KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Youth Policy Summer Creative Challenge is open to entries from youth between 15 and 28 years of age.

The competition aims to create a public-education-awareness campaign to sensitise young people on the revised 2017 to 2030 Youth Policy, under the Ministry of Education and Youth.

This year’s participants are required to submit a creative piece that focuses on at least one of the six priority areas of the policy.

The areas are Education and Training; Health and Well-being; Employment and Entrepreneurship; Youth Participation; Social Inclusion and Reintegration; and Institution and Youth Sector Arrangements.

The deadline for submission is Thursday, August 18.

Its launch follows the recognition of the 2021/22 Youth Policy Ambassador, 18-year-old Samantha Blake, who won the 2021 competition.

She presented a script for a play known as ‘Ghetto Prosperity’, which features a female protagonist who lives in an inner-city community and who overcomes financial and life challenges.

Blake was awarded by the Portfolio Minister, Fayval Williams, at the Ministry in Kingston, recently.

Her tenure as the Youth Policy Ambassador will end in November this year.

In her remarks, Williams emphasised that the Ministry “truly wants to hear the voices of the young people”.

“We want your input into the crafting of policies, especially those that affect your lives,” she said.

“The competition offers participants the opportunity to express why at least one of the six national youth policy goals is important to youth and their responsibility to supporting the Government’s youth development initiatives, in fulfilling the policy-intended goals,” the Minister said.

For her part, Blake said the experience allows her to become aware of the “many opportunities, services and forces actively working for her development”, through the policy.

She pointed out that her creative piece was inspired by her own experience.

“As such, I wrote this play not only to give myself hope but to also share that hope with other youth who have felt the same weight,” Blake said.

Interested participants should submit their entries to yapdjamaica@moey.gov.jm. They can also access the policy at www.youthjamaica.com.