Fi We Children demands broader representation of youth voices

IN a move to address what it sees as a disconnect between young people and legislators, the Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF) says it is committed to creating more opportunities for youth to get involved in shaping policy, particularly on issues affecting them. The youth-led advocacy group says it aims to represent and bolster a holistic integration of young people’s voices, ensuring that legislation appropriately prioritises and protects the well-being of this vulnerable demographic. Speaking at a Jamaica Observer Press Club meeting at the newspaper’s St Andrew headquarters last Thursday, Darrell Scott, a member of the organisation’s Youth Policy Committee, argued that young people had too few opportunities to debate or help shape national policy.

“We see policies are developed within the Government, and although we do have the part of politics that allows you to sit in on joint select committees or it is open for the public to join town halls, we don’t see a lot of it happening, or as much as we would want,” said Scott. Jordaina Denton told the Jamaica Observer Press Club said that FWCF aims to give a voice to those youth without a platform. (Photo: Garfield Robinson) He argued that this “gap” between youth and policymakers contributes to Jamaica’s high incidence of youth disillusionment with the Government and the wider political landscape. “That disconnect comes with young people just not feeling a part of the political process and [leads to] apathy being high. Fi We Children is not just another youth-led organisation, we focus primarily on children because we see that children are part of our community and they tend to be exposed to a lot of things that happen in the country, and I feel like they are left behind,” he added. To address this, Scott said that the…