Youth Round Table September 26 on St. Maarten

The Department of Youth Affairs – writes the Daily Herald –  will be hosting a Youth Round Table Conference on September 26 at the Westin St. Maarten Resort and Spa under the theme: “Youth – the key to social enhancement”, writes the Daily Herald. The closing ceremony will be held at the Belair Community Centre the following day. Education Minister Patricia Lourens said the conference is geared towards reviving the programme derived from the Integrated Youth Policy and discussing possible new initiatives to achieve the indicators as they are outlined in the policy. A survey will be done among high school students prior to the conference to get views of the youth on issues such as national identity, sports, education, labour, family life and youth crime. The findings of the survey will be tabled at the conference and published after the conference has ended.
The conference is organised by the Department of Youth Affairs in collaboration with the Department of Social Development, the St. Maarten Youth Council Association, The Department of Sports, the Court of Guardianship, UNESCO and other departments in government apparatus.
Between 250 and 300 youths between the ages of 12 and 24 from schools in Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin, as well as Saba and Statia, are being targeted for the conference, Lourens said. Youths who are not attached to the school system are also welcome to attend and participate.