Youth parliamentarians undertake preparations for debate scheduled for June

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 – Fifty young people will commence training today in preparation for National Youth Parliament, carded for the 16^th and 7^th of June. The first phase of the training will focus on public speaking, with the aim of assisting the youth parliamentarians with their delivery techniques.

The training will be held at the Department of Youth and Sports at Barnard Hill and will be conducted by Miss Lisa Dublin from Optimum Strategy Success Inc.

Margaret Deterville is the Youth and Sports Officer attached to the Ministry of Social Transformation.

“Subsequent to this first training programme, which will take place on Thursday, and Friday of this week, the young persons will also be engaged in further training with the Clerk of Parliament, in parliamentary procedures. The final stage of their training will be close to the event, when they will go through another stage of training in public speaking; this is to put the final touches on their presentation, actually taking place in the House of Assembly.

Miss Deterville says although for only thirty-two youth parliamentarians are required to participate in the National Youth Parliament, fifty were selected for training, in order to ensure there is a cadre of individuals adequately trained for the future.

“What we are attempting to do is to get young persons to participate in youth parliament to have two terms in office, so some of the young persons who are participating in youth parliament this year will also participate next year and therefore we always have a core of young persons trained. Some of those young persons who are doing the training this year would have already received some formal training for their participation in youth parliament next year.”

Youth Parliament has several objectives, among them, to provide opportunities for young people to learn about procedures of parliament, and speak on issues of national development that directly concerns them.

This year, the Department of Youth and Sports will be ensuring that the minutes of Youth Parliament are submitted to central government with the expectation that the concerns, issues and recommendations made by the Youth Parliamentarians will be considered.

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