Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation signed, this afternoon, a Memorandum of Understanding with the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) for the implementation of the National Youth Civic Service (NYCS) programme 2021.
The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, was present on the occasion. The signature ceremony was held at the Citadelle Mall in Port-Louis.
On the same occasion, certificates were awarded to Creative Coaches who have followed a training in Online Delivery Mode for the NYCS. A total of 40 Creative Coaches have received training.
In his address on the occasion, Minister Toussaint expressed gratitude to the HRDC for the assistance offered for the implementation of the NYCS programme. He urged all those who are eligible and who are interested in following the programme to send their application.
He also pointed out that the Creative Coaches received training from the Curriculum Consultant from Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School, Mr D. Gourdin.
The training, he said, will be dynamic and interactive and will also be conducted through the online mode this year due to COVID-19 sanitary protocols.
The Minister underlined that the NYCS has been conceived to help youths in acquiring skills and attitudes such as resilience to overcome challenges, and deal with the difficulties of everyday life. According to him, this programme has undoubtedly benefited the participants and is helping them to deal with the ‘New Normal’ in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister also spoke about the core mission of the Government which is to encourage sports and physical activities among the population. The aim of the Government is to have by 2024, 35 % of the population who are physically active. The NYCS will contribute to this endeavour, as the programme focuses on promoting physical activities, he stressed.
As for the creative Coaches, Mr Toussaint lauded their passion and commitment in the performance of their work and recalled that the mission of the Ministry is to guide and assist youth in their endeavours.
The Minister also announced an upcoming project of the Ministry, namely an inter-region ‘A Cappella’ competition, with the objective to provide guidance to young people who wish to further develop their skills with a view to becoming professional ‘A Cappella’ singers.
Also present on the occasion, the Chairperson of the HRDC, Mr L. A. Gunness Balnock, highlighted that one of the objectives of the HRDC is to cater to the needs of the youths and provide them with the necessary assistance for their development and employability. He pointed out that the HRDC provides guidance to those who are unemployed, those who are working and those who are unskilled, amongst others, and has elaborated a panoply of schemes.
As regards the NYCS programme, he affirmed that it will increase the employability of the participants through the acquisition of critical skills. He also reiterated his commitment to collaborate with the Ministry for other projects.
Mr Balnock urged the Creative Coaches to be aware of their responsibilities as the Master of their class and to perform their job with passion which will enable them to attain more outcomes.
NYCS
This fourth edition of the NYCS aims at empowering youth to develop a confident, intelligent, active and daring youth community, while promoting a spirit of citizenship and enhancing social entity. The programme is offered free of charge to young people aged 17 to 25 years old, for a duration of 12 weeks. A stipend of Rs 5000 is offered to participants upon completion of the training.
The NYCS is set to start in September 2021 and will span up to October/November 2021. The programme comprises nine modules, namely: Personal Branding, Creativity And Innovation, Millennial Styles, Born To Move, Self-Empowerment, Rethinking The Future, Volunteering, Words To Live and Character Focus.
