Yesterday evening, Monday January 9, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport Owen Darrell lead a forum alongside the Director of the Department of Youth, Kimberley Bean and working member of the National Youth Policy , Melissa Looby to breakdown the 8 policies in the National Youth Policy and engage in Q&A.
Student Callahj Simons from The Berkeley Institute and Ta’Ziyah Kelly from CedarBridge Academy were in attendance and shared their thoughts on the forum and hopes for the ministers to engage more with students by going into the schools. They believe if ministers take the next step and meet them where they are, it will foster better understanding of what ministers do and how government plans effect them.
Minister Darrell says the ministry will release their first annual report on the National Youth Policy and a survey by the end of February 2023. This report and survey will be the foundation of scaling success for the policy as it closes its first year since its launch in February 2022. Yesterday’s zone in was not the end of connecting with the youth, Minister Darrell says up next will be a virtual forum dedicated to the overseas university students and finding out their specific needs in regards to the policy.
McKenzie-Kohl Tuckett is currently enrolled in Bristol University and was the former Bermuda Youth Premier in Bermuda’s Youth Parliament. She recently stated, “young people are relocating to other countries for better opportunity,” in her speech at the House of Commons in November of 2022 . In her speech she mentions the National Youth Policy’s goals and the significance of addressing the issue that “Bermudians are struggling to feel at home post university and Bermuda is suffering from a brain drain -a loss of qualified talent.” This she is hopeful will be addressed within the National youth Policy.
The National Youth Policy has goals in place to address the growing numbers of Bermudians not returning home after university. Minister Darrell’s upcoming virtual forum with overseas University students will specifically address the post graduates questions and needs in relation to one the National Youth Policies: increase opportunities -specifically connecting career opportunities with university and college students.
Although the ministry is working on the virtual forum for university students, no date has been confirmed at this time.
