislation, programmes and in general, issues of interest to national development.

Through the conference, young people are provided with the opportunity to contribute to the decision making process, increase their awareness of national development issues and develop leadership and facilitation skills; while government is provided with a mechanism for public consultation.

This year the conference will be held on the 25th November, 2008 under a bold theme: “We going right up in there! Putting our stamp on the decision making process,” which speaks to the determination of young people to be part of the decision making process.

The Second Annual National Conference on Youth and Development is being produced by the Anguilla National Youth Council, the National Youth Ambassador Corps and the Ministry of Social Development Department of Youth and Culture.