PARLIAMENTARY Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and CultureSenator Warren Newby is advocating for a national recreation policy.

He made the suggestion at the National Child Month Committee’s (NCMC) Youth Forum 2009, at the St Andrew Parish Church Hall in Kingston, Friday, November 27.

Senator Newby said the recreation policy would “look at the spaces that are available for recreation, the types of recreational activities that our young people are engaged in, and the amount of time that they are being allowed to engage in recreation”.

He said that this was an important area on which focus should be placed, as recreation was necessary for the wholesome development of youths.

Turning to youth clubs, Senator Newby said they should begin to emphasise issues such as environmental stewardship.

“We believe that, at the communitybased level of youth education, we should start to inculcate the sort of environmental values that will lead to sustainable development,” he stated.

Vice-chairman of the NCMC Sandrea Long-White explained that the forum was aimed at giving youths an avenue to voice suggestions on interventions that could secure their future.

“You need to cry out for action, students, and today, it’s your opportunity. Yes, some actions are taking place, but not enough and not fast enough, so we leave it to you today to just share with us what you think,” she said.

The Youth Forum is an annual Child Month activity. However, in 2006 it was moved to November, as the NCMC committed itself to organising year-long activities geared toward the nation’s children airing their views, especially as they relate to the Child Month theme.

This year’s forum, sponsored by GraceKennedy and LIME, was held under the theme ‘Preserve the Environment: Protect our Children’. Students from several schools in the Corporate Area, including Tivoli and Holy Childhood high schools, engaged in panel discussions and rap sessions, looking at how different aspects of the tangible and intangible environment affect children.