YOUNG people are being encouraged to engage, speak up, listen to others and to dream big to transform lives.

Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica Dr Wayne Henry made the call at the opening of the United Nations Development Programme 2024 Ready Set Great Youth Conference on October 17 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

The two-day youth conference, which coincided with International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, also focused on the global release of the 2024 Multidimensional Poverty Index, a poverty measure that reflects the multiple deprivations that people face in the areas of education, health and living standards.

The two-day conference, in its fourth year, brought together young people to brainstorm advocacy plans to promote and gain support for their 2023 Call to Action on Youth Poverty.

Dr Henry urged the young people “to push the pedal of your potential” and not to settle for a mediocre life.

“You have the power to achieve more than you can imagine. It does not serve you to live an average life, just going through. You have so much wealth and talent within you. You owe it to yourself and future generations to harness that potential,” he added.

He said that the conference provided a timely and vital opportunity to elevate the voices of youth and to bring attention to the barriers they face and explore innovative youth-driven solutions to these challenges.

“Youth are integral to decision-making processes that address urgent development challenges, and their leadership is crucial to achieving sustainable and equitable outcomes,” he pointed out.