Youth participation and engagement in Anguilla
Youth Participation is the active engagement of young people throughout their own communities. It is often used in many forms, including the decision-making apparatus of their institutions of learning, places of worship and national governance processes and institutions.
At the Department of Youth and Culture, we believe that effective participation is about creating avenues for young people to effectively influence, shape or design and contribute to the development of policies, programmes and services throughout their communities.
These opportunities are provided through both formal and informal mechanisms designed to enhance the level and frequency of positive youth participation at all levels. Research and best practices have taught us that effective youth participation leads to:
- Better decisions and increased efficiency
- Strengthened community capacity
- Positive youth development
- Enhanced relationships and communication among young people
Over the years, programmes have been initiated and strengthened to further increase youth participation in Anguilla. The ANYC and NYAC are two principal programmes designed to enhance the capacity of our nation’s youth to fully participate at all levels of society. The Youth Parliament will join the aforementioned as a principal platform for youth participation in the governance processes of Anguilla.
Project justification
The Anguilla National Youth Policy (Section 5, Subsection 5.3) proposes, as a matter of utmost priority, the establishment of a National Youth Parliament. It is envisaged that the proposed youth parliament will augment other innovative youth development initiatives and accentuate opportunities for active youth participation in Anguilla.
The Department of Youth and Culture (DYC) is mandated to facilitate the timely implementation of the youth policy and has therefore prioritized establishment of the youth parliament in its current strategic plan. In this regard the DYC has engaged the National Youth Council and other national and international stakeholders, in a collaborative effort to actualize the Youth Parliament project.
DYC is also facilitating access to financial and technical resources for the project. It is anticipated that the Anguilla National Youth Council (ANYC) will have primary responsibility for the functioning of the proposed parliament.
