MINISTER of state in the Ministry of Education and Youth Marsha Smith has underscored the critical role of youth innovation centres (YICs) in the development of Jamaica’s young people.

Speaking during Monday’s official reopening of the Portmore Youth Innovation Centre (YIC) in St Catherine, she said the facilities are not only safe spaces for young people to interact and utilise the resources provided that support their academic pursuits but also to aid in enhancing their development

“You are taking the baton from us, the older ones in the society, and it is your responsibility to pass it on to those who come behind you. It is, therefore, very timely that this innovation centre [in Portmore] is being reopened. It is a space where our young persons can come and get support,” she said.

The Portmore YIC cyber café was temporarily closed to the public in 2019. However, it continued to facilitate meetings and other engagements with partner agencies and youth stakeholder groups.

Youth empowerment officer at the facility, Gihon Mitchell, said the establishment is a government-led approach to youth engagement.

“Since the inception of YICs in 2003, [they] have served as a vital hub for youth innovation, engagement and participation,” he stated.

The services offered by the centre have evolved to meet the needs of today’s young people.

“Over time, we would have seen the need to adopt other programmes and activities to reach our young people. These include entrepreneurship and employability skills, career development support, counselling and referrals, academic assistance [research, homework assistance, printing services],” Mitchell said.

The centre also promotes culture and the performing arts, sports, and outreach activities. Additionally, they collaborate with churches to provide counselling services.

The initiative also facilitates a mobile YIC, which Mitchell said travels across the parish, particularly to those communities where young people experience difficulty accessing information.

“We also work with our various partners, such as the HEART/NSTA Trust, to bring training opportunities to these young persons,” he further noted.

Youth innovation centres, which are overseen by of the ministry’s Youth and Adolescents Policy Division, provide a physical hub for persons 15-29 years that facilitates youth-related services and outreach programmes across the country.

The YIC aims to provide an innovative, responsive, youth-friendly space that utilises positive youth development approaches to achieve self-actualisation and harness the talents and creative potential of Jamaica’s young people for wealth creation and active citizenship.

Centres are open to all young people, with recruitment and programme delivery strategies tailored to ensure the engagement of at-risk youth populations, young people who are not in education, employment or training, and persons in community youth groups.