The Saint Lucia National Youth Council has thrown its full support behind the newly launched Saint Lucia National Youth Policy 2025-2030, describing the initiative as a major step towards strengthening youth development and participation across the island.
The policy was officially launched on May 15 at Derek Walcott Square and is expected to guide youth development initiatives in Saint Lucia over the next five years.
The framework is built around eight key pillars, including education and lifelong learning, economic participation, health and well-being, safety and security, youth participation and citizenship, information and communication technologies, climate action, and the mainstreaming of youth priorities across all sectors.
Treasurer of the Saint Lucia National Youth Council, Nazan Hutchinson, described the policy as a comprehensive plan designed to support and empower young people.
“The National Youth Policy is a detailed document attached with the Action Plan that will support and encourage youth involvement in Saint Lucia,” Hutchinson explained.
According to Hutchinson, the policy was shaped through years of consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including youth organizations, civil society groups and government agencies.
“The policy has been developed for a number of years now with consultations with stakeholders, youth organizations, the civil society, just name it,” she stated.
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports along with the National Youth Council has gone the length and the width of Saint Lucia to find out what the young people need and what they want.”
She stressed that the final document directly reflects the concerns and aspirations voiced by young people themselves.
“So this policy is a combination of everything that was brought forward. Everything that is in there, it came straight from the young people,” Hutchinson added.
The policy’s eight pillars are intended to address a broad range of youth issues. These include ensuring access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities, improving employment and livelihood prospects, promoting healthy lifestyles, strengthening peaceful coexistence and security, and increasing youth involvement in national decision-making.
Other pillars focus on equipping youth with digital and media skills, empowering them to take action on climate change and disaster resilience, and ensuring youth priorities are integrated into national development planning.
Hutchinson believes the policy will have significant impact across the country.
“So the youth policy, along with the eight pillars in there, will be of great impact and great significance to the young people of Saint Lucia,” she said.
She also encouraged members of the public to familiarize themselves with the document and explore how they can benefit from it.
“So I encourage everybody to pick up a copy, whether it be online or at the ministry, and just read through, see what’s in there for you, how you can benefit from it, and a change you can make as a young person in Saint Lucia,” Hutchinson remarked.
While the launch marks a milestone, Hutchinson emphasized that implementation is only beginning.
“Well it’s a launch, it’s just the beginning of things to come,” she stated.
She explained that the policy would involve collaboration across multiple government ministries and agencies through an inter-agency framework.
“Each ministry has different aspects of the pillar that they will undertake,” Hutchinson said.
“So it’s not just the ministry alone working on the youth policy, but the government as a whole, each ministry of education, the public sector, youth economy, everybody coming together to make sure that the youth policy works and it works for everybody.”
2nd Vice President of the Saint Lucia National Youth Council, Edisa Eugene, also welcomed the initiative, saying the policy creates opportunities for greater inclusion and participation among young people.
“This policy presents opportunities and the inclusion of all of our young persons,” Eugene said. “So when it comes to the Saint Lucia National Youth Council, we stand with the other stakeholders in making this a reality for our young persons in Saint Lucia.”
Eugene also highlighted the importance of community-level involvement in ensuring that youth voices continue to be heard.
“We have our district youth and sports councils, who we work closely with,” she explained.
“We, of course, encourage involvement starting from the district levels, in order for youth voices can be heard.”
Officials say the Saint Lucia National Youth Policy Action Plan will serve as a roadmap for youth development efforts nationwide, while the accompanying implementation framework is expected to guide programmes and partnerships aimed at improving the lives of young people across the island.