Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Youth Ambassador Programme (YAP), aiming to provide a platform for youth representation and promote youth empowerment, was launched, this afternoon, at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex, in Côte d’Or.
The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, as well as other personalities were present on the occasion.
The objective of the YAP is also to help in the dissemination of information related to Government policies, programmes, events, activities, legislation especially to other youngsters. The Youth Ambassadors would also be expected to hold an annual conference on 12 August each year to mark the International Youth Day.
In his address, Minister Toussaint highlighted that following a proposal made by the Head of Youth Ambassador, Mr Thomas Lenette, in November 2021 to the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, a meeting was held between the Minister and the Head Ambassador to further discuss the concept of the project.
This initiative was welcomed and approved as it will enable young people to take initiatives in the interest of the Mauritian youth. Furthermore, he indicated that the implementation of this Programme, which will be an annual initiative, demonstrates that the Government recognises the importance of involving the youths in the national decision making process and as such, empower them in order to make their voices heard.
Mr Toussaint underlined that young people understand better than anyone else the issues that affect their generation and, in this context, this Programme will enable this group of Youth Ambassadors to provide information and recommendations to the Government and parastatals, which will be taken into account in the design and implementation of programmes and discussions for a healthy and resilient youth.
The Minister pointed that the YAP comprise a group of ten young people aged between 17 to 25 years old coming from different parts of the country and representative of the Mauritian population.
He dwelt on the roles and responsibilities of these youngsters who, in their capacity as Ambassadors and on a voluntary basis, would, inter alia : collect information pertaining to policies, programmes, events, activities, and legislation, amongst others, from Ministries and Departments; be active on social media platform such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and the media by posting and sharing information relevant to the youth; communicate with other youngsters through social media platforms and collect feedbacks on ideas; and attend national youth events throughout the year.
For his part, the Head Ambassador of YAP highlighted that the Programme, and in particular, the Annual Youth Summit which will be hosted by the Ministry in the context of the International Youth Day, will help raise awareness about these issues and will also contribute to finding practical and sustainable solutions and setting out a clear roadmap.
Mr Lenette expressed hope that this new Programme inspire more and more young people to stand up and make their voices heard, and, when the selection process begins for the next group of Youth Ambassadors for next year, a long list of unique and inspiring young people ready to take up the challenge and work to make our nation even greater is obtained.
Members of the Youth Ambassador Programme The YAP will consist of ten youngsters who will be representing different Ministries and departments. They are:
Head Ambassador: Mr Charles Vincent Thomas Lenette; Youth Ambassador for Education, Science and Technology: Mr Mathieu Thomas Dacruz; Youth Ambassador for the Arts, Culture and Tourism: Mr Sivakumaran Askurn;
Youth Ambassador for Gender Equality: Ms Romane Elsa Maria Toussaint; Youth Ambassador for Justice, Human Rights and the National Assembly: Mr Florian Alexandre Hicham Khamlichi;
Youth Ambassador for Environment and Climate Change and Youth Ambassador for Ocean Economy: Ms Esha Beeharry; Youth Ambassador for Finance and the Economy: Mr Vishwanath Petkar;
Youth Ambassador for Health and Well Being: Ms Shazia Fatimah Dulall; Youth Ambassador for Youth Empowerment, Sports and National Solidarity: Ms Lucy Teresa Hannah Jhungur; and Youth Ambassador for Rodrigues and Outer Islands: Mr David Dimitri Pellegrin.
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