First Lady Cecile de Jongh convened the first meeting of the Youth Development Group last week at Government House to discuss new and ongoing initiatives to promote the health, education and emotional wellbeing of the territory’s youth.
The group is an initiative of the Children and Families Council and was developed to promote and manage the development of youth services in the Virgin Islands through collaborations between government, private sector and community organizations.
“By bringing a group of diverse professionals together, we are finding and implementing real solutions to the problems our children face, from making sure they are healthy and well-nourished, to eliminating obstacles in the way of their education and giving them every chance to achieve the highest level of success,” deJongh said. “It’s critical that we address children’s needs at every stage of their development, starting from birth and into adulthood. In so doing, we protect their health and well-being while also taking steps together as a community to identify and resolve issues of concern wherever possible, including those issues associated with socio-economic challenges.”
The meeting included representatives from the Department of Labor, Department of Justice, Virgin Islands Housing Authority, Department of Education, Police Department and Housing, Parks and Recreation, as well as representatives from the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and Federal Court Probation division.
As chair, she provided welcome remarks and spoke of the importance of community-based programs in support of the Territory’s children. She also updated the group about some of the council’s initiatives, including anti-bullying efforts, in-school physicals for students, and an upcoming Gallup Student Poll—a survey of students in grades 5-12 in the territory’s public schools that will provide data useful to the group on student wellbeing and self-image.
Scott Bradley of My Brother’s Workshop provided key insight on the myriad issues faced by the territory’s detached youth and at-risk populations. He asked each member to work on providing an assessment of resources available for youth, and to identify other key stakeholders who could assist in the process, and to highlight programs they believe are lacking in the community so that the group can take steps to fill the gaps wherever possible.
“Given the focus of the Children and Families Council on early education and care for our youngest children, it is equally important that we work together to address the concerns of our older youth populations. Through the Youth Development Group, the hope is to comprehensively address children’s overall wellness needs, including channeling their highest hopes and dreams for themselves – and providing opportunities for them to succeed and prosper,” deJongh said.
